You've seen the signs. The inaudible yawn. The slouching of the chair. The notebook doodling. If you notice that someone in your class is doing this or you personally are doing this, there is a very strong chance that you are completely bored/tuned out about what’s going on. You might find the professor (teacher, teacher’s assistant etc.) to be interesting and the subject itself to be interesting, but you do get bored from time to time.

This can be especially worrisome because if the professor says something important and you happen to tune out at the last second, you might cost yourself a point or two on a test or miss an important deadline. For me personally, I find that it happens to me in my history class, which is strange because history is my favorite subject. History often times requires the memorization of dates and understanding a timeline of what events go in which order, and it can be easy to miss things if you are not careful. If you are struggling with your history class or are finding it hard to pay attention in class, here is a quick guide to how you can make through your history and avoid becoming the next Pablo Picasso of notebook drawing.

1. Take interesting/Creative Notes

Now, you've probably all heard from teachers, friends and your parents alike that it's a good idea to take notes in class. Taking notes helps you process and maintain information, and can be extremely useful when studying for tests. A problem that can occur with taking notes, though, is that it can become boring and tedious if all you do is write down what the teacher says. Sure, you should write down what the teacher says so that you have useful information, but you do have the option of writing it in a way that you will remember and understand it.

2. Draw Personal Connections To The Discussion.

The biggest way how I find ways to make history interesting is by drawing connections to different events. By seeing similarities and differences to the various historical events, it will help you keep the discussion in mind. Whether you can draw connections from the American Revolution to current modern day politics, or comparing Elvis to the history of iconic dance moves, you will be able to engage yourself in various different ways of thinking about history. Even if the subject is not interesting to you, you can always try to make it connect to yourself personally. For example, if your teacher is talking about the French Revolution, try to relate the struggle of the French People to yourself. How would you feel if you had to work a limited paying, limited benefit job that had strenuous work hours and struggle to provide for yourself while you watch the wealthy, hereditary monarchy run your country bask in the limelight without caring about your issues? Would you revolt the same way the French People did, or would you not? By asking yourself these questions, you are forcing yourself to address the topic and engage in it. By doing this, it will be much easier to make the subject interesting, and actually want to learn about it. This will allow you to engage in discussions more willing, and could help you gain important information that you will need to perform on your tests/papers and other things to maintain your grad.

3. Talk To Your Teachers/Professors About What you Don't Understand.

The point of teachers, as obviously stated, is to teach you the subject of what their expertise is. Their job, more or less, is to provide you the information that is necessary for you to become a more informed person. I understand that professors are much different than students and can be hard to relate to. Keep in mind, though, teachers were once in your shoes and had to sit in the classroom and listen to all their teachers teach, and had to put up with the same things you do. They have their own strengths and weakness on various topics, and had particular teachers that they liked and did not. By showing that you have some interest in the subject and in trying to be sympatric to the fact that it is their job to help you, they will be much more willing to interact with you. If you develop some form of a relationship with them, they will be much more willing to provide you the information you need to succeed and other details. They might also have personal pieces of information that might help further engage you on the subject, which will enhance your learning experience.

All in all, these three pieces of advice that can amount to one thing: Be proactive about your learning. By following these piece of advice, it will be much easier for you to get a positive experience out of your history class, and will make it much better experience than you would have otherwise.