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Te.X.tboo/c Study Strategies

own study strategies, these 15 students were the only ones wito had taken the limę to preview the chapter and read the summary at the end. The rest, 99 percent, read "frotn word to word" witlt an "obedient purposelessness.”

Only one perccnt of the students in this experimcnt really knew what they had read. They took the time initially to size up the situation rather than start with the first sentcnce and move to the next and then the next. 'lite 15 students who proiewed the materia! demonstrated superior reading comprehension over the 1185 who did not; they understood what the assignment was about as opposed to simply recalling details.¹

'!Vrry, William G. "Students’ IJse and Misuse of Reading Skills: A Repon 10 a Faeulty." Hunurd iMuaiumal Rtvitnv (29) 1959. 193-200.

What Is Previewing?

Prericwing is a melhod of assessing your needs before starting to read by dedding what the materiał is about, what needs to be done, and how to go aboui doing it. łt is formulating a reading strategy and then reading to meet those goals. Even though it may take a few extra minutes in the beginnlng, the results are worth the time, as demonstrated by the Harvard study. Previewing is the easy way to approach a tcxt and get involved in your studying.

How to Preview

What to Ask. To preview, look over the materiał, tłiink, and ask ąuestions. Tłie proccss is similar to the concentration tedtniąue of sparking an interest before reading, except that in previewing, the questions are morę directly related to puqiose. The focus is "What do 1 need to know and how do 1 go about finding it out?”

Morę specifically, ask the fołlowing ąuestions before beginning to read:

1.    Wbat is my purpose for readingf

What is the materiał about? What do i already know about it? What will I need to know wben ! finish it?

2.    How is Ibe materiał organized?

What is the generał uutline or framework of the materiał? Is the author listing reasons, exptaining a proeess, or comparing a trend? j. Wbat wiU be my plan of attack?

What parts of the texibook seem most important? Do I need to read everything with eqnał care? Can I skim some parts? Can 1 skip sonie sections completely?

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What to Read. A puhlic speaking rule says, "Tetł them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them." This same organiza-tional pattem ffequently applies to textbook materiał. An author begins with a brief introduction to overview tlie topie, the ideas are then developed in para-graphs or chapters, and concluding statements at the end summarize the imppr-tant points the author wants remembered. Although tłiis patiem is not true in every case, it can serve as a guide in determining what to read when previewing textbook materiał.

Previewtng can be a hit-or-miss activity in that sometimes there is an łntro-ductory or conctuding stalement, and sometimes there is not. Recause of differ-ences in writing styles, no one set of rules will work for all materiał. The fołlowing explains severai points tłiat shoułd be considered in preriewing.

Title. Tities are deslgned to attract attention and reflect the contents of the materiał. The title of an artlcle, a chapter, or a book ls Ihe first and most obrious cłue to its contcnt. Tłiink about the title and tum it into a ąuestion. łf the article ls