Point one: prepping your brain for learning, study your lesson before you go to learn it. It may sound like a lot of unnecessary work, but the fact of the matter is, reviewing your lesson before your professor talks about it in class is very helpful. Not only does it help you not sound like a complete idiot when they asks questions, but it helps you follow what he or she is saying. For example, government classes often use terms that are rarely heard outside the court room, it would be helpful for a student to review these terms before hand, if only to be able to keep up with the lecture.

Point two: overcoming the zombiefying lectures.
Some teachers, it’s sad to say, are simply hard to listen to. Whether it’s their mono-tone voice or their constant use of ginormous words, some teachers can be difficult to follow. If you find yourself in a difficult class, don’t just drop the class, try your best to fight through it. Here are a few tips to help you survive the brain melting lectures. Record his lesson with you're phone (be sure and ask permission first!), copy every note he writes on the board, focus on key words only, sketch outlines of his presentation.

Point three: asking the tough questions.
Asking questions can be hard, especially if you are uncomfortable around (or minorly afraid of) your professor. Unfortunately, there is no cure for this professorial phobia, so all you can do is take a deep breath and go ask them. Because asking questions is a key part in learning, without questions, we would not have answers.

Point four: Putting the pen to paper when it comes to real, hard core note taking, you either go hard or go home. Random little scribbles of words your teacher says, do not count as real note taking. Real note taking requires thought, intuition, and half