It's not a huge mystery of what it takes to be successful in class. Usually students who don't have good grades do 2 or 1 thing out of 3.
The key is doing all 3 at the same time.
Use your academic learning, thinking and motivation styles when taking notes and studying. Successful students are just taking good notes. They act of going toward the material vs being passive.
Use your planner daily doing 3 things: - Write down your homework every day and if you don't have any HW for that class, write "No Homework". - Cross out everything when you finish it - When you have a test, write it down and most importantly, write down when you plan to study for that test and for how long.
“Adults use a planner, students don't. They think they can memorize everything but they can't, nobody can".
Talk to your teacher about what you can do better. Effective Communication. It's not only about grades but communicating on how to do better. You have to be confortable asking for help.