task which should be relatively easy with nonfiction texts, which are
usually organized rather clearly. Headings for subsections, items printed
in
boldface, and other highlighted material can help you identify the
basic structure of the text.
For nonfiction texts, it’s usually best to preview the book one chapter
at a time. Then, you can go back and read that previewed section (as
described in the next step) before moving on to preview and read the
next part of the text.
In contrast, works of fiction may be previewed and then read in their
entirety, without conducting the preview-and-read
process chapter by
chapter. The same goes for nonfiction assignments that have a single
narrative thrust, such as biographies.
(One of the main goals in previewing fiction, by the way, is to identify
the characters, setting, time period and general direction of the plot.)
Obviously, going at a fast preview pace (i.e., about four seconds per
page) the first time through a text, you can’t hope to absorb or even see
every word. Instead, you should look for key facts and concepts.
Concentrate especially on the introduction,
on summaries and on any
questions posed in the chapter. The main purpose is to get a fairly good
idea of what the chapter is about.
After you’ve previewed the chapter (or the entire book) quickly draw
up a skeletal outline on the main sections and points contained in the
material covered. (This outlining technique will be discussed in detail in
chapter six
.) Then, you’re ready to move on to the next step—the actual
process of reading.
Read:
The goal here is to see every word on every page, and to
assimilate and record all the essential information you need for taking
tests or writing research papers.
First, you should again preview the
first main subsection in any
nonfiction chapter you plan to read. Then, go back and read that
subsection at your fastest comfortable speed. Don’t skip anything at this
point; you’re not just scanning or hopping from key word to key word.
(Usually only one preview will be necessary for a novel or short story.)
As you read, you should make light marks in the book margins with a
pencil, but don’t underline the text. The marks may be simple lines,
checks, question marks or other notations
to alert you to particularly
important or difficult material, appropriate for later study.
We advise against underlining because it can easily get out of hand.
You’ve probably encountered plenty of students who underline
practically every word in the text. (In fact, many of us have been such
students.) Yet underlining tends to postpone learning and recall, rather
than allow you to learn facts and concepts immediately.
Judicious marking, in contrast, helps
keep you active and engaged
with the text. For example, we recommend that after you have read a
section once, you may want to reread it quickly, especially if it contains
crucial course material. This time, though, you should focus on the
marked sections.
During this rereading, you may concentrate on those passages noted
with question marks because they didn’t come across clearly the first
time through. Or you may want to mull over very important segments
that you starred or checked.
I’ve heard some students object, “But doesn’t all this previewing and
repreviewing,
reading and rereading, take more time than just going
through the book once the way I’ve always done it?”
The answer to this question is emphatically
no.
As you’ll see in later
examples—and also in your own personal experience employing these
principles—the multiple-exposure or layering approach to learning does
increase your comprehension of and contact with study assignments. But
this approach doesn’t take more time; it takes much less.
After you’ve finished with your reading and feel you’ve obtained the
information and understanding you need, you should fill in extra details
in the recall pattern notes. Then, you’re ready to postview.
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