Each type of reading
has a different rate. For example, an exciting novel is a
quicker read than a text in biology.
Text books also vary
in how well they are written, and as a consequence some
are more difficult to read.
Each semester, time
yourself reading
a chapter in each of your text books. See how many pages
an hour you can read. Once you have an accurate estimate
of your reading rate, you can better plan your reading
time and studying time.
Scan the chapter first.
Identify the sections to which the author devotes the most
amount of space. If there are lots of diagrams for a
particular concept, then that must also be an important
concept. If you're really pressed for time, skip the
sections to which the least amount of space is devoted.
Read the first sentence
of every paragraph more carefully than the rest of the
paragraph.
Take notes on headings
and first sentence of each
paragraph before reading the chapter itself.. Then, close
your book and ask yourself what you now know about the
subject that you didn't know before you started.
Focus on nouns and main
propositions in each sentence.
Look for the noun-verb combinations, and focus your
learning on these.
For example, consider the
following text:
Classical conditioning is
learning that takes place when we come to associate two
stimuli in the environment. One of these stimuli
triggers a reflexive response. The second stimulus is
originally neutral with respect to that response, but
after it has been paired with the first stimulus, it
comes to trigger the response in its own right.
Rather than read every word, you
might decode this text graphically:
Classical conditioning = learning
= associating two stimuli
1st stimulus triggers a response
2nd stimulus = originally neutral, but paired with 1st
--> triggers response.
Rather than reading and
re-reading your text, take notes in this form, so that
you've re-written the important parts of the text. Once
you have written notes, you don't have to worry about the
text itself.
