A grownup student needs to be able to read a document or a chapter and understand the material by themselves, outside the classroom. One of the greatest ways to be sure that this happens effectively is to take notes while reading, writing down the ideas and thoughts inspired by what's being read.
Most students are taught to highlight while reading. This is somewhat useful, but simply highlighting does little to boost the comprehension of what's being read. Highlighting is a successful approach to finding a verse later, as is underlining and even making comments in the margin. However, none of they're as effective as taking notes.
The Purpose of Taking Notes While Reading
The reason the student is reading something is, usually, to achieve an comprehension of something which was previously not understood, or at least to boost the present comprehension of the material. Often, the reading assigned to an adult student is more condense and saturated in information than reading done in grade school. Thus, the reading could be more difficult.
The objective of taking notes while reading is two-fold. On the one hand, the student is attempting to understand what will be said, and to include that understanding in a bigger picture of the course or goal of the reading. This purpose ensures that the student must understand not only this content but also the structure of what's being read. By taking notes while reading, this structure can often become clearer, quicker understood. On another hand, the student does not want to read the material a lot more than is important; after all, the student is working within a period frame that could sometimes put constraints on the quantity of time spent in the reading. Having to read the material more times than is important can be a waste of time. This does not show that the student will see the material only one time; in many cases, multiple readings are needed. But readings shouldn't be wasted. By taking notes, the material could be understood faster and more effectively.
How to Take Reading Notes
Unlike the classroom, the student has the chance to read the material a lot more than once. This fact ensures that the strategy of taking notes could be more deliberate; the student can take some time needed to generate some structured notes, rather than employing a approach to note-taking that minimizes time. Because of this, probably the very best approach to taking notes while reading is to utilize an outline. By creating an outline, the structure of the material could be quicker understood.MyReadingManga
The outline should really be constructed as a string of layers, rather than hoping to get the entire outline finished with one pass. The initial layer should really be on the basis of the structure of the reading; if section headers are provided, these can provide a readily available initial structure. Within each section, the very first thing to ascertain is the purpose of the section. Is this section putting forth a quarrel? Is it explaining a concept? Providing an example? Once the reason is decided, this will be written underneath the section heading.
After the section's purpose is decided, the reader then needs to put in the details. I have discovered that carrying this out twice and comparing the outcome creates the most truly effective notes. See the section through, creating an outline on the basis of the reading. After the section is completed, the student normally has a better comprehension of what that element of reading is doing. Then reading the section a second time, making a fresh outline can offer a fuller understanding. Whether this second reading is completed soon after the foremost is entirely around the student. With particularly difficult sections, having a break involving the readings can offer a fuller perspective on the reading, making a better outline.
After the outline is done, it must be reviewed for completeness. Is anything in the outline unclear, confusing? In that case, then your student has two options. Either they can reread the material, looking for a clearer understanding, or a question could be designed for the next class, looking a clearer understanding from the instructor.
Reading Technical Material
This technique is most effective in material where claims are created and supported, such as in economics, design principles, or surveys. Technical writing, such as mathematics and electronics, desire a slightly different approach. The main element sections for technical material are often not the sections given by the reading material but the formulas being presented. After the formulas are presented, then your outline should provide first an explanation of what's in the formula then a minumum of one example; more examples are useful if the material is not clearly understood the very first time.
Practice makes Perfect
When there is any academic activity which improves with practice, it's reading and taking notes. Initially, the student will discover the endeavor difficult and fraught with uncertainty. Working together with others, comparing notes and examples, could be of immense help when learning how to take notes on reading material. Whilst the student practices, however, she will notice a remarkable improvement. As in many other efforts, persistence in reading and taking notes pays off.
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