Reading to Learn from College Textbooks This class, we’ll learn about strategies for reading and learning from college textbooks, which can be very different from the type of reading you do every day. Does anyone have any questions before we start?

A Plan for Active Reading Active reading: participating in reading through strategies Increases focus and concentration Promotes greater understanding Prepares you to study Four steps in active reading: Previewing Marking Reading with concentration Reviewing Active reading involves participating in reading through strategies such as highlighting and note taking, which help you stay focused. Active reading is different from reading novels or magazines for pleasure. Active reading will increase your focus and concentration, help you understand what you read, and prepare you to study for tests and exams. There are four steps to active reading: Previewing Marking Reading with concentration Reviewing See text p. 129

Steps of Active Reading: Previewing Previewing: developing a purpose for reading Strategies: Mapping Shows relationships between main and secondary ideas Outlining or listing Identifies main topics, subtopics, and specific terms Flash cards Defines key terms and identifies dates Previewing is the step in active reading where you develop a purpose for reading. The purpose is to get the big picture, to understand the main ideas in the reading and how those ideas connect with what you already know and to the material the instructor covers in class. Here’s how to do it: Begin by reading the title of the chapter. What do you already know about the subject? Read through the learning objectives – the main ideas or skills students are expected to learn from the reading. Turn to the end of the chapter an read the summary, which provides the most important ideas in the chapter. Skim the chapter, looking at the headings, subheadings, key terms, and tables and figures. Note how many pages are in the chapter. Figure out how many pages you can cover at a time. Figure out how to navigate electronic textbooks. Use previewing strategies such as mapping, outlining, listing, and flash cards to identify main ideas, subtopics, terms, and how they relate to each other. See text pp. 129-133

Steps of Active Reading: Marking Marking helps you focus and concentrate Strategies: Read and think before marking Highlight purposely Take notes while marking Marking is an active reading strategy that helps you focus and concentrate as you read. Follow these guidelines: Read before you mark. Finish a section before you decide which are the most important ideas and concepts. Think before you mark. When you read a text for the first time, everything can seem important. Take a moment to reflect on what was actually important and to identify key ideas. Highlight or underline purposely. Highlighting can actually be a form of procrastination, and highlighting nearly everything can do more harm than good. Take notes while you’re marking. Just underlining what’s most important doesn’t mean you learn the material, and it can give you a false sense of security. Force yourself to put ideas in your own words. See text pp. 134-135

Steps of Active Reading: Reading with Concentration Reading with concentration can be hard due to: Your energy level Interest in the material Your location Strategies: Find a quiet place to study Turn off devices Take breaks and move around during them Set goals Actively engage with the material Focus on what’s important Understand the words Use organizers You may have trouble concentrating when reading due to many factors: the time of day, your energy level, your interest in the material, how you manage nearby distractions, the amount of sleep you’ve had, and your study location. Follow these suggestions to improve your reading ability: Find a quiet place to study. Choose a location away from traffic and distracting noises. Don’t study in bed, as you are conditioned to sleep there. Mute your electronic devices. Resist the temptation to e-mail, text, or check social media sites. Read in blocks of time, with short breaks in between. You should be able to process material more easily if you read in blocks throughout the day instead of cramming everything in at the end of the day. Set goals for your study period. Make sure your goals are realistic, and reward yourself when you meet them. Engage in physical activity during breaks. If you have trouble concentrating or staying awake, take a quick walk, do some stretches, and go back to studying. Actively engage with the material. Write questions, take notes, recite key ideas, and reread confusing parts of the text. Focus on important sections of the text. Pay attention to the first and last sentences of paragraphs and to words in italics or bold. Understand the words. Use the glossary or a dictionary to find definitions. Use organizers. Keep the maps, outlines, lists, or flash cards you created during previewing, and add to them. See text pp. 135-136

Steps of Active Reading: Reviewing Reviewing: looking through assigned reading again Strategies: Recite aloud Tick off each item on a list Post visuals around your living space so you can picture them while taking the test Reviewing, or looking through the assigned reading again, is the final step in active textbook reading. In order to remember the material for a test, you will have to review the material regularly. Strategies for reviewing include: Recite aloud Tick each item off on a list on your fingertips Post diagrams, maps, or outlines around your living space to seem them often and visualize them while taking the test. See text p. 138

