College-Style

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How to Be a First-Class Textbook Reader Posted: 04 Jan 2012 03:19 PM PST By: Anna, of Loras College. You may not realize it, but if you skimp on class reading, you're actually missing out on the better portion of the course. That's because in college, it's our responsibility to take control of our education and make the effort to learn. No one can hand you knowledge (though for the price of your college tuition it might seem like not too unreasonable an assumption) and its your job to make sure you are reading you texts and learning the material they cover! But how to read a textbook? Sometimes the density of the text (and lack of pictures) can cause you to quickly lose interest and wander through the next 50 pages, hoping you somehow absorbed something useful, that is if you even make a habit of opening your book at all. The following are some tips on how to read textbooks, make notes and turn your books into effective learning aids! Photo Time and Place If you're like me, trying to read your assignment in a crowded and loud place never works. You get distracted, a friend joins you or you just can't help eavesdropping on the conversation a table over. To effectively read a textbook, you have to devote some time and effort to the task. People work best in different environments, so find yours and use it to your advantage. The library is often your best bet as far as a distraction-free zone where you can get to work. Try to read at a time of day when you feel your best. Night owls will likely do better reading in the evening and night hours, whereas early birds should avoid putting it off and do it first thing in the morning. Again, the key is finding how you work best and using that self-knowledge to your advantage! Photo When and How to Highlight Highlighting in a textbook is something of a delicate art. The fine line between "not enough" and "my textbook's pages are soaked with neon liquid" can be sometimes difficult to discern. Also worth considering — is high lighting effective for you? If you read through the chapter and then rely on your notes to ace the exam without cracking open the text again, highlighting is pretty much a waste of time. I personally rarely/never highlight anything. I'm an under-liner. Some good things to highlight, mark or underline are key ideas, concise explanations of terms, or even things you have trouble understanding/remembering so that they'll be called to your immediate attention when you go back to study. Queries on Section Quizzes and Summaries The summaries, quizzes and vocabulary lists in textbooks aren't just there to take up space or waste paper — they are there to help you understand and apply the material and, if used appropriately, can take your grasp on a new information to the next level. In courses that rely heavily on your understanding and familiarity with terms and concepts, writing out the vocabulary words with their definitions can be invaluable in helping you connect and remember names and ideas. I did this for every chapter in my psychology textbook and while it was often tedious and time consuming, it really helped me remember and understand the material, something I especially appreciated for the midterm and final exam. Reading through chapter summaries is also helpful in this kind of textbook, just to recap and solidify what you just learned as well as read the main ideas in a more concise format. Chapter quizzes, even if not required by your instructor can be helpful for you to pin point exactly what it is you don't understand from a given chapter, allowing you to go back and correct your errors before they knock your grade. Photo The Art of Note Taking Ah, notes. Being a good note taker is almost as difficult as being a good student, and the former skill may play into whether or not you end up being the later. Taking good notes on readings and in lectures is something that can really only be learned through practice. Keep a notebook and pen handy each time you sit down to do assigned reading. Don't just write down random terms or vocabulary words. In order to remember and grasp the material, you need to make it your own. Rephrasing concepts can be a great way to mentally process and better understand what you're studying. Rewrite the definitions for vocabulary words. Rephrase what your professor just said. By challenging yourself to find your own words to express someone else's ideas, you come to understand it better. For lectures, don't worry about copying down every word. That's too much. Class is for interaction between the learning community, not so each of you can practice your stenography! Copy down only the most important ideas or instructions. Photo Everyone learns differently and these tips should be adopted to fit your learning style! The goal here isn't to follow one particular method, but rather to find the one that works for you. Thoughts? How do you read textbooks? What are some tricks that you've found help you to better understand class material? How do you take notes? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or sending an e-mail to info@college-style.com

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