Write out the five traits -- known as the Big Five -- leaving plenty of space between each for jotting down tips for understanding, questions for your professor and your own thoughts. The five traits are easily remembered by using the acronym OCEAN: O for openness to experience, C for conscientiousness, E for extroversion, A for agreeableness, N for neuroticism.
Write down ways to consider "openness to experience." Try to visualize what it means and consider how you would express this in conversation with your professor. Do you imagine it as a person willing to try new things? Does this make the person daring? Jot down notes about the people in your life who reflect this trait. Visualization will help you communicate your ideas when asked.
Write down ways to consider the next trait, "conscientiousness." Is it a trait that you share?. Consider your classmates and whether any one of them seems particularly conscientious, and why. Ask your professor to explain or to offer descriptive words to help you understand, such as by identifying occupations that require a conscientious person to do them.
Write down your ideas of what an extroverted person might be like. Would he be talkative? Could she be quiet? Is it possible for someone who is quiet to be an extrovert? Consider these types of questions and bring them to your professor. Ask for help in understanding the trait further.
Write under the term "agreeableness" any adjectives that you can brainstorm in two minutes. You might come up with words such as "kind", "appreciative" or "willing". Take your notes to your professor and discuss in greater depth how you see these words as related to the trait of agreeableness. Again, thinking about people who you perceive to have the trait is a helpful tactic.
Write out your thoughts on the trait of neuroticism. Often this is seen as the most negative trait of the five, but in reality it can be seen as neutral. It can be approached with opposites. Consider the good in being emotionally stable versus the the problems of being emotionally tense. Think of opposites such as secure and insecure or calm and anxious. Discuss with your classmates or professor how these opposites may present themselves in individuals. Does everyone contain opposites? Discuss the complexities of this idea as a means of deeper understanding.