Julie Dirksen designs e-learning courses for employees of various companies. In her book, The Art of Teaching, Julie delves into the basics of cognitive psychology, pedagogy, and gives advice that will be useful not only to those who teach online, but also to those who work in a school or university.
For those who are preparing for the main school exam
Theory
By identifying individual differences in how people learn, we could provide the learning that best suits them and improve outcomes. There are many systems or models related to learning style. Here are some of the most famous.
Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. Howard Gardner proposed that intelligence is a collection of different abilities (spatial intelligence, verbal, logical, kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, natural and existential) rather than a single cognitive ability, which is expressed by IQ.
Model VAK/VARK. According to this model, people have a tendency to have different learning styles, such as visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or learning through reading.
Kolb model. David Kolb proposed a classification of learning styles (convergence, withdrawal, assimilation, accommodation) based on the listener's preferences for abstract/concrete and active/reflective experiences.
People learn differently. Even if you can't tailor the learning experience to the learner's individual style, create situations that include multiple approaches. This will make the process more interesting and the material memorable.
There are more similarities between us than differences. With the exception of those with physical disabilities, we all learn through visual, auditory and kinesthetic methods, and we all have different types of intellectual abilities to varying degrees.
You can vary your teaching approach depending on the current subject. At the very least, you can adjust your approach to specific tasks, guided by common sense considerations. You don't want your auto mechanic to actually learn from audiobooks, do you?
How does our memory work?
The human brain is a dynamic, multifaceted, ever-changing device. Everything you read in this book will change the physical structure of the brain by creating new connections and strengthening (or weakening) existing ones.
Sensory memory. This is the first filter on the path of information that our senses receive. If you decide to focus your attention on something, that information will move into your short-term memory.
Short-term memory. This memory allows us to hold ideas or thoughts in our heads long enough to take action. The brain gets rid of most of the information in short-term memory, but some things still remain in long-term memory.
Long-term memory. This is your “closet”, where information is stored for a certain time.
If repetition is so important, then why doesn’t anyone like memorization? Do we need to get over ourselves and just repeat and repeat the information until it settles in our heads? The main disadvantage of rote learning is that the information often ends up on only one shelf.
1. An effective learning process does not depend on the material, but on the way in which this material is presented.
2. If a person knows what to do, but for some reason does not take action, it means that he does not have enough motivation.
3. How you design learning can influence student behavior. A recent study was conducted in which participants were given lists of tasks. The only thing that distinguished the two types of lists was the font. It was necessary to determine the degree of difficulty of the tasks. The tasks presented in a simpler font were classified by participants as easier. And the group that had to parse a more difficult-to-read font correspondingly rated the tasks as more labor-intensive.
4. Give the listener the opportunity to be the teacher. Intrinsically motivated trainees will, of course, learn a lot themselves, but they will benefit even more from sharing their knowledge. In the process, other listeners will also be able to find something useful for themselves, and you will not have to be the only source of information and energy.
5. Change is a process, not an event. Don't expect changes immediately after the first explanation.
6. Temporary setbacks and irritation are part of the process.
7. Allow time for participants to work on their own tasks. Of course, you may have some standard exercises or tasks that are required for everyone, but progress will be much more noticeable if students can work on tasks that are meaningful to them.
8. Don't make them hate you. Don't turn the learning process into an obligation. Is it true. No need. This means that there is no need to force students to sit through a lesson that they really don’t really need from start to finish - some parts of the course can be offered as an option or for home study.
9. Avoid lengthy explanations and reasoning. You may find the theory incredibly interesting, but extrinsically motivated listeners would rather hang themselves than listen to it all. Choose specific examples and tasks that are directly related to life situations.
10. Remember that when I say “interesting”, I mean “interesting for listeners.”
11. Ask interesting questions. If the question you are asking can be answered using Google, then it cannot be classified as interesting. Truly interesting questions require the listener to interpret or apply the information received, rather than simply recall it from memory. Knowledge questions have never been a particularly fun task, but in today's age of information and technology, they become a waste of time.
12. Try to intrigue your listeners. Can you think of a mystery that needs to be solved? Interested in submitting information? Begin science class with questions such as: Why does Saturn have rings? And why doesn’t any other planet in the solar system have them?”
13. If students see others engaged in the material, or if a group of students knows that previous students have done well, they are more likely to perform well themselves.
