To really learn something you need to be actively involved with the material. When you are reading academic material, it helps if you do more than just let the words pass through your mind.
Many students like to highlight, but this can be just as passive as not doing anything. The trick to highlighting is to read first, think about what is important, and then go back and highlight the key words. You should keep the highlighting to no more than 25% to 30% of each page.
Some other active reading strategies are:
1. Visualize what you are reading if the material lends itself to that.
2. Make associations between what you are reading and what you already know.
3. Turn the headings into questions and then read to find the answers.
4. Pay attention to how the information is organized.
5. Look for signals the author uses to help you follow along.
Next week's blog is about one of my favorite active reading strategies: Annotation or Margin Notes! You will love it!
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