Many people feel frustrated because when they read quickly they cannot assimilate information adequately; when instead they study in depth, the reading speed drops considerably. These two procedures, however, are not antithetical as most parsons imagine. Here are some tips to help you digest more information when reading a text for the first time.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: The first look
Step 1. The first look
Give yourself a couple of minutes to take a look at the text and try to figure out what kind of information you need to memorize. Identify key concepts.
- Is it a list of events? Is it about understanding a concept? Is it a sequence of events?
- What kind of learning strategy is needed?
Step 2. Ask yourself questions about the topic you are about to read
If you are reading a text that has been assigned to you in school, here are some useful questions:
- Why was I asked to read it? What is the purpose of the assignment that has been assigned to me?
- What is the connection between this text and the lesson? Does it contain the main concept? Is this just an example, an in-depth analysis?
- What should I learn from this text? Concepts, background information, procedures, general information?
- How detailed should the information be? Do I need to have a big picture, or is a vague idea of the subject enough?
Step 3. Write your answers and keep them in mind as you read
Method 2 of 4: Familiarize yourself with the text
Step 1. Think about what information you already know about the subject
Consider the context in which it was written, or in which it is used. Some useful questions:
- Who wrote that? What do I know about this author?
- When was it written? What information do I have from that period?
Step 2. Try to imagine the content of the book, how it is structured, and where the most important information is
Here are some examples of strategies:
- Analyze the index.
- Analyze the chapters and their titles.
- Take a look at the figures and graphs.
- Read the introduction and conclusion.
- Check out the introductory sections.
Step 3. Think about what you already know about the subject
Perhaps it is not necessary to delve further.
Method 3 of 4: Highlight the important things
Step 1. Use different systems to highlight parts of the text
Highlighting parts of text serves to better capture the concepts you have learned - this way you can quickly recall the concepts you have learned and find the idea connected to a concept that came to you while reading. The methods for highlighting depend on the type of text you are reading; for example, it is different if the book is yours or from the library, if it is printed on paper or if it is in PDF format, etc.
Step 2. If the book is yours you can underline it and you can write notes
If you work this way, you will always have interesting questions to ask in class discussions, and your teacher will think that you are a serious and studious student. The method works as follows:
- Use two highlighters and a pen.
- The first highlighter for key concepts and things you want to remember (be conscientious, and only highlight certain parts for each page).
- The second highlighter is for concepts you don't understand, for questions, and for passages you don't agree with.
- The pen is for writing your comments (writing comments promotes active learning and helps you remember what you read).
Method 4 of 4: Content assimilation
Step 1. Think back to what you have read
Don't immediately focus on anything else when you're done reading - doing something else right away is the best way to erase what you just read from your memory. You will be able to assimilate much better if you take a few minutes to reflect.
Step 2. Try some of these strategies:
- Think for a moment after the first look (set your goals).
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Write a summary, and some questions (choose 3):
- What is the author's purpose? Who are the potential readers?
- What are the main topics covered?
- What arguments support the arguments?
- How does it fit into the thematic context?
- What should I learn from this text?
- What are my reactions to the text? Because?
- Ask yourself questions. What are my beliefs about the subject? Because? Where do these beliefs come from?
Step 3. Review the material within 24 hours
This helps move information from short-term to long-term memory.
