I Don’t Understand Anything in Class: How to Benefit From Every College Professor’s Teaching Style
“What if I can’t understand anything from my teacher?” Chances are you will have at least one college class that you struggle to get. Maybe the teacher is incredibly intelligent, using large vocabulary terms throughout every lecture. Maybe the teacher moves at a fast pace and doesn’t accept any late work. Whatever the case, you feel lost and slightly helpless.
This feeling of being lost isn’t unusual. Many college freshmen feel this way, but why? Your high school teachers likely worked to engage you in class, showing videos, referencing pop culture, etc. While some college teachers may work to reference contemporary topics or insert references to present day trends, many college teachers teach in a lecture format that revolves less around being engaging and focuses more on diving into deep concepts.
How can you figure out your professor’s teaching style? And how can you benefit from a teaching style with which you may not gel? Keep reading…
How to Identify Your Professor’s Teaching Style
It’s important to begin with understanding. Until you understand your professor’s teaching style, you won’t understand how you can benefit. You won’t get why they approach the content the way they do or why they assess your knowledge using the methods they use. Below are 5 tips to help you see your course from your teacher’s perspective.
#1. Review the course syllabus.
When in doubt, the syllabus is your friend. (This principle applies to many things, not just this topic.) Think of a course syllabus as a guide, showing you how to succeed in each class. Due dates, grade breakdown, project explanations, and more are usually explained in detail in your syllabus.
Your syllabi give you insight into how your teacher thinks and teaches. Most syllabi include a list of course objectives. These details are golden, because they help you see what are the big picture things your teacher wants to accomplish. Look for key details, repeated ideas, bolded phrases, and headings for key components shared in the syllabus.
#2. Utilize smaller graded assignments.
Think of reading quizzes and other assignments with smaller point values as a way to “test” your teacher’s style of assessing content. Notice what kinds of questions they ask. Are they asking you to recall dates? Are they asking you to apply certain types of terms? What content isn’t covered?
These small assignments can help you figure out and master their teaching style, enabling you to succeed on larger graded assignments like tests and projects. (Note: Sometimes this process requires some trial-and-error, so don’t give up after one or two poor quiz grades.)
#3. Notice what concepts and skills are emphasized in lectures.
Your college professor is unlikely to regurgitate the textbook. They also aren’t likely to present their content exactly the same way as the textbook. They are more likely to reference your reading in passing. In other words, the textbook is a jumping-off point rather than the point.
Professor’s lectures are usually a mix of the theoretical and the practical. They will likely give you a bigger picture of the content and also give you (or lead you to) some practical points of application.
Take note of the key concepts covered in class, because this tells you what your teacher thinks is most important. Take note of the length of time and depth of discussion spent on specific topics. They don’t spend class time on things they deem a waste of time.
#4. Get to know your professor.
Professors can be intimidating and sometimes awkward to talk to one-on-one. Don’t let your fear of tripping over your words or saying the wrong thing keep you from getting to know them. Even if they’re new to their job, they like teaching and like talking to students.
Just like with any other person, the best way to get to know a professor is to speak with them. They’ve spent years studying their field (researching and writing), so they love their topic area and enjoy sharing it with students who have a desire to learn.
If you want to know how they teach, spend time getting to know what “makes them tick” and soon you’ll understand their teaching better. (Worried about how to approach them over email? This post will help.)
#5. Notice what skills are emphasized in projects.
When I was a student, I had no idea what teaching was actually like. Frankly, I didn’t really think about it because I wasn’t planning on doing classroom teaching (maybe something I’ll share about in another post…?).
Your professor intentionally designs different projects to help you exit the course with specific skills. They work to make you more autonomous and less dependent on them to use certain skills.
If you want to understand their teaching style, take note of the collaboration with peers you experience, the independent problem-solving you have to execute, and the level of self-directed work for which you are responsible. This helps you be able to take a step back during the busy times to see the big picture, the end goal.
How to Benefit From Every Professor’s Teaching Style
In the previous section, you were able to peek a little behind the curtain and see your professor’s point of view. (Lots of planning, strategizing, and long days go into putting together course content.) But how does this information help you? Below are 4 notes that will help you benefit from every teaching style.
#1. Recognize your own bias.
Your least favorite class is another student’s favorite class. Your least favorite college professor is also another’s favorite. Dr. Katie Azevedo from SchoolHabits explains this phenomenon well: “Sometimes [y]our perception of a teacher as good or bad is simply a reflection of [y]our personal preferences, personalities and learning styles.” If you find yourself disliking a teacher (or a class), consider how your preferences may be shaping this viewpoint—rather than the other way around.
#2. Refuse to assume the worst.
If your teacher seems difficult, demanding, or incompetent at teaching, refuse to assume bad intentions or evil motives. They’re likely very passionate and well-informed in their topic area. Just like you would like your teacher to be forgiving of you on an “off day,” try to return the same favor to the teacher. You never know what people are going through in their personal lives.
#3. View this process as a learning experience.
If your teacher is hard to follow or a difficult grader, view this process of figuring them out as an opportunity to grow. You will one day have a coworker, employer, partner, or roommate that will be hard-to-read. Developing the ability to empathize and interact with people who think differently than you will benefit you far beyond your college years.
#4. Discover and overcome weak areas in your thinking and ability.
My junior year of college I took a general elective class renowned for being difficult. While this class was very challenging and time-consuming, I soon realized the reason this class was difficult due to my own weaknesses. Other classes didn’t push me to think in this way. Other classes didn’t develop the same kind of skills that this class did. View your difficult classes and teachers as helpful insights, shedding light on weak areas that you wouldn’t otherwise notice and improve.
Your own learning style can make certain professor’s teaching styles more difficult for you. This doesn’t mean that you should drop the class or consider the class a waste of your time. This is an opportunity to grow, adapt, and overcome a challenge that benefits you for years to come.
