University: how do I fidget RESPECTFULLY
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From: Chris.Holland16 on 2 Oct 2005 16:15 Hi. I have just started university and have had lectures and labs There were times when I really really wanted to pace around, stand up, move my feet around... because it would really help me pay attention BUT I don't want the teachers to think I am being disrespectful. Any ideas anyone? would appreciate it...
From: Twittering One on 2 Oct 2005 16:24 Sit in the back, Stand up and stretch, when you need To do so. If necessary, Explain to your profs, This is self-soothing strategy for you.
From: Catherine Woodgold on 3 Oct 2005 09:52 "Chris.Holland16" (Chris.Holland16(a)gmail.com) writes: > Hi. I have just started university and have had lectures and labs > > There were times when I really really wanted to pace around, stand up, > move my feet around... because it would really help me pay attention > > > BUT I don't want the teachers to think I am being disrespectful. > > Any ideas anyone? would appreciate it... Some ideas: -- go and visit your professors at their offices and discuss it with them. Ask if it would be OK to quietly pace back and forth at the back of the class. Explain that it helps you focus and that you feel a need to move around especially when you're learning very interesting ideas. Some professors might be sympathetic. Some might disagree with you or not understand and be even less tolerant of motion during class after talking it over, maybe. -- see the book "Learning outside the lines" -- it's for ADD college students and has lots of tricks. Not sure if it has tricks about pacing or not. -- get lots of exercise between classes. Jog or sprint from one class to another and take a longer route. Also a really good aerobic exercise session before your first class in the morning and at lunchtime. I've heard that the dopamine generated in a good exercise session can help you stay calm for several hours afterwards. I used to go swimming at lunchtime, and found it quite calming though I spent more time drying my hair than in the pool. :-) -- find exercises you can do in your seat, e.g. lifting one heel then the other back and forth in a sort-of walking motion while sitting. -- sit at the back and do stuff like: use worry beads, doodle, eat snacks when no one is looking, solve puzzles of a type that don't interfere with learning; for example, if the learning is word-based, don't do a crossword puzzle, but a puzzle that uses shapes may be OK. -- at the end of the class, immediately jump up and rush to the the professor and enthusiastically tell them how interesting the lecture was (if you do feel that way) or how interesting some particular idea you learned was. That way, they'll see that your energy is based on excitement about learning and they may be more tolerant of a bit of moving around during class. Other students may shun you as a "teacher's pet," though. -- just find excuses to visit the professor during office hours a few times. This will show that you're interested and may help get some forgiveness for moving around in class, and may also give you a chance to judge how the professor would react if you asked about pacing during class. -- isometric exercises. Tighten some muscles very hard for several seconds, then relax them. Repeat a few times, then do the same with some other muscles. -- Count in trinary with your fingers, out of sight. -- develop a routine: take some activities as mentioned above and do them one after the other in the same order every time, then repeat. Try to come up with enough different activities to last a whole lecture. -- If you do stand or pace, with or without asking first, you can keep your eyes focussed on the professor and blackboard to give the impression that you're concentrating on what's being taught (whether you actually are or not). Because of back injuries, I can't spend a lot of time sitting. I've been at various courses and meetings (not like university classes though) and have often stood at the back. Sometimes I'll explain to the teacher before the class; other times I'll just do it. Sometimes I quietly switch from sitting to standing and back. I haven't had much trouble. I've rarely been asked to sit down, and never after explaining I have back trouble. I didn't pace, though. -- Cathy Woodgold http://www.ncf.ca/~an588/par_home.html We are all Iraqis now.
From: Vashti on 3 Oct 2005 09:17 It wasn't a dark and stormy night when Chris.Holland16 wrote: > Hi. I have just started university and have had lectures and labs > > There were times when I really really wanted to pace around, stand > up, move my feet around... because it would really help me pay > attention > > > BUT I don't want the teachers to think I am being disrespectful. > > Any ideas anyone? would appreciate it... Well, when I was a child I learned to tense my muscles in varying alternating patterns as a way to move without getting punished, don't know if that would help you though. Maybe your teachers will understand? Vashti
From: Raving Loonie on 4 Oct 2005 21:06
Chris.Holland16 wrote: > Hi. I have just started university and have had lectures and labs > > There were times when I really really wanted to pace around, stand up, > move my feet around... because it would really help me pay attention > > > BUT I don't want the teachers to think I am being disrespectful. > > Any ideas anyone? would appreciate it... http://tinyurl.com/dvrbs http://tinyurl.com/bxnpj RL |