Reading the Textbook
One of the first mistakes students make when reading the textbook is to read it like a novel from the first page to the last. Instead, try this method.
SQ3R: Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review
Survey (skim)
Let's say you're planning to drive up to Breckenridge from Aims Community College. You'd probably look at your map beforehand, right?
Maps show the fastest route as well as construction areas. They tell us when we can expect to be in the city, and when we can expect to be in the mountains. Maps do a lot! When you check a map, you are surveying.
By skimming through a chapter before reading, we learn where we're going, what we'll see along the way, which areas in the text require the most focus, and important terms. This gives our brains time to get acquainted with the subject before we read it, which boosts memory and comprehension.
How to do it:
Look at the last page of the chapter. Usually there will be a summary which identifies the main points of the text.
Flip through the chapter, reading the titles of sections, bold text, and viewing pictures or graphs.
That's it! Your brain has an idea of what's coming now.
Question
Once you've surveyed your text, you want to create questions and actively read for the answers. This keeps you engaged and focused.
How to do it:
Notice what seemed important when skimming.
Create questions based upon what seemed important or based on each heading.
Example: if you were reading this webpage as a textbook, you might create the question: "What is SQ3R?" or "what tips and tricks can I learn about reading a textbook?" because that was one of the bold headings above.
Read to find the answers!
Sidenote: Annotation
Annotation is used to physically interact with your textbook. It can be done in many ways:
Highlighting
Underlining
Writing in the margins
Drawing doodles that help you remember concepts
Questioning
Reactions
Emojis
If you don't want to write in your textbook, use sticky notes instead.
Read
How to do it:
Find the answers to your questions while reading (and write the answers down)
Annotate and interact with the text
Study graphs, charts, and pictures more closely
Slow down for hard-to-understand passages
Stop and reread parts that are unclear
Recite
Reciting brings the important parts of the reading to the forefront of your brain and into your short-term memory. This begins the process of understand and recall, especially because we're involving more senses.
How to do it:
Ask yourself questions about what you've just read and answer them (aloud)
Explain aloud to yourself what you've just learned. This also increases your summarizing skills.
Read some of the notes you've written aloud.
Sidenote: Involve the Senses
So far, we've asked you to read and annotate, which involves sight. We've asked you to write, which involves touch. We've asked you to speak aloud, which involves hearing. Studies have shown that the more senses you use when studying, the better you learn. To bring in scent, try a specific lotion that you use when studying. To add more visual reinforcement, use different colors in your notes and annotations. What else could you try?
Review
Imagine you read a chapter in your textbook, and someone asks you a week later what you've read. Could you remember? Probably not. There's a name for this: the "Forgetting Curve".
Even though you can see that knowledge does not stay permanently in our brains, we do have a fix: spaced reviews. Reviewing your notes and annotations can help you retain a lot more information. See the graph below for a visual:
As you can see, if a student stops to review material every few days, they begin to recall more, until eventually they're at 100% recall.
How to do it:
Review notes
Reread passages aloud
Use flashcards, quizlet, or kahoots to test yourself. Alternately, you can create and play your own memory games at this blog post by Nicky Case, the creator of many interactive "explorables":
Printable Guide
Save and use this printable guide, created by English Professor Jenn Ridgeway.