14. Ask questions. It is much more difficult to “switch off” if you have to think about the answer.
15. Add variety. Alternate presentations, exercises, types of media.
16. Context, context and context again. During the learning process, it is useful to create contextual clues that will allow students to better remember the material.
17. Tell a story. Listeners are surprisingly good at remembering interesting stories, especially those that evoked strong emotions in them.
18. Always try something new while teaching.
19. Just kidding!
20. Give rewards. Studies in which participants received expected and unexpected rewards have shown that activity in brain structures involved in anticipation and response to rewards is greater when the reward is unexpected. That is, the reaction to an unexpected reward is much stronger than to one that the person already knows about.
Give your students a free hand:
Listen to their opinion about how well a particular topic was learned.
Let them choose where to start or in what order to go through the material. Let them make their own decisions about what tasks or projects to complete.
Don't stop asking yourself "Why?" and “What bad will happen if they don’t know this?” to determine the real purpose of learning. Two questions - “Will the listener do this in real life?” and “How to determine that he succeeded?” - will help you make sure that your goals are meaningful and achievable.
Julie Dirksen's book “The Art of Teaching” was published by Ivanov, Mann and Farber in 2013
Read other chalk notes:
Many children complain to their parents that they are incredibly bored in math lessons. They don't understand why they need to learn stacks of formulas and how they can be useful in real life. That is why we have prepared 8 ways that will help diversify a math lesson and interest the student.
1. Make the lesson meaningful
Most math lessons in school suffer from the following:
- Sometimes teachers themselves cannot explain why they teach certain topics to their students. It is difficult for such teachers to see the connection between mathematics and other subjects of the school curriculum.
- As a result, students also do not understand why they are studying these topics. A common question they ask themselves is, “Why should I learn this?” makes sense. Do you have a good answer to it, instead of the usual “It will be on the exam” or worse - “Because you need it”?
Several possible options to fix this:
- Show your student the practical importance of mathematics, explain how he can solve real life problems using the knowledge gained in your lessons.
- Check out the curriculum for other school subjects. After this, you can use examples in your lessons that are understandable and interesting to your students.
2. Start with concrete examples—leave abstract concepts for later
Modern mathematics looks like a science that studies abstract concepts. Practical ways to solve real problems that were solved by the great mathematicians of the past are today presented in the form of algebraic formulas, axioms and theorems. Students do not always understand how everything written in their textbooks can be useful to them in life. Help them understand this.
Instead of starting each topic with a formula, start with specific examples of problems that were originally solved by that formula. Help students see how theoretical mathematics can solve such problems by showing them the thinking process first and then the solution.
3. Start with an interesting, real problem (preferably local)
Most math lessons start like this:“Here is the new formula for today's lesson, here is how you should insert the values, here is the correct answer.”
The problem is that this approach does not even attempt to motivate the student.
It will be great if you stimulate the students' interest. Use presentations, training videos and other aids. Search the Internet for interesting information and use it in your lessons.
Here's an example problem:10 most dangerous cities in Russia (the norm of air pollution in cities is exceeded from 11 times to 34 times).
(photo taken from flickr.com)
What can you do in class?: identify the main causes of air pollution, decide together what needs to be done to reduce the level of pollution. With the help of simple calculations, students will be able to calculate under what conditions the level of pollution can be reduced.
Or you could suggest the following topic:The world's largest telescope has been built in China .
(photo taken from topblognews.ru)
What you can do in class:find the area of a 500 meter telescope, discuss how the construction of the telescope affected the environment, and decide how much area was cleared to build the telescope.
4. Creativity and control over the situation
We believe that mathematics is an extremely interesting science that requires a lively and open mind to master. You should not reduce work in class to memorizing formulas and monotonously solving similar tasks using a ready-made algorithm.
We're all creative and love to be, but most schools don't encourage creativity (check out this great video from TED Talks,Ken Robinson: How Schools Stifle Creativity(there are Russian subtitles)).
There are many ways to encourage student creativity in math lessons. Use new technologies to describe math concepts: prepare animations, diagrams, or interesting infographics for class. Create something yourself or download it from the Internet.
Give students individual tasks that engage creative thinking and help them feel confident in their abilities.
5. Ask more interesting questions
Read the condition. Which answer is correct?
