Most of your courses will have some form of assigned reading, so it is important to be able to read efficiently, and to understand what you are reading. Use the tips below to boost your reading comprehension and efficiency.
General Tips for Successful Reading
READ in a quiet environment with adequate lighting
Don't read in bed, as you'll likely fall asleep. For the best focus, you should be seated upright in an environment with good lighting.
Don't read while listening to music with lyrics, as this can lead to distraction. If you feel like you must block out background noise in some way, try listening to instrumental music or white noise.
Some study music videos on Youtube have a built in Pomodoro timer to keep you focused and on task.
Read carefully
Differentiate between skimming to get an overview, casual reading like you would do for a novel, and reading for content, which is what you want to do with textbooks.
If you encounter a word that you don't understand, try to use the context to figure out the meaning, then double-check by looking up the meaning of the word.
Highlight strategically
If you feel the need to highlight, do so strategically:
Only highlight after reading the entire paragraph.
Limit yourself to highlighting a few words at a time.
Color code your highlighting to emphasize different aspects of the text.
Write a short summary after each section to ensure that you are comprehending what you're reading.
Read actively
Think about what the author is saying and use intonation to imagine what the words sound like when read aloud.
Formulate questions and write them down. Try to answer the questions as you read, and consider asking your questions during class discussion.
Preview your assignment first
If you will be required to write about or discuss what you've read, look through the assignment first to determine which details you should be looking for as you read.
As you read, take care to jot down ideas and page numbers relating to your assignment. This will make it easier to find what you are looking for while you work through your assignment.
Break your reading down into manageable chunks
If you have a lot to read, try setting smaller goals for yourself, such as reading 3 chapters per day or 25 pages per day.
Skim over the material you have to read to determine what a reasonable goal would be, considering the purpose of your reading and the deadline by which you need to have completed the reading.
This video provides a great overview of effective reading strategies:
Popular Reading Strategies for Textbooks and Other Academic Texts
Here are some tried-and-true methods for reading textbooks and other academic texts. Keep in mind that you may need to adapt these methods to fit your learning style. But try them for at least 2 weeks before you decide whether or not they work for you.
SQ3R Method
The SQ3R system was developed in the 1940s by a psychologist from Ohio State and has remained popular for many years.
S » Survey: Go through the chapter and get an overview of what you'll be reading. Look over the chapter and section headings, if present. Read the section summaries, and look at charts and graphs. Try to get a feel for how the chapter is organized.
Q » Question: Turn the chapter and section headings into questions. This will help to identify the main points that you should be reading.
R1 » Read: Read each paragraph or section actively to answer the question you formulated.
R2 » Recite: After you have read a paragraph or section, cover up the page and try to recite the answer to the question you created. If you cannot do this, reread the section and try again.
R3 » Review: When you are done reading, go back to the beginning and glance through what you have read. Think about your questions and answers. You will finish with an overview of the chapter.
Check out this video for an overview of the SQ3R method:
Question-in-the-Margin System
This system is based on the SQ3R method, with a few additional steps added in. It includes the formation of questions after the reading has been done, as well as adding a final step to encourage thinking about the material in depth.
Survey: Skim over the chapter to get an overview of what you'll be reading. Read the chapter and section headings and read any summaries.
Question: Turn each heading into a question by adding words such as "what," "how," or "why."
Read: Read carefully and actively. After a few paragraphs, stop to think about the main idea of what you read, the supporting details, and how they're linked together.
Questions-In-the-Margin: In the margin write a brief question about what you read. Then use a pencil to underline only the key words and phrases in the text that make up the answer.
Recite: Cover the textbook page, leaving only the questions in the margins showing. Recite your answers to the questions out loud if possible and then check your answers.
Review: Go back to the beginning and glance over your questions again. Try to remember the answers and get a feel for how the chapter fits together as a whole.
Reflect: Once you've mastered the facts, go back and think about them for a few minutes. Think about their relevance to lecture, how they fit together in the chapter, and try to integrate them into your existing knowledge.
