Question

Rita has recently returned to college and started taking night classes. After high school, she started working full-time in a law firm to make money, gain experience, and see if she would be interested in pursuing law school. She works full-time during the day and lives at home with her parents. Rita’s night classes are long, and she is usually very tired from her workday when she gets to class. All Rita can seem to do is sit back in her lectures and take notes. She feels too tired to ask questions and participate in class activities. She knows that class participation counts for 20 percent of her grade in one class. Rita knows she can pass the class with at least a C by doing this, but it is not her best effort. She is trying to get good grades now so that when she applies to law school, she will have a competitive GPA. Rita wants to get A’s in her classes.

Question 1:What is NOT one of Rita’s challenges in this situation?

A.

Her night classes are long.

B.

Rita works full-time during the day.

C.

She lives at home with her parents.

D.

She wants to get all A’s in her classes.

Question 2:

What strategies should Rita NOT use in the classroom?

A.

Take a seat close to the front of the class.

B.

Do the assigned reading

C.

Warm up for class by reviewing chapter introductions and summaries, referring to related sections in her text, and scanning her notes from the last class.

D.

To stay focused, listen only to facts and figures, not broader concepts or ideas. Question 3: Which strategy outside the classroom would you suggest for Rita? A. Explore either taking a lighter workload or cutting back some work hours. B. Quit her job. C. Meet with her instructors and plead with them to give her a break on the participation portion of her grade. D. Move out of her parents’ house.

Answer 1

1.Answer is C)

The long hours of night classes require her to be focussed and attentive for a longer period, her day job leaves her tired and the pressure she is putting on herself to get A's are all challenges Rita is facing.Living with her parents is not causing any distress or restriction.

2.Correct answer is D)

Taking a seat in front helps one to be attentive and participate in class discussions. It also makes the teacher's voice clearer and approaching him for doubts easier.Preparing for classes before hand and reading the assigned material are also good strategies to understand a concept better. Listening only to facts and figure is a shortcut, which will not make her score A's .

3.Correct answer is A).

Quitting her job will be an extreme step and defeat the purpose of night college, hence is not required.She will also lose out on experience.On the other hand decreasing her workload will help her balance her studies and career. Living with her parents is not a problem for her.Also pleading with instructors to excuse her from participation is not the right strategy as it will not motivate her to perform better , she will also lose out on the knowledge and learning that one gets through classroom discussions.