A boat with a lot of pebbles floats on the lake. Pebbles are thrown into a depression in the lake. At this time, the water level in the lake (relative to the shore):
a) will rise
b) will go down
c) will remain the same.
For many students, math questions are most often associated with problems in a textbook. The problem for them looks like a long sentence: “Here is the problem in words. Take the numbers, plug them into the formula, do the calculation, and move on to the next problem.”
An interesting condition of the problem will definitely catch the attention of students, in contrast to a task like: “There are these numbers, find one or more unknowns.” The example above will evoke more emotion than a typical question from a book.
Here's another example:
Imagine that you are jumping with a parachute. What would a graph of your speed look like versus time, from the time you jump out of the plane until you reach your terminal speed?
a) Concave down to increase
b) Concave down to decrease
c) Straight line with a plus slope
d) Growing and curved upward
When students get used to solving such problems, they themselves will begin to come up with interesting real-life examples related to calculations using formulas they have already learned.
6. Let students create their own questions.
Students understand much more when they have to come up with their own questions. The easiest way is to ask students to write test questions on the topic.
You can divide the class into 2-4 groups. Each group must create a block of questions for the test. During the lesson, the children exchange sets of tasks and solve them.
If one of the components made a mistake or prepared a task that cannot be solved, you can figure out in class why this happened: what the component did wrong, what could have confused him.
7. Magazine
Invite students to keep a math journal, just as great scientists documented their progress toward solving a problem.
You should know that reflection is a key element of effective learning.
A math journal will help you and your students track how they perceive course material, what challenges they encounter, and what helps them succeed.
How to Keep a Math Journal:
- An entry is made in the journal after each problem is solved.
- All thoughts should be written down in a separate notebook.
- In a mathematical journal, you need to describe in detail all the difficulties and achievements.
- The time for recording in the log should not exceed 5-7 minutes.
- Math journaling can be done with both young children and adults. Younger students can draw a math problem in a journal.
- A mathematical journal should not be kept daily, but as you progress in solving individual mathematical problems or when moving to study a new topic.
- Be tolerant. Journaling takes a lot of time, but it is a good help for developing mathematical thinking.
8. Projects
The most effective way to interact with students is to give them the opportunity to do something on their own. Help students see mathematics around them: in the things that surround them, in natural phenomena and processes.
You can use modern teaching tools that will help you show students of different ages how interesting mathematics can be.
(photo taken from technabob.com)
Here are just a few ideas:
- Design Lego robots
- Create visual representations on the siteGeoGebra
- Create a dynamic presentation inPrezi
If you know how to add to our list of tips, share your ideas in the comments. We are sure that thousands of teachers will be grateful to you for this.
Non-standard forms of education in primary school
or how to make the lesson interesting.
At all times, teachers have constantly looked for ways to enliven the lesson, trying to diversify the forms of explanation and feedback.
Non-standard forms must be used correctly and skillfully. The effectiveness of the educational process at school primarily depends on the correct choice of forms of organizing teaching in the subject.
When choosing forms of work, it is necessary to take into account the conditions in which the educational process unfolds. The presence of a variety of didactic material and special equipment allows you to individualize the learning process. The content of the educational material also influences a lot, which may have different difficulties and different novelty. It is important to consider how the form contributes to the manifestation of the active position of each student, which is expressed in defending his opinion, the ability to prove, argue the relevant position, defend his point of view, and show a sense of collectivism.
I believe that non-standard lessons are one of the important means of teaching, since they form in students a stable interest in learning, relieve tension and constraint, which are characteristic of many children, and help to develop skills in academic work and educational activity itself. Non-standard lessons have a deep emotional impact on children, thanks to which they develop stronger, deeper knowledge. Non-standard forms of lessons that I used in my practice: lesson-game “Magic Ball”, lesson “brain ring”, lesson – travel, lesson – research, lesson – creative workshop, lesson – unusual plants, lesson – fairy tale “Whirlwind” , lesson - game, lesson - meeting, lesson - competition, lesson - competition, lesson with theatrical elements, lesson - excursion to the store, lesson - building a new house, lesson - winter holiday.
Each teacher has his own “proprietary” methods and techniques in his “methodological box”. “Active teaching methods and techniques” contribute to solving the problems I set in the lessons.
In my work I use these methods:
Methods of organizing and implementing educational and cognitive activities of students.