By using either of these techniques, you will become a more active, thorough reader. Although they may seem time-consuming and difficult to remember, once you get in the habit of doing them, you will see they take up little extra time and are very valuable tools for learning.
Textbook Tips
Your textbook is a valuable resource. It may contain more detail about subjects from lecture, provide relevant examples, and it may also give summaries and important vocabulary terms. Look for these features in your textbook to help you maximize your learning:
Learning Objectives
Learning objectives are typically provided as an overview of what the author(s) hope you will learn from a given chapter. They are commonly found either at the beginning or the end of the chapter.
Tip: Turn the learning objectives into questions, and use them to guide your reading, or answer them after you have read to test your comprehension.
Examples
Throughout the text, the authors will likely include examples to illustrate the concepts being discussed. Make note of these examples and how they relate to the concepts being convered
Tip: On exams, many professors will ask you to define a concept and give an example of it. Your textbook is a great place to find examples and practice relating them to the chapter's content.
Charts/graphs
Charts or graphs are commonly included to illustrate an example. Most of the time, specific numbers won't be important, but trends will be.
Tip: Whenever you encounter a chart or graph, try to summarize its findings in a sentence or two. This allows you to practice relating examples back to concepts, which you will likely be asked to do on your exams.
Academic Article Tips
College students are commonly asked to read and analyze academic articles, particularly research articles, to supplement their learning. Consider the following while reading academic articles:
abstract & Introduction
The abstract provides an overview of the article, including the researcher's hypothesis, findings, and conclusions.
Start reading any academic article by first reading the abstract and introduction to get an idea of what the article is about.
Method
The method section of a research article outlines the steps that researchers went through to conduct their experiment.
Try to identify the researchers' hypothesis, the study sample, and any other key features of the methodology, including how the results were analyzed.
Results and discussion
The results and discussion sections discuss the findings, limitations, and implications of the research that was conducted.
Spend time considering any charts or graphs that are presented to identify what exactly they are attempting to convey about the results.
Check out this video for a brief overview on reading academic articles:
Literature Tips
Some classes will require you to read and analyze literature, meaning you will need to be able to read "beyond" what is written on the page to identify themes and motives.
Consider the context
The context of a story provides a backdrop for understanding its meaning.
When and where does this story take place? How does this impact the story?
Who are the characters, and what social influences affect their lives?
Look up unfamiliar words or phrases
Just like with any type of reading, you will likely encounter words or phrases that you've never seen before. Try to use the context to identify their meaning, then double-check your understanding by looking them up.
Keep your own "glossary" of these words and phrases for quick reference.
Review literary terms
If it has been a while since you've been asked to read literature, it can be helpful to review literary terms, like metaphor, allegory, and allusion. These terms can help you more effectively describe the details that you notice within a story.
Consult this list for a basic overview of common literary terms.
Additional Resources
Saddleback College -Reading Assessment for Different Subject Areas: By reading a brief document and taking a 5-question quiz (time required: 10 minutes), this tool allows you to test your reading competency in specific areas, such as the Life Sciences, Psychology, English (essay), Geography, History, and Mathematics.
Penn State University -Reading Comprehension: This site include a number of written guidelines and strategies for improving reading comprehension: 1) SQ3R Study/Reading System; 2) Tips on Underlining a Textbook; 3) Taking Notes on Reading; 4) Reading for Speed and Effectiveness; 5) How to Read a Difficulty Book; and 6) an Interactive (reading) Activity.
Walden College - Reading Skills-Self-Paced Interactive Tutorials: The self-paced tutorials focuses on four types of reading skills: 1) Reading to Understand; 2) Reading to Engage and Evaluate; 3) Reading Textbooks; and 4) Reading Research Articles. (You can complete each tutorial in approximately 20 minutes)
Cornell University -Textbook Reading Systems:Overview of three systems for reading textbooks: The SQ3R, P2R, and S-RUN systems.
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