I love the idea of taking "in progress" pictures to record the process.
I've been to lots of classes. How I approach the class depends upon how challenging it is & how long (1/2 day to 5 days) it is. For less than 6 hours, I choose a goal for the class. When that's reached, I succeeded in getting from the class what I wanted to learn. Now that I'm teaching, I ask the students to write down a goal. When we discuss it at the end of class, I'm surprised. At a FM class, the supply list clearly stated to bring a machine you're familiar with. A student's goal was to get familiar with her machine during class. She was perfectly happy with her success on her machine even though she only did about 1/3 of the class activities.
A friend processes the instructions slowly so she gets further and further behind. She's struggling with how to take a class. She comes to my house for a week & picks my brain. She's much happier with a mentor.
I've taken several 5 day workshops-intensive and definitely challenging. I have found that by the second day, I'm ready to give up my preconceived ideas and go with the flow. I learn what I can and finish when I get home. Oh and I've taken 8 plastic tubs of fabric in my van and still didn't have what I needed. So now, if at all in doubt, I contact the instructor to clarify what she meant.
For "sit and sews", I take something I can mindlessly work on while I chat, such as binding or quilting an allover pattern.
Everyone is different and as adults we have lots of experiences that have gotten us to different places from other people. This is a hobby. Do what fits you.
I ask myself, "Is this going to Padukah. No. So it's good enough in my book."