Students today are often not taught the skills to learn that can help them study the thick textbooks of lectures. As a result, they adopt habits that lead them to avoid textbooks, rather than study them. This article will help explain one method to help students simplify and study even the thickest reading sources. In fact, if these steps are followed, this method of studying textbooks will really save study time.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Optimizing Your Reading Process
Step 1. Read the textbook introduction first
If it is a book that has a detailed approach to a topic, the introduction will include a summary of the author's opinion and an outline of the book. If the textbook is about a general introduction to a topic, such as Introduction to American Government or Principles of Microeconomics, the introduction will contain how the author approached the topic.
Step 2. Look at the textbook settings
First, look at the table of contents for the textbook. Look at the settings; this may help you predict what will be covered in class and what will appear on the exam. Second, look at the settings in each chapter. Most textbook authors use detailed outlines of the main headings and subheadings that will be covered in each chapter of the book.
Step 3. Look at the end of the book first
Many textbooks provide summaries or summaries of chapter content and core questions or discussion material at the end of each chapter. Looking at this section first before reading the entire chapter will help you know what to focus on while reading a chapter.
Step 4. Make questions based on what you read
See if the headings and subtitles provide any clues about what to ask questions. For example, the section entitled "Causes of Alcohol Addiction" in a psychology textbook might easily be transformed into a question that usually appears on exams: What are the causes of alcoholism?
As you read, look for answers to these questions. If you don't find what you're looking for, consider changing your question
Step 5. Read aloud
You may find it easier to understand and deepen your textbook if you read it aloud. Reading aloud can also help you keep up your reading speed, especially if it's dense or complex prose.
Step 6. Create a distraction-free environment for reading
Put your cell phone away, don't sit at the computer, and don't let yourself be distracted. We often feel that we are capable of multitasking and studying without being fully concentrated. But if you're going to take a subject seriously, you need to give it your full attention. Focus and you will get results.
Step 7. Take a break after completing each chapter
Go for a walk for 10 minutes or give yourself some entertainment. You won't be able to study well if you're tired. Study each chapter with a clear mind.
Part 2 of 3: Studying the Textbook
Step 1. Use optimization techniques first
This will help compile a textbook review so you can approach the reading process familiar with its structure and gist. Keep in mind the questions at the end of the chapter as you read.
Step 2. Read the entire chapter
In the process of reading this time, do not take notes or do anything else; just read it. There are two purposes for doing this. The first is to get an idea of the meaning of the chapter. Ask yourself: what is the author trying to convey in the whole chapter? Second, how does the writer construct the information or opinion in the chapter? Once these two questions are etched in your mind, then you can start taking notes that will benefit your learning process for taking exams and working on research papers.
Don't be in a hurry to do this step! It can be tempting to finish your reading as soon as possible, but chances are you won't be storing information in your brain if you're in a hurry
Step 3. Take notes as you read
Taking notes does not mean recording every word exactly. The art of taking notes involves sorting out what's important and interesting from the material rather than just copying the text exactly.
- The first thing to note is the gist or opinion the author conveyed in the chapter. Write in a length that does not exceed three sentences. Then ask yourself how the author summed up this gist. This is where the main headings and subtitles help. Under each heading is a paragraph that forms part of the chapter. Record topic sentences that help build opinion in sections and chapters.
- Don't be afraid to add text to your book. Adding notes to the textbook by writing notes, comments and questions at the edge of the page next to related material can be valuable while studying.
- Write notes in the textbook by hand. Taking notes by hand will keep your brain fully focused on the material rather than just skimming or typing the same thing on the computer without thinking about it.
Step 4. Make a list of terms and concepts
Reread the chapters and make a detailed list of core theoretical concepts and points to understand any technical elements of the chapter. Also make a list of important terms and their meanings. Often, this information is in bold, italic or placed in a separate box or in some other way that grabs the reader's attention.
Step 5. Create a study guide with your notebook
Start by writing chapter summaries and the gist of each chapter in your own words. This will let you know which parts you didn't understand. Ask yourself what was read and what notes were made: What is the answer to this question? and How is this information related to other things? are good questions to start with.
Part 3 of 3: Understanding Some Common Mistakes
Step 1. Understand that you don't have to read every word listed
This is a common myth among students. Especially if you are a slow reader, you will find it more effective to read from the beginning to the end of the chapter, along with the description (information that is in the box, graphic, or section on the page that attracts attention) and anything that is in bold or italics on the page. writing.
Step 2. Plan to read more than once
Another common mistake students make is reading their textbook once and then never opening it again. A better strategy is to practice layered reading.
- The first time you read, skim through the material. Find the main idea or point of the article (often indicated by chapter headings and subheadings), and mark any sections you think you don't understand well.
- Read the title, subtitle, and other organizational elements of the book. Textbook writers often give instructions to the chapters of the book so that the purpose of each section is very clear. Take advantage of this.
- Read it in more detail in the next reading process.
Step 3. Understand that reading is not the same as studying
Sometimes, students just move their eyes from page to page and feel they are not getting the benefits of “reading it.” Reading is an active process: you have to focus, pay attention, and think about what you are reading.
Step 4. Know that coloring with markers is not ideal when reading for the first time
While it can be tempting to reach for a number of colorful markers as you read a chapter, avoid this temptation. Research shows that marking with a marker can actually interfere with your reading process because you feel tempted to mark everything you think is important without thinking critically about the ideas given.
If you want to color markers, wait until you've read the whole thing, and use color markers as needed to mark only the important ideas
Step 5. Understand that you may need to figure something out as you read
It can be tempting to keep reading and skip words or passages you don't understand in order to "finish reading." This will actually undermine understanding. If there's a term you don't understand while reading a dense textbook on Marxian economics, for example, don't continue: stop reading, look up the word and understand it before continuing.
Tips
- Give it time to learn it. Don't expect you to get to know 10 chapters of microeconomics or human anatomy the night before the exam. Set expectations and goals in your learning process.
- If you want to mark your textbooks, do so by underlining important sentences. This technique will keep you at least focused on the material rather than just mindlessly coloring text like coloring a picture book.
- Instrumental music has been shown to stimulate the parts of the brain that aid in learning and remembering.
