First: read a section of your textbook chapter
- Read just enough to keep an understanding of the material.
Do not take notes, but rather focus on understanding the material.
It is tempting to take notes as you are reading the first time, but this is
not an efficient technique: you are likely to take down too much
information and simply copy without understanding
Second: Review the material
- Locate the main ideas, as well as important sub-points
- Set the book aside
- Paraphrase this information:
Putting the textbook information in your own words forces you to become
actively involved with the material
Third: write the paraphrased ideas as your notes
- Do not copy information directly from the textbook
- Add only enough detail to understand
See
Concept mapping
for a
system of writing and organizing notes.
Review, and compare your notes with the text,
and ask yourself if you truly understand
