how important is it for a student to read a topic before he studies it in class?

Question

Is it necessary to do this or can one do without it?

Answer 1

It's better if you read it ahead of time. So then you can contribute to the discussion. This will help you understand the information better, retain it, and impress your teacher. All this equals to a better grade.

Answer 2

It would certainly set up the student for success. The student goes into the subject with background knowledge and will be more engaged because he/she may have questions, wisdom to offer, genuine interest for the topic, and sense of having a head-start. This technique is called "priming the text." If done strategically, the student well be best prepared to learn and retain all the information. In addition, they can apply these concepts in different situations (experiment, paraphrase, compare/contrast. etc). If at all possible, this should be practiced with subjects that are challenging and new.

Answer 3

It depends on your learning style. I always felt like I was wasting my time reading something beforehand, because I didn't get much out of it. I did, however, make it a point to read it after we had discussed it in class, which reinforced what I had already learned. It's always best to do some individual study about the topic, so (again), depending on which is best for you, it should be read either before or after the lesson. Hope this helps!

Answer 4

I never personally bothered, but it does allow a student to contribute to the wider knowledge of the class within discussions concerning that which has been read.

Answer 5

The same reason why it is important for your lawyer to have prepared your case before you had gone into court, your doctor to have had already some knowledge of your illness before beginning your treatment, for your teacher to have prepared a lesson plan before beginning to teach you. It's called professionalism and it starts before you come into class to study it.