Methods of verbal transmission of information and auditory perception of information.
Topic “Sentence, phrase, word”
Fabulous guests came to visit us with questions. The cockerel is very concerned about what our speech consists of? Answer, children.
Methods of visual transmission of information and visual perception of information.
For example, a lesson on visual geometry, 3rd grade.
Topic: “Area of a Right Triangle”
Children examine a right triangle and make assumptions about finding its area. After which they conduct an experiment and prove that a triangle can be completed into a rectangle. (See attachment)
Methods of transmitting information through practical activities.
For example, Russian language lesson, 3rd grade.
Topic “Spelling of suffixes –ik, -ek”
Look at this object and tell me what fairy tale we find ourselves in? (“The Golden Key or the Adventures of Pinocchio”)
Write down the phrase golden key in your notebook.
What spellings are found in the words?
The word key sort by composition.
Why is the suffix -ik written in it?
Make up a sentence with this word.
Methods of stimulating and motivating students.
Emotional methods
For example, in mathematics lessons, children solve multi-level problems. In Russian language lessons, they choose from the proposed tasks the one they like best.
Cognitive methods.
For example, Russian language lesson, 3rd grade.
Topic “Adjective”
After learning new material, children select vocabulary words with the same root adjectives and come up with a story with these words.
Writing fairy tales, stories, poems on a given topic.
Creating a problematic situation. For example, lesson about the world around us, 3rd grade.
Topic: “Living and inanimate nature”
At the beginning of the lesson, children are asked problematic questions:
Can we say that living and inanimate nature and the world around us are one and the same?
Is a pot with a flower an object of nature or an object of the world around us?
Social methods.
When working in a group, a consultant is selected who exercises control. This form of work leads to the creation of a situation of mutual assistance.
Methods of control and self-control.
Oral
For example, a Russian language lesson 2nd grade.
Topic: “Reinforcing knowledge about verifiable and unverifiable vowels in the root of a word”
When repeating theoretical material, I use frontal questioning.
Explain what an unstressed vowel means?
Why do unstressed vowels need checking?
How to check the spelling of an unstressed vowel at the root of a word?
Is it always possible to check the spelling of an unstressed vowel at the root? What should you do in this case?
Methodical techniques:raising problematic questions,problematic situations,work with cards, communicative attack, game moment, gift for work in the lesson, telegram, letter, telephone conversation, relay race, photo eye, selective reading, reading proverbs “in reverse”, crossword puzzles, unconventional beginning of the lesson, beginning of the lesson with elements of theatricalization and others .
Also in my practice I use not only non-standard forms of training, but also new information technologies (NIT). I know that new information technologies are the future. The use of NIT can transform the teaching of traditional academic subjects, rationalizing child labor, optimizing the processes of understanding and memorizing educational material, and most importantly, raising children’s interest in learning to an immeasurably higher level.
I especially enjoy teaching lessons using computer presentation. In such lessons, time is saved significantly; the material is presented with greater clarity. Children participate in the learning process with interest. Moreover, greater interest develops if the children themselves participate in preparing presentations for lessons.
In 2006, my children and I participated in a city competition of student projects. Topic of the research project: “Three pillars of economics” (the world around us, 3rd grade).
It is aimed at educating and respecting working people through familiarization with city enterprises and the professions of parents. The project took place over three weeks. The goal of this project is not only to gain practical knowledge on this topic, but also to instill skills in working with information and working in a team.
In addition, the children learned to use new computer programs and briefly express their thoughts. The guys were asked the question: “What is required to produce goods and services?” The whole class was divided into three groups: journalists, tour guides, and ecologists. Each group researched a specific topic. You see them on the screen. The results of the children's work were:
Booklet “What does work mean for a person?”;
Multimedia presentation about the enterprises of our city;
Magazine: “All kinds of professions are important, all kinds of professions are needed”;
Posters on the protection of natural resources.
In the process of work, students gained experience working with computer equipment, experience working in computer programs, and research activities.
As a result, the children learned about large enterprises in our city, such as Kronostar LLC, Sharya DOK LLC, the railway, electrical networks, post office, and bank. And also about the activities of private entrepreneurs.
The guys did a lot of work: collecting material about the city’s enterprises, interviews with parents, publishing the magazine “All sorts of professions are important, all kinds of professions are needed,” creating the booklet “Labor” and the presentation “What is capital?” The defense of the project was successful. The “Three Pillars of Economics” project took first place.
