Textbook Reading

Reading a textbook can be a challenging proposition. Most of your college courses will have some sort of textbook reading assignments and the amount of reading required for college can be aunting. Textbooks are usually full of highly detailed information, charts and pictures that may be written in a very dry fashion. It can be difficult to stay on track and to sort out the information that is important to record and retain from that which is extraneous. There are some techniques for reading textbooks (and for reading in general) that can make your reading more manageable and roductive, especially when combined with review strategies. The following suggestions, including tips on reading faster and skimming, may help you to become a faster and more efficient reader.

The key to successful reading - be selective!

  • Don’t read everything; sort out the important reading from that which is less important.
  • Read it now! It will be easier to review and organize later on if you don’t procrastinate.
  • Plan your reading. Instead of sitting down and plunging into your textbook, spend a few minutes looking over the your assignment and figuring out what your purpose for reading is and what you want to get out of the text, before you actually start to read.

AVOID THESE BAD HABITS:

  • Underlining too many sentences and paragraphs - you wind up underlining almost the whole book. This can be too discouraging; you never want to return to these pages later because you haven’t selected the important points.
  • Paying careful attention to each sentence or word but missing their meaning and implications. 
  • Excessive note-taking; as with excessive underlining, copious notes might be more burdensomes than helpful if the information isn't sorted and selected carefully. 
  • Avoiding note-taking altogether by just reading. You find that your thoughts have wandered, and you don’t know what you have read.

USE THE SQ3R APPROACH TO READING: This is a method that will help you to manage your reading in a deliberate, organized and meaningful manner. It is designed to help you become an active reader, one who is able to think about his or her reading in a way that will facilitate note-taking and remembering. SQ3R stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review.

SURVEY

  • Look over the whole book - table of contents, preface, skim through pages to get a feel for how the book is organized.
  • If anything interests you, feel free to read it immediately. Capitalize on your curiosity.
  • Survey each chapter or section requirement by reading the headings and opening sentences in each paragraph. Read introductory materials which could be the first paragraph or two.
  • Read summary material and closing paragraphs. Concentrate - use the headings as clues; note the order of the headings.
  • Five to ten minutes should be adequate for you to conduct a basic survey of the chapter.

QUESTION – the key to early learning

  • People seem to remember when they learn in answer to a question.
  • Asking questions promotes active reading – it makes us think about the material.
  • Ask questions about the headings and about the terminology used in the paragraph if it’s new. What do you know about the topic already?
  • Write questions down or in margins: the purpose of asking questions is to direct you to the main idea in a section and to help you assimilate it into your general body of knowledge.
  • Check accompanying workbooks or the end of the chapter for questions the author might suggest about the chapter.
  • Ask yourself the following questions, Who?, What?, Why?, Where?, When?, How?, when thinking about the chapter contents.

READ

Now you can start to read after your survey has provided you with an overview of the chapter. There are major differences in reading textbooks and reading literature.  For example, in literature you need to be aware of irony, the author’s style, character development and plot. The setting provides a mood and symbolism as well, contributing to the author’s meaning.  In textbooks, read for main ideas and important details. Note important terms – clue: Is it in italics or boldface type?
Read graphs, tables, and illustrations - these visual aides can simplify some things.

RECITE

  • This is the oldest form of learning - rote learning was helpful for memorizing the alphabet, multiplication tables and other facts that you can recall automatically now.
  • Reciting out loud is a good way to test yourself to see if you really understand and can remember what you have read.
  • Use your own words; answer your own questions.
  • Ask what you’ve learned from the chapter.
  • Try to remember the main ideas and supporting details.
  • Recite the main idea in each section.
  • A general rule is to stop at intervals as you read in order to recite the substance of your reading in your own words.
  • Recite at your original reading and recite again when you review. This retards forgetting and forces you to form a structure in your own words.
  • The amount of recitation you do depends on the type of material you are reading; more details = more recitation.
  • The time spent in recitation pays off in retention of material.
  • Use headings as guides - stop each time for a new heading and recite what you’ve read.
  • Your recitations and answers to questions form an excellent summary of material for later review and exams - write them down.

REVIEW

  • Re-read enough to make sure you have a firm grasp of the material.
  • Do your first review immediately after you have studied something, and review both text and notes.
  • Plan several reviews between your first review and exam review.
  • Review the previous chapter, your notes and summary of it before starting new chapter – this provides quicker entry into the new reading.
  • Final review should be as much unprompted recitation as possible.