Spring Semester 2019 – Blog #7 Learning from Textbooks

One thing that surprises many freshmen is the amount and difficulty of reading required in classes.  For the most part, students are expected to read, understand and remember the material from textbooks BEFORE class and then the professor expands on that knowledge.  This is particularly true in higher level classes.  With a little bit of effort and some strategies, this can be easily accomplished.  While it may take a little more time, the results are much better than reading and rereading.   Think of academic reading as a three-step process.

Before you start to read:

• Preview the material to see the topic, organization and length.
• Read section headings, bold print, learning objectives, etc.
• Look at pictures and inserts that may disrupt the flow of your reading.
• Think about your purpose for reading.  If the material will be on the test but the professor will not cover it in class, you will put in much more effort.  If you are simply reading for background knowledge you can move faster.
• Think about how much time you have and how much of the material you can logically read and retain.  You do not want to stop reading in the middle of a section, you want to approach the material in a logical way.

During reading:

• Pay attention to your comprehension.   If it lags, stop and reread.
• Keep the overall organization of the material in mind as you are reading.
• Pau attention to any signals the writer gives – bold print, repetition, phrases to let you know something is important, words indicating a listing, etc.
• Try to associate what you are reading with the material in the course or what you already know from another class.
• At the end of a logical section, stop and restate what you have just read in your own words.  If you can, move on.  If not, reread and repeat.
• Consider taking notes, either in the margin or on separate paper.

After reading:

• Your retention will be much higher if you take a few minutes to review what you read.  Reread your notes, answer the learning objectives, review the bold print, etc.
• Take advantage of any online quizzes associated with a chapter.

If you did not have time to read the entire chapter, follow this pattern when finishing the material:

• Review what you previously read.
• Preview the new information.
• Review both the first part you read and the current part.

 The next blog will consider midterm grades and some decisions that have to be made.

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First Semester Success: 2nd edition, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available as a eBook and hardcopy from amazon.com and hardcopy from wordassociation.com.   Click on the upper right link.