Lectures & Reading

Before each lecture:

• Read all assigned material so that you can follow the lecture. This will also help with procrastination, as it is more difficult to get motivated to read after the lecture is over.

• Review notes from previous lectures.

During each lecture:

• Come early and sit in front.

• Bring your book if the lecture closely follows the text.

• Use an outline format or the Cornell system (see below).

• Write the date at the top.

• Listen for cues, such as organizing statements and transition words.

• Record legibly, including both what the lecturer says and what is written on the board or overhead.

• Include examples in your notes, as these will help you both understand and remember the material.

• Use abbreviations and omit unnecessary words.

• Don't rely on recording a lecture or reading someone else's notes. Take notes in class even if you do record. When you listen to the recording, simply add to your base set of notes.

• Don’t plan on recopying your notes. If you miss something, skip a line or two. After class, get the info from a classmate or the instructor.

After each lecture:

• The study tip that good students swear by: As soon as possible after class, spend 5 to 15 minutes going over your notes. Clarify, summarize, and think about the major concepts you learned.

• Review your notes frequently, both alone and with a study group.

• Compare your notes to another student's.


Notebook

You may prefer a binder because it allows you to insert handouts. Also, using a single binder with divider pages will mean that you never arrive in class with the wrong notebook.


The Cornell system

To take notes using the Cornell system, rule each sheet as illustrated, with a 2 1/2 inch margin.

2 ½ inches: Aug. 29 Sociology
Headings,questions: Details, answers, definitions

As you listen to the lecture, write your notes on the right side of the margin. After class, write key terms, topic headings, and questions in the left column. (Once you get used to this system, you may be able to write in both the right and left columns during class. To study, cover the right side and use the headings and questions on the left to quiz yourself. (This creates the same effect as flash cards without the extra work.)

Reading Comprehension

To improve your reading comprehension, use the following 3-step process:

I. Preview

• Preview the textbook by looking through the table of contents to see how the concepts are organized. Also, look for any study aids, such as a glossary, answer key, questions at the end of the chapters, etc.

• Preview the chapter by spending 5-10 minutes scanning the following: headings, diagrams, charts, terms in bold, questions at the end, summary, etc.

• Think about what you already know concerning the topics in the chapter.

• A preview can help build your interest and focus in the text, much as a movie preview builds interest in a movie.

II. Active Reading

How to Read:

• Think of the paragraph or the section (3 or 4 paragraphs under a heading) as your unit of meaning. Do not reread when you are confused about a word or sentence; read on. The next sentence will often clarify the meaning.

• If you are still confused at the end of a section or paragraph, stop at that point to reread or to look up important, unfamiliar words.

• For a science or technical book, think of the charts and diagrams as the heart of the text, with sentences simply explaining what is presented visually.
How to mark textbooks with many headings:

• Turn the heading into a question and read that section to find the answer.

• Stop at the end of the section and ask yourself what’s most important that you didn’t know previously. Either write a note in the margin, highlight the important ideas, or do both.

• Do not mark as you go or you will end up marking too much. Hold off marking until you finish reading a paragraph or section.

• Most students find that a combination of highlighting and notes in the margin works best. Caution: when you do highlight, mark words and phrases rather than whole sentences.

• Number parts or items (for example, 3 parts of a definition, 4 causes of something, 3 requirements, etc.).

• Look at how other students mark their texts.

How to mark books that have few or no headings:

• Determine your professor’s purpose in assigning the book (look at the syllabus or ask). For example, the three paperbacks in a history class may have been assigned so that you can learn how historians work and think, not with the intention that you memorize dates.

• Decide whether you should read the book quickly or more slowly. Ask the professor or simply note how many class meetings are devoted to the book.

• Stop at the end of each paragraph and ask yourself the main point. This will help you concentrate because you have something to do besides moving your eyes across the page. In most cases, students do not highlight this kind of book, preferring to write notes in the margin or brief notes in a notebook.

• If you use a notebook, do not stop to write at the end of each paragraph; hold off until you have read a few pages.

• If you will be writing a paper about the book, include pages references in your notebook entries.

III. Review:

• When you come to the end of a chapter or reading session, spend 5-10 minutes scanning back over the headings and your own markings.

• Begin to self-test if time allows. (Turn a heading into a question and try to answer it; then look to see if you are right.)

• Compare your marked text with your lecture notes.

• Consider forming a study group to discuss the material with others and to study for exams.
An analogy for the reading process: taking a trip

Preview: Look at a map before you go. You need to take a look at the whole territory so you will understand how one part relates to the others. You also need a sense of what you should look for on your trip.

Active Reading: Take pictures as you go. These “pictures” (your highlighting or notes) will not show the entire trip but will act as “memory pegs” to help you recall your trip.
Review: Look over your “pictures” and recall your trip.

Reading difficult books

• Preview your book by first reading a simplified version (a review book or outline book, a high school text, an encyclopedia entry, etc.) For example, if you find that you’re having trouble reading Kant, stop and read a brief summary of his ideas and then return to the original text. This can help tremendously.

• If a text is extremely difficult, read it twice rather than doing a single slow reading. (If you read too slowly, you may begin to lose sight of the major concepts.)

• Try reading aloud.

• Get help. Consult with your professor or T.A., a tutor, or a fellow student.

• For a long-term solution, work on building your vocabulary. Take a vocabulary course (ASP 092), buy a vocabulary book, write vocabulary cards, or read a more challenging newspaper, such as the New York Times.

Increasing Reading Speed

As our eyes move across the page they make a series of jerky movements. Whenever they come to rest on a word that is called a fixation. Most people fixate once on each word across a line of print.

In order to make our speed increase we must take in more words with each fixation, rather than make our eyes move faster.

1. Try to avoid focusing on every word, but rather look at groups of 2 to 3 words. For instance, this sentence could be grouped in this manner:

for instance / this sentence / could be grouped / in this manner

2. Work on vocabulary improvement. Familiarize yourself with new words so you don't get stuck on them when you read them again.

3. If you find yourself moving your lips when reading, force yourself to read faster by following (1.) above so that you can no longer move your lips.

4. Read more! 15 minutes a day of reading an average size novel equals 18 books a year at an average reading speed!

5. Determine your purpose before reading. If you only need main ideas, then allow yourself to skim the material. Don't feel you must read very word.

6. Spend a few minutes a day reading at a faster than comfortable rate (about 2 to 3 times faster than your normal speed). Use your hand or an index card to guide your eyes down the page. Then time yourself reading a few pages at your normal speed. You'll find that often your normal reading speed will increase after your skimming practice.

7. If you have poor concentration when reading, practice reading for only 5 - 10 minutes at a time and gradually increase this time.

8. There are several books on increasing reading speed available in most bookstores. If you are serious about increasing your rate you may want to work systematically through one of these books.