Transcript
Page 1: How to take charge of your readings and textbooks?

How to take charge of your readings and textbooks?

Study SmartSkills that you need for academic success

Counselling and Person Enrichment Section, Centre of Development and Resources for Students, The University of Hong Kong

cedars.hku.hk/studysmart

Page 2: How to take charge of your readings and textbooks?

Study SmartSkills that you need for academic success

Counselling and Person Enrichment Section, Centre of Development and Resources for Students, The University of Hong Kong

cedars.hku.hk/studysmart

Test Yourself

YES or NO

I find it hard to have an overall picture about what I read.

I find it hard to identify the key concepts in texts.

As I read, my mind wanders.

I had a feeling that I did not learn much even after extensive readings.

Page 3: How to take charge of your readings and textbooks?

4 Steps to Improve Your Reading Efficiency

Study SmartSkills that you need for academic success

Counselling and Person Enrichment Section, Centre of Development and Resources for Students, The University of Hong Kong

cedars.hku.hk/studysmart

SurveyingQuestioningReadingReviewing

Page 4: How to take charge of your readings and textbooks?

Study SmartSkills that you need for academic success

Counselling and Person Enrichment Section, Centre of Development and Resources for Students, The University of Hong Kong

cedars.hku.hk/studysmart

Surveying is to have a broad overview of the academic materials so as to obtain a general understanding towards the topic concerned.

1. Surveying

Pay special attention to:

- title, headings, and subheadings- topic sentences of the paragraphs- graphs, figures, and pictures- outline, introduction, concluding remarks, and summary

title

heading

outlines

summary

pictures

Page 5: How to take charge of your readings and textbooks?

Study SmartSkills that you need for academic success

Counselling and Person Enrichment Section, Centre of Development and Resources for Students, The University of Hong Kong

cedars.hku.hk/studysmart

Checkpoint 1

Select a chapter from your textbook and survey. Write down the key concepts of the chapter.

Page 6: How to take charge of your readings and textbooks?

Study SmartSkills that you need for academic success

Counselling and Person Enrichment Section, Centre of Development and Resources for Students, The University of Hong Kong

cedars.hku.hk/studysmart

2. Questioning

After surveying, you should have a general idea about what the academic material is about. Then prepare for some serious readings by generating a list of questions. These questions are useful for identifying key points in your readings.

Here is a list of generic question stems that can help you get started with:

- How are …… and …… similar/different?- What are the strengths and weaknesses of ……?- What are the implications of ……?- Why is …… important?- How does …… link with what I learned before?- How does …… contradict from what I learned before?

Page 7: How to take charge of your readings and textbooks?

Study SmartSkills that you need for academic success

Counselling and Person Enrichment Section, Centre of Development and Resources for Students, The University of Hong Kong

cedars.hku.hk/studysmart

Checkpoint 2

Generate some questions that can assist you read through the chapter.

Page 8: How to take charge of your readings and textbooks?

Study SmartSkills that you need for academic success

Counselling and Person Enrichment Section, Centre of Development and Resources for Students, The University of Hong Kong

cedars.hku.hk/studysmart

3. Reading

Active Reading

As you read actively, try to:- Immerse yourself in what the author tries to convey- Identify the main ideas and locate supporting arguments- Construct the meaning by linking it to your previous knowledge or experience

Analytic Reading

Analytic reading involves pondering on what you read at a deeper level. On top of the questions you listed, you can also ask yourself:- Do I agree with what the author said?- Is there any flaw with the writer’s logic?- How am I going to apply this to what I am learning?

Page 9: How to take charge of your readings and textbooks?

Study SmartSkills that you need for academic success

Counselling and Person Enrichment Section, Centre of Development and Resources for Students, The University of Hong Kong

cedars.hku.hk/studysmart

4. Reviewing

After you read the academic materials, it is important for you to consolidate what you learn. Reviewing helps you to remember the main points easier as they stand out clearly. You may also test yourself on your own comprehension.

Consolidate what you learn by:- Taking Good Notes- Using Diagrams

Page 10: How to take charge of your readings and textbooks?

Study SmartSkills that you need for academic success

Counselling and Person Enrichment Section, Centre of Development and Resources for Students, The University of Hong Kong

cedars.hku.hk/studysmart

Using Diagrams to Facilitate Reviewing

(i) Organizing Academic Materials using Concept Maps Example:

Psychology

Educational

Social

Health

Personality

Clinical

Freud

Jung

Erikson

Health behaviors & beliefs

Stress & coping

Motivation Student diversity

Assessment

Group dynamics

Aggression

Psychopathology

Anxiety disorders

Mood disorders

Page 11: How to take charge of your readings and textbooks?

Study SmartSkills that you need for academic success

Counselling and Person Enrichment Section, Centre of Development and Resources for Students, The University of Hong Kong

cedars.hku.hk/studysmart

(ii) Comparing Similarities and Differences using Venn Diagrams

Unique feature of ACommon features of A & B

Unique feature of B

Page 12: How to take charge of your readings and textbooks?

Study SmartSkills that you need for academic success

Counselling and Person Enrichment Section, Centre of Development and Resources for Students, The University of Hong Kong

cedars.hku.hk/studysmart

(iii) Organizing Academic Materials with Hierarchical Structure using Tree Diagrams

Example:

Carbohydrates

Monosaccharides

Glucose Galactose Fructose

Disaccharides

Sucrose Lactose Maltose

Polysaccharides

Glyocogen Cellulose Amylose

Page 13: How to take charge of your readings and textbooks?

Study SmartSkills that you need for academic success

Counselling and Person Enrichment Section, Centre of Development and Resources for Students, The University of Hong Kong

cedars.hku.hk/studysmart

Checkpoint 3

Use one of the diagrams above to help you review a chapter of the textbook.

Page 14: How to take charge of your readings and textbooks?

Study SmartSkills that you need for academic success

Counselling and Person Enrichment Section, Centre of Development and Resources for Students, The University of Hong Kong

cedars.hku.hk/studysmart

Recap

4 Steps to Improve Your Reading Efficiency- Surveying- Questioning- Reading- Reviewing

Using Generic Question Stems to Facilitate Reading- How are …… and …… similar/different?- What are the strengths and weaknesses of ……?- What are the implications of ……?- Why is …… important?- How does …… link with what I learned before?- How does …… contradict from what I learned before?

Using Diagrams to Facilitate Reviewing- Organizing academic materials using concept maps- Comparing similarities and differences using Venn diagrams- Organizing academic materials with hierarchical structure using tree diagrams

Page 15: How to take charge of your readings and textbooks?

Further information:

Study tips compiled by CEDARS - Counselling and Person Enrichmenthttp://w3.cedars.hku.hk/counselling

FAQ Videos for Successful University Lifehttp://wp.cedars.hku.hk/web/faqvideos/

Study SmartSkills that you need for academic success

Counselling and Person Enrichment Section, Centre of Development and Resources for Students, The University of Hong Kong

cedars.hku.hk/studysmart


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