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Study Hacks & Learning Techniques

The Smartest Study Differently
HACK MY STUDY is a free resource dedicated to teaching the
most effective study strategies and techniques. More tutorials:
hackmystudy.com
By Leo Fuchigami

Copyright HACK MY STUDY 2010 CC BY-NC [ No commercial reproduction ]

How To Take Notes From A Textbook The

Information Funnel Method
How do some students get As in their classes without even showing up to class? They
do it by effectively studying the course textbook & materials. This tutorial will teach you
how you can, too.

Table of Contents
1. Active vs. Passive Reading ........................................................................................................ 3
2. The Information Funnel Method ............................................................................................... 3
3. An Example ....................................................................................................................................... 4
Learn More ............................................................................................................................................. 8

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1. Active vs. Passive Reading

The key to memorizing a textbook is to use active reading instead of passive
reading. Active reading is when you process and output the information as you read it.
Passive reading is how you normally read, that is, you just try to memorize the
information the way it is written.
There are many active reading techniques, such as:

Ask questions about new concepts, including who, what, where, when and why.

Highlight important text

Annotate your thoughts beside the text

But, none of these techniques are sufficient to give you a thorough understanding of
the text.
For maximum results, an integrated method is necessary, such as

2. The Information Funnel Method

The Information Funnel Method (IFM) is an advanced active reading technique that
achieves 3 things:
1. It helps you identify the important information and hides the unnecessary text
2. It lets you rapidly review the material and identify problem areas in your
knowledge
3. It replaces your textbook
The IFM involves creating, 2 sets of notes: a Keyword List for self-testing and
a Summary for review. The Summary will be anywhere between 10 and 25% of the
length of the original text, while the Keyword List will be anywhere from 2.5 to 5%.

Step 1 Preview (Optional, But Highly Recommended)

Quickly skim the chapter without worrying about fully memorizing or understanding the
content. Skip sections that seem unimportant, but pay particular attention to the
chapter summaries, bolded text, information boxes, visuals/diagrams and emphasized
content. The objective is to just get a general idea of the content.

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Step 2 Summarize
Read the chapter again, but this time, summarize the main concepts. The purpose of
this step is to extract the key information from the book and write them down as
concisely as possible; do not copy the explanations word-for-word (unless you
genuinely believe it has already been written as concisely as possible).
The chapter summary document will replace the textbook for review purposes. In this
way, you can quickly review the entire the entire chapter in 10% to 25% of the time it
would take to re-read the entire chapter.

Step 3 Create A Key Word List

Now create a list of key words from the chapter summary. In other words, remove all
explanations and list only the names of concepts and critical data points.
The keyword list will then be used for self-testing (explanation below).

Step 4 Review
In order to review a chapter, start by reading the keyword list. Try to recall the
information in the summary associated with each keyword. If you cant recall
something, refer to the chapter summary for review. Thats it!

Additional Tips

Dont review concepts you already know well. It will give you a false sense of
confidence and is a waste of time.

List the page numbers for each concept in the chapter summary. That way, you can
easily find that section in the textbook in case you need to.

You dont have to be so strict with grammar; be concise.

Taking the notes in a word or note-taking application has the advantage of being
accessible by your smartphone and you can use the search function to quickly
navigate the document.

3. An Example
I used a section of the How to Memorize Things Quickly & Effectively Part 1 tutorial
as the basis for the example.

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Heres how much I was able to condense the text:

Original Text 296 words (100%)

Summary 69 words (23% of original)

Keyword List 8 words (2.7% of original)

See the breakdown of how this was done below:

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Original Text
Preparation
Dont underestimate how much proper preparation can influence your ability to
memorize. Did you know that Olympic athletes prepare for weeks, months, even years
for a single performance? Preparation is what separates the best from the rest. By
applying these simple best practices, you can easily double or triple your memorization
abilities.

Dont Listen to Music (with Lyrics)

How well can you listen to another person speak while you listen to music? Music,
especially music with lyrics, interferes with your language-processing center (which is
necessary for most academic types of studying). By listening to lyric-heavy music like
rap, hip-hop, country or pop, youre sabotaging your ability to memorize. If you must
listen to something, make it something instrumental or ambient-type music.

Disconnect
Dont let a Facebook notification disrupt your concentration 5 minutes after you
start. Turn off notifications on your phone and computer by either turning the wi-fi off,
putting it on silent, turning off notifications or turning the power off. Set a timer for 20
minutes and dedicate the next to one thing and one thing only, memorizing.

Choose Optimal Memorization Times

An optimal memorization time is when you have energy, your mind is clear and when
youre least likely to be interrupted. A sub-optimal memorization time is when youre
tired, distracted, stressed and likely to be interrupted. For most people, studying early
in the morning or late at night, when everyone else is asleep, works best.

Move Around
Standing and walking promotes blood flow and engages your muscles, keeping you
alert and engaged, while sitting results in reduced blood flow and oxygen to the brain.
If possible, pick up the material you want to memorize and review it while leaning
against a wall, pacing back-and-forth in your room or walking in your hallway.

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Summary
Preparation
Can double or triple your memorization abilities.

Music
Lyrics (e.g. rap) interfere with language processing. No lyrics (e.g. instrumental) is
better.

Disconnect
Turn phone and computer wi-fi/notifications/power off.

Optimal Memorization Times

When you have energy, mind is clear and no interrupted. Recommend early mornings
or late nights.

Move
Standing and walking promotes blood flow, keeps you alert and engaged. Sitting
reduces blood flow and oxygen to the brain.

Keyword List
Preparation

Music w/lyrics

Disconnect

Optimal memorization times

Standing/walking

Hopefully with this example you can see how powerful this technique is. Not only does
the creation process force you to truly understand the content, but the resulting

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summary and keyword list allow you to review past material in a fraction of the time it
would take you otherwise.

Learn More
For more free tutorials, visit hackmystudy.com.
Topics include:
How to speed read
How to memorize more effectively
How to manage your time
How to beat procrastination
How to take notes in class
How to memorize textbooks
And more!
New tutorials published every week.

Copyright HACK MY STUDY 2010 CC BY-NC [ No commercial reproduction ]