Conclusion. The essence of all of the above methods, forms and methods of teaching is to get a high result in the lesson with the least amount of effort and time, so that the lesson raises children to the next level in their mental growth, development and education.
Many novice teachers and student trainees at pedagogical universities experience fear of the student audience, uncertainty in their communication capabilities and doubts in their ability to establish contact with the class and position themselves as a teacher. If a young teacher fails to mobilize and gather his courage, even a methodically correctly designed lesson may be in danger of failure. And students can interpret the teacher’s timidity and indecisiveness as insufficient professionalism and lack of necessary competence.
It is necessary to prepare for the first lesson from the first day of study at a pedagogical university. Psychological preparation is very important; it is necessary to participate in a variety of scientific conferences, where students can observe and practice techniques for working with an audience. To cope with the fear of public speaking, it is useful to participate in student amateur performances, KVN, competitions, and even simply ask questions to the teacher during a lecture.
Lesson preparation
Confidence is usually boosted by the presence of the following components of a good lesson:
- An impeccable appearance, which naturally begins with the bathroom and hygiene procedures. This point should not be underestimated, because... Students always evaluate the teacher’s appearance and are quite critical of existing shortcomings. Some mistake, an awkward detail can become the reason for the teacher to have a nickname and a reason for ridicule. The optimal suit for a man is a classic business suit with a tie; for a woman - a formal suit with a skirt or trousers.
- Knowledge of your subject (or, in extreme cases, good knowledge of the topic of the lesson). According to research, a teacher’s erudition and deep knowledge of his subject are more important for students than his personal characteristics. Students respect teachers who are well versed in their subject, and prefer strict and demanding teachers who have a broad outlook and supplement the material from the textbook with interesting facts.
- A well thought out and memorized lesson plan. While experienced teachers may be content to give general outlines of the flow of a lesson, novice teachers are encouraged to think through all the stages of the lesson (including expected student responses) and the time allotted for each stage. It is useful to have in stock several additional game exercises on the topic of the lesson in case the tasks provided for in the outline plan are exhausted long before the end of the lesson.
- Good diction. All the previous points will be of little use if the teacher does not control his voice and speaks too quietly, indistinctly, slowly or quickly. Increasing or decreasing the volume of speech, pausing, and emotionality helps to draw attention to important moments of the lesson, awaken the interest of students, create an appropriate mood, establish discipline, etc. Don’t be lazy to rehearse all or some aspects of the lesson in front of a mirror or a fellow student.
So, you have put yourself in order, repeated the topic of the lesson again, read additional literature, thought through and prepared an excellent lesson plan, rehearsed everything and are standing on the threshold of the classroom, armed with knowledge, enthusiasm and a pointer. What to do next, how to behave, what to pay attention to?
Conducting a lesson
- Entering the classroom, first impression. This point is very important; excessive fussiness and haste will not add weight to you in the eyes of students. Enter with dignity, place your magazine and bag on the teacher's desk and chair, and get the students' attention (by clearing your throat, lightly tapping the table, etc.). Use a nod or a glance to indicate to students that they should stand and greet you. Do not neglect this moment and perceive this ceremony as a due and indispensable sign of respect. Moreover, it puts you in a working mood and helps establish the necessary subordination.
- Acquaintance. If this is your first meeting with the class, introduce yourself (last, first and middle names), write your first and middle names on the board. To relieve tension, first tell us about your requirements, rules of work in the lesson, grading criteria, and touch on organizational issues. For the first time, in order to quickly remember your students, ask them to write their names on cards (it is better to prepare them in advance so that the students do not have to tear out sheets of paper from their notebooks, and you do not have to waste time at this moment) and place them in front of you on the desk. Students love it when the teacher calls them by name. You can get creative and prepare exercises to break the ice and get to know each other better.
- Working style. Do not try to immediately become friends with your students; for many teachers, this not only prevents them from objectively assessing the knowledge of their “best friends,” but in some cases can lead to disruption of the lesson. You should not be liberal, “flirt” with students, or promise rewards for good behavior and excellent studies: these are the students’ responsibilities, and the reward is a mark. Avoid familiarity and familiarity in your relationships with children.