Strategies for Reading Textbooks Math texts More symbols, formulas and proofs than words Complete all assigned textbook exercises Understand the steps to solving a problem Science texts Important to understand concepts/terms Underline/highlight or outline chapters Social science and humanities texts Filled with terms unique to a field Present viewpoints in ongoing debates/controversies Supplementary material Enriches understanding of the textbook Learn more about the textbook by reading sections at the beginning of the book, such as the preface, foreword, introduction, and author’s biographical sketch. Remember that textbooks are not all the same. Textbooks in different disciplines are organized differently, and have different writing styles. Math and science texts are filled with graphs and figures. They are likely to have less text and more practice exercises. Math texts have lots of symbols and few words. Information is presented through definitions, theorems, and sample problems. You must understand and be able to apply the theorems and formulas, but are less likely to be responsible for all the proofs. The most important part for your learning are the exercises. It is necessary to do all assigned textbook problems, whether or not they will be collected, or you struggle to learn the material. Make sure you understand all the steps of a problem. Science textbooks vary depending on whether it is a math-based science, such as physics, or a text-based science, such as biology. Either way, understand the format of the book. Check the appendixes at the end of the book for useful information such as physical constants, unit conversions, and various charts and tables. Familiarize yourself with new vocabulary and concepts. You might find that underlining is the best approach to science chapters. Many of the suggestions that apply to science textbooks apply to reading in the social sciences. Social science books are filled with terms specific to the particular field of study. They may also describe differences in opinions or perspectives. Social scientists don’t always agree, so your books may introduce you to ongoing debates and controversies in the field. Textbooks in the humanities provide facts, examples, opinions, and original materials. You will often be asked to identify central themes or characters. You will learn more if go to some of the primary and supplementary sources referenced in your texts. These materials will go into more detail than your textbook. Many of these sources were originally written for instructors or researchers – don’t get discouraged if the refer to concepts that you are unfamiliar with. See text pp. 140-144

Monitoring Your Reading Important to monitor comprehension “Do I understand this?” Checking comprehension Recite the material aloud Ask: What are the key ideas? What will I see on the test? Guess what information will be in the next section You can improve your reading. Remember to adjust how you read depending on what you are reading. Evaluate the importance and difficulty of the assigned readings, and adjust your reading style and the time you set aside. Connect important ideas by asking yourself, Why am I reading this? When the textbook material is exactly the same as the lecture material, save time by focusing on one or the other. Check your comprehension by asking, “Do I understand this? What are the key ideas? What will I see on the test?” Monitor your comprehension by reciting material aloud and guessing what will be in the next section. See text p. 145

Improving Your Reading Developing vocabulary Write down unfamiliar terms Consider the context Consider a word’s parts Use the glossary If English is not your first language Read slowly and more than once Look up words you don’t know Practice in English Take advantage of helping services Textbooks are full of new words and terms. As you become familiar with the vocabulary of an academic field, reading the texts related to the field becomes easier. Build your vocabulary by: Noticing and writing down unfamiliar terms during your previewing. Thinking about the context when you come across challenging words. Considering a word’s parts. Identify the word’s root and any prefixes or suffixes. For example, “transport” has the root “port” which means “carry” and the prefix “trans” which means “across,” so the word means “carrying across” or “carrying from one place to another.” Use the glossary or a dictionary. The glossary, usually found in the back of textbook, compile the vocabulary of a discipline used in the textbook. Use new words in your writing and speaking. This will help you really learn the word. If you fall behind on your reading, don’t panic. Instead, add some time to your study time each day to read what you missed, join a study group to cover content more quickly with the collaboration of your classmates, ask for help from the learning center, talk with your instructor to ask for an extension, and, most importantly, don’t give up. English is a difficult language to learn. Words are often spelled differently from the way they sound, and the language is full of idioms. If you are learning English, don’t give up on your textbooks. Read slowly and more than once. Make sure you have two dictionaries – one in English and one that links English with your primary language. Be sure to practice thinking, writing, and speaking in English, and take advantage of your college’s services, such as ESL tutoring. See text pp. 145-148

Tech Tip: Embrace the E-book The Pros and Cons of Digital Readers: Pros: Portable Holds a range of media Saves trees Can buy books online from anywhere, even internationally Can annotate and mark Cons: Expensive Breakable Can cause eye fatigue Though traditional books are available, some student may be required – or prefer – to access material digitally. There are pros and cons to using a digital reader. Pros include: Digital devices are portable and can hold thousands of books. E-books save trees and have a low carbon footprint. You can buy e-books from anywhere with Web access. Many e-book can be accessed for free from a public library. Some e-books come with bonus features. Many digital devices accept audio books. The backlit screen means you can read with the light off, without disturbing anyone. You can adjust the size of the text. Some e-readers have a built-in dictionary. E-books are searchable, shareable, can be annotated. Cons include: Digital devices are expensive, breakable, and desirable to thieves. Looking at a screen can cause eye fatigue. You may lose access after an academic term if you have only temporary access. See text p. 149