Resources

Taking Notes & Reading Textbooks Tips

· Taking notes can be motivational – it is the start of the process

· Relate what you are reading to what you already know

· Think “around” the topic and “between the lines”

· Paraphrase what was said – re-state the message with fewer words

· Stay attentive – give yourself plenty of rest breaks

· Use a binder to allow inserting pages and use labeled dividers

· Listen for cues in the text

· Include examples in your notes

· Read all assigned material completely

· Take regular breaks: It’s a lot easier to try to convince yourself to study for 30 mins. Than it is to try for 90 mins. Once you have completed 30 mins, try convincing yourself to study for another 20 mins.

· Only read while you are concentrating on the material. Once you start thinking about something other than the material, you are missing information

· Time your reading… see how long you can read before you start thinking about something else. Use this time as a guide. If your general attention span is five mins. Then read for 5mins, rest for 30 seconds and return to reading. You may get lots done in an hour.

· Try asking questions in a discussion forum

· Read and re-read… the more you read, the better chance you will have to remember it.

· Ask yourself questions as you read and answer them in your own words

· Skim the chapter to grasp the main ideas and structure of the chapter

· Set goals for how much you would like to accomplish in one chunk of time and stick to it.

· Make yourself some study cards – try reviewing them twice a day

· Anticipate test questions to study on (often those are the study questions within a chapter)

· Work on understanding the general ideas and theories, rather than just memorizing

· Use highlighters to highlight important information

· Make lots of notes in the margins of your textbooks

· Focus on charts, examples and diagrams

· Ask if you need clarification; don’t assume you will figure it out!