- Under no circumstances try to gain authority by intimidating and humiliating students, suppressing them with your authority and know-it-all attitude. Do not try to “catch” students on trifles and do not abuse unsatisfactory grades (the grades you give first of all to yourself as a teacher) - this is a sign of inexperience and incompetence.
- When taking a break from work to give students a break from work, do not tell jokes under any circumstances; it is better to prepare an educational story or an easy game in advance, provided that you can return discipline to the class after the game. If you are not sure, then it is better to conduct a traditional physical education session.
- When marking, comment, first be sure to praise for the effort, and then briefly express your comments.
- When finishing a lesson, do not shout homework after the children: they must wait for your permission before leaving the class.
- Be sure to fill out the log, according to the regulatory requirements, write down the date of the lesson, topic, and homework. As experienced teachers joke, you may not give a lesson, but you must write it down!
Studying is not the most interesting activity, but it is very necessary. Studying bores many people. If you are not an exception, read this article to learn how to make studying fun.
Steps
Organize the learning process
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Find a company to study with. If you're bored and easily distracted when you study on your own, try group classes. You will all study the same material, you will have one common goal. Look at the children in your class and think about who you would like to study with.
Ask each other questions. One of the benefits of studying in a group is that your partner can explain things to you that you don't understand. If you have questions, ask one of your group members to help you understand anything you don't understand. The entire group will benefit from this discussion. If you studied on your own and did not understand a topic, then most likely you would become bored. In group classes you can interact with the material and with each other. Thanks to this, you can understand the material better.
Find a suitable place to study. This is one of the most important aspects of studying. Although the place you choose will not affect your interest in studying, at least you will not be distracted by trifles. Distractions can make studying even more boring because they remind you that you could be doing something more interesting than studying.
Don't get comfortable. If you get too comfortable while studying, you will probably get bored very soon and fall asleep. Don't learn your lessons lying down. Sit at the table on a hard chair, not in an easy chair. Otherwise, drowsiness is unlikely to give you the opportunity to concentrate on the learning process.
Set goals for yourself. One of the reasons why you might be bored is that you don't have a clear idea of what you need to do. Plan ahead and figure out what you need to do. Think about what exercises you need to do and how long each one will take. This way, you will have a clear goal that will help you fight boredom. If you know when you can return to playing video games or hanging out with friends, you'll be more motivated to finish tasks as quickly as possible.
Alternate items. To avoid boredom, you can introduce variety into the learning process. It is unlikely that you were only assigned one subject. Therefore, alternate subjects while studying. For example, study History for 45 minutes, Math for 45 minutes, and English for 45 minutes. Then go back to the story again. Make sure you don't spend all your time on one subject. If you alternate subjects frequently, you won't get bored.
Exercise when you feel energetic. Start studying when you are most active and do not feel tired or sleepy. You will be able to understand the material better. If you exercise at the same time every day, you will develop a habit. Thanks to this, the learning process will not be boring for you, and you will be eager to complete assignments.
Take breaks. Studying for several hours, especially when you are studying for an important exam, can lead to you getting bored very quickly. Try breaking up your study time into short breaks. If you have to sit while studying, take breaks to do light exercise. Reward yourself every hour with a 10-minute break during which you can play basketball or go for a short jog around the house. This will give you an adrenaline rush and help you stay focused on the task at hand. Plus, the less time you spend in one place, the less likely you are to get bored with what you're doing.
Make learning fun. You can turn studying a boring subject into a game. You can even sing while trying to memorize complex formulas or facts. Thanks to this, the learning process will be interesting, and you will do it with pleasure. Plus, you're less likely to get bored if you're focused on creating a game or flash cards.
Reward yourself. One way to complete a task faster is to remember that it will all end soon. Tell yourself that after studying there will be delicious ice cream waiting for you or you will start the next level in a video game. After class you can chat with friends. However, promise yourself that you will only be able to achieve the reward if you really focus on the material while studying.
Take notes. Taking notes while studying will help you avoid getting bored and distracted. As you read a chapter in your textbook, write down a summary of it. This will not only help you avoid distractions, but you will also be able to remember the material better, since by writing down information you are repeating it again.
Put away electronic devices. If you have a cell phone or laptop, put it away during class. Put your phone in your bag, and you can leave your laptop at home if you go to study at the library. If you remove temptations, you will not be distracted or bored.
