Hey guys, I'm having a bit of problem when it comes to reading textbooks for history, biology, etc. If it's like a chemistry or a math text, it really doesn't bother me too much because the main points are concrete and easy to follow (it's only a matter of doing practice problems and memorizing the highlighting points). But for subjects like biology..I just have a hard time. What I usually end up doing is reading it like a novel, and I have a hard time recalling/retaining the main points.

So I googled some tips on reading textbooks and this is what I got: SQ3R.

Does this actually work?

I'd really appreciate your input. I'm in dire need of help, especially with finals approaching.

KurtistheTurtle

United States1966 Posts

April 14 2011 23:54 GMT

yeah that looks like its better than passive reading.

when I have to go through a book i make an outline of it, forces you to determine main point and sub-points and as it gets assembled you realize the major ideas and progressions behind everything. use microsoft onenote if you can, then you have all your readings forever in a way really easy to reference

GoTuNk!

Chile4591 Posts

April 14 2011 23:54 GMT

That seems legit, however I'd say the most important stuff I've "learned" about reading is to catch more words per glance. 3 glances for tl posts and 2 for most texts/books (good "speed readers" do 1 glance per line)

KurtistheTurtle

United States1966 Posts

April 14 2011 23:56 GMT

On April 15 2011 08:54 GoTuNk! wrote:
That seems legit, however I'd say the most important stuff I've "learned" about reading is to catch more words per glance. 3 glances for tl posts and 2 for most texts/books (good "speed readers" do 1 glance per line)

now that you point this out i do it naturally from trying to read lots of stuff real fast so this too

eXigent.

Canada2419 Posts

April 14 2011 23:57 GMT

Why wouldnt it work? Its just basically saying read the passages, ask active questions regarding it to keep your mind on the subject, and write down notes as you go along that you can reread later on, rather than rereading the entire thing over.

If you are reading something without thinking about it, then you most likely will forget a large portion of what you just read. If you read something, and stop for a minute and think about it, then write it down, and go back and look at it again a little later, it will be refreshed again in your mind.

Writing things in point form allows you to go back and refresh your mind very quickly.

RoTaNiMoD

United States558 Posts

April 15 2011 00:10 GMT

Any strategy you find for absorbing textbook information is just going to be a take on active reading. If you try to simply read dry, dense, fact-heavy text like a novel your brain will probably not respond too kindly. You must participate in the reading in some way, either by taking notes, mentally stopping yourself and asking questions, rereading difficult sections, or whatever -- just employ some strategy to commit the information.

This SQ3R method certainly looks like it could work but it's not magic and is just one specific method of doing the above. I would recommend you try a couple strategies until you get a feel for what is right for you instead of subscribing to a method someone else discovered that worked for them.

Given that you have less problems with more concrete sciences, perhaps you can implement a way of active reading that mimics those? A method as simple as mentally asking yourself a couple questions regarding each section's key points (and making sure you can mentally answer them!) might work well for you.

Marksman

Malaysia523 Posts

April 15 2011 00:10 GMT

I think a reasonable way to extract information from the textbook is

WHAT is it that your studying about?
WHO has it / is involved?
WHERE does this happen?
WHEN does it happen?
HOW does it work?
WHY is it needed?

Note: Not all are applicable at one time (Depends on the type etc) but at least it's something.
Just my 2 cents.

seiferoth10

3362 Posts

April 15 2011 00:16 GMT

I read a tip somewhere that said to read a little faster than you're comfortable with. Much like speeding in a car, if you're going fast enough to be uncomfortable, naturally you will pay more attention.

When I was in your situation (I'll assume you're a college student), just read the assigned chapters before class, even if you don't understand it all, then in class the professor will hammer it in. This method was way more effective for me than the usual "save all the reading until a few days before the test" method.

