How to Read Textbooks More Efficiently

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Learning method:

Textbooks

  1. Read the table of contents and guess what will be in each chapter

  2. Read all the headings of the chapter

  3. Get a notebook and start to construct the topics or “big bubbles” of a mind map

  4. Read every italicized word and any charts, graphs, and images in the chapter

  5. Add to your mind map anything that you remember without looking back at the textbook

  6. Start from the beginning of the chapter and read word by word

  7. Get a notebook, sheet of paper, or add on to the previously constructed mind map. Make two sections by drawing a line in the middle of the paper. Label the left section “recall” and label the right section “correct”.

  8. In the recall section, write down the gist of each sentence or important idea without looking at the textbook. After writing it down, check to see if it correctly corresponds to what it says in the textbook. If there are mistakes such as the wrong spelling of a scientific term, write down the correct form in the “correct” section.

  9. Finish reading the whole chapter using the recall and correct method.

  10. Repeat steps 2–9 for the remaining chapters.

Why this method is good:

  1. Reading the table of contents and all the headings and charts beforehand will create a link/base to hang the new information on (People learn faster when they can link the new information to information they already know — the reason why learning subjects you like would be easier)

  2. Mind map helps visualize and remember what you just read, rather than just simply reading without doing anything else to help retain the information

  3. The recall and correct method will help you remember the information because it forces you to pay attention while reading “active reading”. If you want, you can also add a summary section at the end of the page to summarize what this section was about, which furthers your retention of the new information.

Ps: I created this method and it had helped me achieve a 20 point increase in my originally weak class. Through spaced repetition, A in school would be easy.

How to love learning :

  1. Gamification

How to improve memory:

  1. Memory Palace

  2. Link method

  3. Acronyms

  4. Forgetting curve

Recommended app:

  1. Habitica

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