Professional Documents
Culture Documents
A capacity and taste for reading gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others. ~Abraham Lincoln
Be prepared to study: Make sure you have all your supplies (pencils, pens, paper, etc.) because every time you stop, it breaks your concentration. 3) Memory: If you dont understand the material that you are reading, you cant expect to remember the information. Try not to pay attention to minute details, try to look at the lesson as a whole. There is a difference between learning and memorizing. In order to truly understand the material, you have to learn it. By memorizing you are only learning for a specific time and you will forget right after afterwards.
Study Environment
Find a place to study that is comfortable to you. Make sure it is not too comfortable to sleep and too distracting that you are admiring the surroundings around you so that you get nothing accomplished. A place where there is a desk (never a bed that acts as a desk, because then you are more prone to sleep than study), comfortable chair, and good lightening. The library or a vacant room is always a good place to study. Distractions can be very detrimental to your studying. People cannot concentrate on two things at one time, so when the television or radio is on, you will not be able to concentrate.
Study Environments Strategies Reading Systems Different Learning Styles Active Reading Techniques
Page 2
A C T I V E R E A DI N G S T R A T E G I E S
S K I L L S F O R S U C C E S S:
Page 3
Analyze the time and place in which you are reading Reading for several hours can cause mental fatigue, take a break Reading where there are tons of distractions can cause lack of concentration Rephrase each paragraph in your own words Stating the information in your own words might help you grasp it better Read a loud sentences or sections that are particularly difficult
Listening to yourself could help understand the information better Do not hesitate to reread difficult or complicated sections Slow down your reading rate Write guide questions next to headings
Refer to your questions often, write down or underline the answers Write a brief outline of major points This might help see the organization of the major ideas of the reading Underline key ideas This forces you to find the important information and helps with recalling the information Write notes in the margins Determine if you lack background information Sometimes you may not know the background information about the text you are reading...this will be a time where you can consult other sections of the text, look at the reference material, ask your professor for any other additional sources you can look at.
Resources
Van Blerkom, D.L. (2007). Orientation to College Learning, Thomson Higher Education: Boston, MA. McWhorter, K.T. (1989). College Reading and Study Skills, Scott, Foresman and Company: Glenview, IL. Hancoc, O.H. (1998). Reading Skills for College Students, Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River: NJ.