1. Concentration
How to Focus in Your Classes and Be a Successful Student!

2. How to Succeed in College: Success versus Failure
Video

3. What is Concentration?
Your ability to focus and maintain your attention while performing specific tasks.
Manage your learning by eliminating distractions.
Using methods to maintain your focus on the task at hand.

4. Understanding Concentration
Concentration is about managing your learning and directing your attention to achieve your academic goals.
Become aware of yourself.
Know your environment.
Positive and negative influences of your concentration.

5. Thinking about your Concentration - Discussion
Do you think that an instructor or text should be responsible for holding your attention? Why or why not?
Have you ever had the experience of reading a book and suddenly realizing that you might have been moving your eyes across the page, but you were actually distracted and you did not really know what you were reading?

6. Thinking about your Concentration – Discussion Cont’d
Have you ever been so distracted in class that when you thought you were listening you had actually "tuned-out" for a while?
Describe three things that distract you from focusing or maintaining your focus on your academic tasks.

7. Concentration vs. Attention
What’s the difference?
Attention gives direction to our thinking and behaviors, while concentration helps us keep our attention focused on what we need to be doing to reach our goals.

8. Concentration Distractions
Anything that decreases your ability to concentrate on a task that you are trying to perform is a distraction.
What are some distractions?
TV, Facebook, Twitter, radio, cell phone, Pinterest, Instagram
Being behind in your coursework
Being sleepy
Hunger
Worrying about an upcoming test
Friends or Family
We need to become aware of our distractions because we can only concentrate on a limited number of things at one time.

9. Internal/External Distractions - Discussion
What are some internal distractions that could affect your academic success?
What are some external distractions that could affect your academic success?

10. Activity A & B: Study Environment Distractions Analysis
Complete Activity Part A
Refer to your responses in Activity Part A. Use the following scoring system to decide your poorest and best places to study:
Total the number of "Yes" responses and "No" responses for each study place.
The place that has the most "Yes" responses may be your poorest environment for studying.
The place that has the most "No" responses may be your best place to study.
Complete Activity Part B
Refer to your responses in Activity A.
Write your poorest and best places to study.
My poorest place to study is:
My best place to study is:

11. Strategies for Studying
There are three steps to improving your concentration.
1. Developing awareness.
2. Reflecting on our experiences.
3. Taking control and taking action.

12. Interest, Goals, And Concentration
Develop an interest in what you are studying.
Set a goal for studying.
What is your short-term/long-term goal?

13. How Can I Concentrate When I Feel So Overwhelmed?
Organize the information you are studying.
Breakdown the information into smaller parts.
Take short breaks in between studying.

14. Concentrating while reading
Pre-Reading Strategies.
Reading Strategies While Reading.
Post-Reading Strategies.

15. Concentrating while listening
Strategies to help you concentrate while listening:
Read Before Class.
Set Goals for Listening.
Watch the Instructor .
Look For The Main Points.
Generate Questions.

16. Note Taking Strategies
Pre-Note-Taking Strategies.
During Note Taking Strategies.
Post Note Taking Strategies.

17. Test Taking Checklist activity

18. Test Taking Checklist activity (Continued)

19. Suggestions from other students on Concentration
Monitor your thinking when you are doing your coursework both in class and out of class (e.g., at home, at the library). You need to identify what is negatively affecting your concentration and work to eliminate or minimize the thoughts or actions that draw your attention away from the task at hand.
Focus your concentration by actively participating.
Try to think about relationships among what you are studying now, your prior knowledge, and material you want to learn.
Take thorough notes to help you focus during class.
Try to eat well, get adequate sleep, and follow a regular sleep pattern.
Visit your college's learning center and ask about materials or workshops on improving your concentration.

20. Success quotes
There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure. ~Colin Powell
Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man’s doing but my own. I am the force: I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze. My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny. ~Elaine Maxwell
The way to be successful is through preparation. It doesn’t just happen. You don’t wake up one day and discover you’re a lawyer any more than you wake up as a pro football player. It takes time. ~Alan Page