Bytz

United States33 Posts

April 15 2011 00:16 GMT

In my high school textbooks I actually use a pen and underlined stuff as I read. Helped alot in understanding the important parts and made going back and reviewing a breeze. When pressed for time I just jump to the summaries at the end of each chapter (if your textbook has them)

RedJustice

United States1004 Posts

April 15 2011 00:19 GMT

#10

Something I've learned that's been really really useful for subjects like bio, history, psych--

Things in bold and italics go in your notes. They are almost always key points or vocab.
Things that are numbered or bulleted are important, because the idea is important enough to break it down into several more detailed parts.
If it's in the margins or a colorful little box, read it, because most likely it will give some extra more interesting details. These are really useful for essay questions on tests, and usually more memorable.
Anything with a picture, diagram, or map is important.

To help me study for a test, I usually start by going through and writing down all the bold and italics vocab (this helps a surprising amount, just to understand the terms being used). Depending on how you learn, maybe you need to use flashcards, or some other method.

If it's history, I then make a timeline of the main events, and I like to draw arrows or make little notes, because events don't happen independently, they effect each other and cause each other. The years are usually not important unless you prof says so-- just understand the order of events in relation to each other.

For something like bio, draw little diagrams of the key concepts, like osmosis, or whatnot, and color it, label it-- whatever you need to do the help you remember and understand it.

Check slides/lecture notes for anything that was either not covered in the chapter, or your prof made a big deal over, and make sure you understand it.

Lastly, I say to myself-- what's the big idea of the chapter(s)?-- can I sufficiently explain it in my own words without having to go back to reference the text? Do I have any specific examples or details to go with it (for essays?)

If I have done all these things, it's generally a B to A range grade I get, depending on the difficulty of the class.

The trick is to not get swamped in detail. Identify the things that help you know if something is important, and ignore the rest. You will pick up everything you need to know about all of that by sitting in class and just listening.

Chimpalimp

United States1135 Posts

April 15 2011 00:24 GMT

#11

I think the ideas stated in that link have some merit. But reading a dense textbook efficiently? Its a myth I tell you. Just try reading a chapter from a introduction to semiconductors text book, you can have all the pictures you like and its still going to be ridiculous.

Dragar

United Kingdom971 Posts

April 15 2011 00:41 GMT

#12

A good texbook will have questions at the end of sections/chapters. They are not for show. Answer them!

I like to go through the book with a pen and paper and make notes as I read along, carry out derivations or logical steps myself.

turdburgler

England6749 Posts

April 15 2011 01:24 GMT

#13

the fact your talking about multiple subject means im assuming your only at the highschool level. the best advice i can give you is to not worry about it so much

memories are much easier to form if you have an emotional attachment to something. 90% of people on this site can tell you the exact stats of every unit in starcraft but they probably cant remember your state capitols. because at the end of the day they dont care.

if this is how you feel about biology just go through practice tests and then from that just consult the page or 2 from the book that deals with problems you cant do at the moment. if you dont care about the subject then just aim to pass the test rather than actually "learn" about it.

Count9

China10928 Posts

April 15 2011 01:26 GMT

#14

Any sort of action reading will do. I just take notes and put down bullet points when I'm reading a text that I don't enjoy/get lost easily in and it works since you're looking for more bullet points (the active part). The obvious problem is it takes longer :/

AcrossFiveJulys

United States3612 Posts

April 15 2011 01:37 GMT

#15

I'm not sure whether this is relevant to your field of study, but for me in math/engineering I force myself to understand every single sentence, and to stop for long periods of time thinking if I can't make sense of it. If too much time passes by I move on, but in general textbooks try hard to make everything understandable (unlike papers

) so it should be doable. There's nothing worse than not understanding some concept that a later concept depends on.

n.DieJokes

United States3443 Posts

April 15 2011 02:15 GMT

#16

I annotate all my text books with a highlighter so when I reread its just the important stuff. And I note with a pen any thoughts or connections I made regarding the material. Works well for me

Cambium

United States16368 Posts

April 15 2011 02:23 GMT

#17

I write down key points on a separate sheet of paper after every chapter. One added benefit is that you'll have a nice set of study notes at the end.

highlighting doesn't work for me, after a while, i just mindlessly highlight phrases without really understanding the contents.