I REMEMBER during my school days when I was in Grade Eight. We had a lesson in Environmental Science about chimneys with Mr Kalaba.
In the midst of the lesson, my friend started showing me a K5 note picture from a civics book, our teacher saw us, but he kept it at ease as if he didn’t see anything.
He continued teaching, and then he called out my name, Rodrick, Can you pay attention! I replied, “Sir I am paying attention”, then he asked me a question which I failed to give an answer to. He came towards my desk, “Rodrick, I have been a pupil before, went to college to learn how to teach, learnt education psychology I know when a pupil is part of the lesson or not.
Do one thing at a time, concentrate and be part of the class, certain things I am explaining may not be in the notes I will give you; if you miss it, you will meet it in the exams and you will fail”.
I still remember these words vividly. Passing an exam starts from classroom, if you miss it when a teacher is explaining you will have hustles in understanding them, sometimes you may not even understand them on your own.
There are five components of your body which should be alert whenever you are in class even at church. These parts include; your brain or your mind, your hand, your eyes, your ears and your mouth.
Your brain or your mind, one day during a lecture lesson at University of Zambia, a lecturer jokingly told us: “Whenever you come for lessons you should carry your brains with you or else you will miss all what I am teaching you”.
When you are in class learn to stay focused, fix your mind on what is prevailing in class. Imagine you are just alone with your teacher, explaining to you the three stages in the development of the river.
Imagine what you are learning are the only things coming in exams, if you miss them you will fail the examinations.
Do not allow your mind to wonder during lessons in class, by shifting your attention to what is not going on around in class.
There are pupils who have a trend of doing things not even related to what is being taught, others it’s a time to catch up with notes in subjects where they are behind, impossible! You cannot do two things at the same time one will suffer and the other will benefit.
Esteem highly the moments when you are in class. Be an active member during the lesson, your mind should be set on one thing.
It’s not the time to think about Lisa or Patrick. Even the Bible says “there is time and season for everything under the sun” When it’s time to learn do that, time to be at the sports field do the same.
Your eyes, apart from your brain or your mind being in class the other important attribute that affect your understanding in class are your eyes. They say people have the attendance of remembering things which they have seen.
Imagine being in class where a teacher jots nothing that you can see on the board, not only in a text book or any media where information is written or stored.
You will agree with me that it will be impossible for you to grasp them or you will understand it with difficulties.
Hence, it’s important for your teacher to jot some points on the board, no wonders your teacher often do that.
It’s important that you pay attention, by looking at what your teacher sharing in class even what he writes on the board.
They say the best communication is when you eye contact with the person you are chatting with. Even in class, the same principle is applied, if you genuinely eye contact your teacher, you will easily grasp what he or she is teaching.
However, if you are looking down or somewhere else you mind will be attracted towards the same thing. The consequence will be that your understanding in class will be distorted.
Your hand, it an important attribute in your learning process. As earlier stated whatever can make you successful in class, is just within your, your physical body parts are so important to your academic success.
There are basically two important things that qualify your hand to be so special.
During class lesson if you are not clear you use your hand to ask a question. Besides, you also use your hand to contribute in class.
Hence, when you are in class let your hand participates with you .there is always a sense of confidence that embraces you as a pupil whenever you contribute something during lesson.
In fact pupils who lift their hands often in class are the first ones to be known by teachers and tend to develop a cordial relationship with a teacher.
Your hand helps you to jot some important notes during lesson either from your teacher or your colleagues even your ‘deskies’.
It’s not everything that a teacher says that will be included in your notes sometime he or she can have a new idea but if you have pencil or pen you will jot it in your jotter book. Additionally, jotted points are like a summary of what you have been learning and this can aid you during your study time.
Your ears, it is a cardinal part of your body and crucial to your ability to grasp what your teacher is explaining during the lesson.
For example information subjects such as history and civic education requires more attention than other subjects though this does not mean you pay less attention in other subjects.
Your ear helps you to listen to what is happening in class such as what your teacher is saying or what your friends are saying like the way they are asking questions or responding to questions.
It  is with the ears that one gets the concept of what is being discussed during class lessons, your eye will see, your ears will get it and your mind will comprehend this means they interdependent on each other if one is not active it may affect the other. I recall moments during my school days, a teacher saying do not let what I am teaching you enter through your right ear and come out through the left ear.
It was the term I disliked often but it was a great advice given on a silver plate as I came to accept years after school. If you do not pay attention in class, by failing to get what your teacher is explaining chances are very high that even in your study time you will face difficulties in understanding it.
Your mouth is an important part of your body, God has blessed you with. If you will be successful in life, use your mouth wisely someone once said. During lessons it is believed that pupils who talk often by asking questions and contribute to the lesson; tend to perform far much better than withdrawing ones.
This means, whenever you are in class do not be a passive member who just watches other members of the class, instead be an active member of the learning process.
Additionally, pupils that always participate during class lessons tend to be in good books with teachers. In your learning process it is important that a teacher becomes your best friend, confidant and someone you can approach without any sense of fear where academic issues are concerned.
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