Sometimes, reading a textbook seems like a daunting task. Terminology can be dry and there is a risk of encountering unfamiliar words and phrases. You may be disheartened at the very thought of all the pages you are forced to read. However, there are some methods that will allow you to have a calmer approach to textbooks, without discouraging reading. In essence, it's about knowing the material you need to study (before you even begin), having enough time to read, read carefully and review the notions you have learned.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Getting to know the Textbook
Step 1. Look at the cover
Does it contain photos or or images of works of art that can give you a clue about the subjects to study? What's the title? Is this a book for beginners or experts?
- Use the title to get a better idea of the subject. If it's a history book, is it about ancient or medieval history? What do you already know about this topic?
- Who are the authors, the publisher and the date of publication? Is this a book published some time ago or is it fairly recent?
Step 2. Review the table of contents, index and glossary
How many chapters does the book contain and how many pages do they consist of? How are they divided? How are the chapters and paragraphs titled?
Does it contain a glossary or a series of appendices? Do you have a bibliography? What kind of words are in the index?
Step 3. Browse the titles and images contained in the book
Quickly flip through the pages. What immediately catches your attention? Look at the chapter titles, bold words, vocabulary, photos, drawings, graphs and diagrams. What information do they give you about what you are going to study?
Also try to browse the text to evaluate the various levels of difficulty you may encounter while reading. Choose any page, as long as it contains mostly words (not many pictures), and read it to see if you have difficulty understanding. See how long it takes you to read it
Part 2 of 3: Read Carefully
Step 1. First read the end of the chapter
Yes, you got it right: go to the end of the chapter and read the summary and the questions you find. This is the best way to clarify what you are going to study. You will mentally prepare yourself to filter and make sense of all the more detailed information contained in the corresponding chapter.
Next, read the chapter introduction. Also in this way you will mentally prepare yourself to collect all the useful information and process it
Step 2. Divide the text into blocks of 10 pages
At the end of each block, go back and look at what you highlighted, the notes in the margin and the notes you made in the notebook. By doing so, you will train your mind to store what you have read.
Finish reading taking care to divide the text into blocks of 10 pages. Once you've finished reading 10 pages and gone through them quickly, continue with 10 more. Alternatively, you can pause for a few minutes and resume reading the next block of pages
Step 3. Highlight the text
If the book is yours (meaning you haven't borrowed it from someone or the library), you should highlight the text. There is a way to do this correctly, so keep reading this article carefully.
- Do not stop to highlight or take notes during the first reading, otherwise you will lose the thread and run the risk of underlining what you do not need.
- It's best to finish reading an entire paragraph or passage (depending on how you split the text) before going back and starting highlighting. This way, you will know which are the most important parts that you will need to highlight.
- Do not highlight single words (it would be insufficient) or entire sentences (it would be too long). Just underline one or two sentences per paragraph. In theory, the usefulness of this task consists in being able to derive, even after some time, the essence of the text by simply glancing at the highlighted parts, without having to reread everything.
Step 4. Write questions in the margins
Along the margins of each paragraph or section (or on a post-it note if the book does not belong to you), write down a question or two that you are able to answer based on what you have read. Here are some examples: "In which historical period did the Renaissance develop?" or "What does morph mean?".
Once you have finished your assigned reading, you should go back and try to answer these questions without rereading
Step 5. Take notes
In a separate notebook, write down the main concepts of each paragraph, elaborating them IN YOUR WORDS. It is extremely important to write notes by rephrasing the notions learned in your own words.
In this way, since your notes will not be an identical copy of the words contained in the textbook, you will not run the risk of copying if you have to write an essay and you will be sure that you have assimilated something
Step 6. Bring your notes and questions to class
This way you will feel much better prepared if you have to participate in a debate or attend a lecture on the topic you have studied. Pay attention, be involved during the lessons and take other notes! Even though your teacher will be able to tell you if the exams are mainly based on textbooks or on the lessons taught in class, sometimes teachers don't give these kinds of suggestions, so it's best to be prepared for everything.
Part 3 of 3: Schedule Time to Read, Review and Study
Step 1. Multiply the number of assigned pages by 5 minutes
This is the time it takes an average college student to read the pages of a textbook. Keep this in mind when planning time to read.
For example, if you have to read 73 pages, in terms of time, that's 365 minutes, or about six hours of reading
Step 2. Give yourself a few breaks
If you figure you will have to read for four hours, don't try to do all the work at once. You risk getting tired and devoid of concentration.
Read an hour during your lunch break, an hour in the evening, and so on. Try to distribute the text, taking into consideration how many days you have to finish all the assigned pages and how many hours it takes you to read them
Step 3. Read every day
If you stay behind, you will be forced to recover quickly and briefly, risking to miss important concepts. Therefore, set aside some time so that you can read every day and be able to gradually complete your readings, without the risk of stressing yourself.
Step 4. Read in a distraction-free place
Is very important. Don't expect to assimilate a lot of information if you are surrounded by noise.
- Avoid reading lying on your bed if possible. The brain is used to associating bed with sleep and will behave this way as soon as you go to bed. Experts also argue that, "working" lying down, there is a risk of developing sleep disorders and that, therefore, one should only engage in reading and relaxing activities in bed so as not to have difficulty falling asleep and sleeping through the night.
- Go read in a quiet room in the house, in the library, in a quiet cafe or in the park. Any place will do as long as it has few distractions. If you live with your family (or with other tenants) or if you have a lot of chores to do around the house, go out. If people around you are distracting and your house is quiet enough, stay. Choose the context that best suits your needs. You may need to try to figure out where you can study best.
Step 5. Consider under what aspects you will be evaluated
Have you been assigned the writing of a paper or do you have to take an important exam on the subject covered in the textbooks? If it is an exam, has the teacher offered you to consult the vademecum? Take all of these into consideration when you need to focus on the topics that deserve the most time and attention when reviewing.
Step 6. Read the notes several times
If you have carefully read, highlighted and taken notes, you will only have to read the textbook once. What you should re-read are the highlighted parts, your questions, the marginal notes and the notes in the notebook.
Read this material as often as necessary to assimilate the concepts well. If you haven't taken great notes, you will probably have to reread the text
Step 7. Talk to other people about what you are studying
According to some studies, it is very useful to lecture aloud on the subjects of study.
- Form a study group with your classmates or discuss what you are reading with someone at home or another friend.
- Try to attend all courses, not just on exam days or on submission of papers. Most likely there will be discussions and lectures on the subject covered in textbooks, and they could be extremely beneficial for memorizing the concepts you are studying.
Step 8. Complete the work assigned to you
If the teacher has given math exercises to solve or questions to answer concisely, but has determined that he will not grade these assignments, do them anyway. There is a purpose behind such a decision: to facilitate the learning of the subject contained in the textbook.
