Is it necessary to preview what you are going to study in a lesson?

Answer 1

The "necessity" depends on the expectations of the teacher/professor. If preparation is not required, if you may still wish to consider previewing the lesson by simply paging through your textbook or other study aids to give yourself a generalized idea of the material that is to be covered.

Answer 2

Teachers preview what will be covered in a lesson to activate background knowledge. It gets students thinking about what they may already know about a topic, questions they may have, or connections they may have. As a student previewing a lesson can serve the same purpose. That way when your instructor begins lecturing you already have some basic idea of what he/she is talking about. It's not like being blind and having to feel your way through. You already begin with at least a little bit of light. I would say that if you have the time to preview the lesson it is always a good idea, particularly if it concerns a subject that you struggle with.

Answer 3

The main reason to preview what you are going to study in a lesson is so you grasp the bigger picture of what the chapter or lesson is really about.

For instance, if you began reading and taking notes on a chapter that started with details about types of trees and then went on to discuss logging issues, but a preview of the chapter showed that it was really about dwindling world resources, you might be more aware that you need less attention to the fine details of all the tree types and more attention to logging practices.

That would also save you a ton of time because there are lots and lots of tree types but only a limited number of serious logging practices.

Answer 4

Not necessary, but useful: You see or hear about things that might pique your interest and can formulate ideas, questions, get an idea of how the subject relates to your and your life now.