Came across this excellent tutorial about how to read academic textbooks more effectively. I’m going to be giving this a shot because I personally suffer from having to read and read (and read) something over again until it clicks.
Here are the steps in case you don’t have the time to watch the entire video:
- Flip through each page of the chapter you need to study.
- Read the end-of-the-chapter quiz
- Read the bold print (titles, subtitles, headings, definitions)
- Read the 1st & last sentence of each paragraph on each page
- The thing to remember while going through each step, and especially at this one, is that you are not reading at the moment for comprehension, you are reading right now for exposure. You are familiarizing your mind with what the content and structure is like before delving in. I like to think of it as being akin to dipping your toe into the cold pool before going further.
- Now, you’re ready to read the chapter and take notes!