How to Read to Learn more and Remember Longer? Deep Reading and SQ3R -024
Hey, it’s Dr. Liu here again. In a previous video, we discussed the method
for quick reading and quick learning. In this video, I will show you a
method for deep reading. This method is developed by professors as a
textbook reading strategy. It can help the reader to remember more of what
they read. The method is originally called SQ3R. Later, more “R”s are
added. So sometimes, it becomes SQ4R or even SQ5R. Here, to keep things
simple, I will stick with SQ3R. 6park.com
SQ3R is an acronym for 5 steps to effectively read and learn. “S” stands
for survey. “Q” stands for question. The three “R”s are read, recite and
review. The first step for deep reading is survey. We want to obtain a
general idea of what we are reading through a quick survey. We want to know
how the information is organized and what we need to learn. The items we
want survey usually include the table of content, headings, subheadings,
preface, and the summary or conclusions. We may also want to check out major
graphs and images. The survey will allow us to have a general idea about
what the main ideas are and how the chapters are organized. This will help
us visualize and make sense of the text when we read it through later. 6park.comSurvey is more like reading a picture rather than reading text from
beginning to end. When we read a picture, we usually do not read from top to
bottom, or from left to right. We want to read the whole picture first and
then decide where to read for more details. When we are writing, we are
actually converting a picture of ideas in our mind into the linear output of
text. Therefore, when we are reading, we do not want to be limited by the
linear form of the text. We want to try our best to restore the big picture
in the author’s mind. And that is the purpose of survey before actual
reading. 6park.comThe second step is question. While doing the survey, it is very nature we
want to start asking questions based on what we already know about the
topics we are reading. This will help us to associate the new information
with our existing knowledge. And it makes the new information easier to
remember. One method is to turn each heading and subheading into a question.
The question will make our reading become a process of looking for answers.
And therefore, the reading will become more motivated and focused. If we
intend and try hard to look for the answer for a question, when we find it,
it is more likely we will be able to remember it. It may be helpful to write
down our questions to refer to as we start reading. 6park.comAfter survey and question, we may begin to read the information one section
at a time. Reading is just one “R” in the SQ3R method, but the reading
process actually involves more “R”s, such as respond, reduce and record.
Respond means, while reading, we always keep our questions in mind, and we
actively looking for answers to respond to these questions. Reduce means, we
should try to reduce the new information into some brief key words, or key
concepts that make more sense to us, based on our existing knowledge. Record
means taking notes on key ideas obtained from reading. 6park.comRespond, reduce, and record are the three “R”s we need when we conduct
deep reading. All these three “R”s help us to associate the new
information with our existing knowledge, and therefore help us to better
understand. Respond involves answering questions that fill gaps in our
existing knowledge. Reduce involves digesting new information, connecting
them to old information, and summarizing all information. Record is taking
notes using our own words. Record not only can help us to understand now,
but also can help us for review in the future. 6park.comWhile reading, we should focus on looking for new concepts rather than new
facts. Facts are fragment information and can easily be forgotten. We do not
really need to remember many facts, since we can always use google when we
need them. When facts are connected with each other, they may form new
concepts. Concepts are usually a condensed form of knowledge that provides
relationships among facts. Many courses in college may spend a whole
semester just to explain a few key concepts. Focusing on key concepts is a
typical shortcut to grasp new knowledge. The good news is, it is nature for
human brain to remember relationships much easier than singles facts. Facts
can easily be forgotten, but for concepts, once we grasp it, it usually will
stay with us for a life time. When we conduct deep reading, the ability to
identify key concepts, the ability to reduce the new information to form new
concepts, and the ability to reduce all the fragment facts and highlight
the logic behind them determine the effectiveness of our learning. 6park.comAfter the reading, we want to take chance to recite and review what we have
read. These two “R”s help us to retain the information we learned. By
recite, we internalize the information we learned. By review regularly at a
later time, we reinforce the information we learned into long term memory
for use in the future. For recite, we may explain to others what we learned
in simple, reduced forms. We may also try to answer the questions we have
without opening the book. Recite is a necessary step to confirm that we
really understand what we have read. The quality of the recite reflects the
quality of our learning. If we are not able to recite clearly and concisely,
that almost always indicates that we do not really understand, and we
failed to connect the new information effectively with our existing
knowledge. For review, we may consult our notes, and sometimes we may want
to go back to reread certain sections selectively, based on our updated
knowledge at the time of review. 6park.comThe world is connected, so is the knowledge. When we have read enough books,
we may be more sensitive on relationships among books. Comparing how the
same problems are viewed by different authors is also an effective way to
improve our understanding on what we are reading. Sometimes, we may even
witness the evolution of human knowledge in the history. Thanks for watching
, I am Dr. Liu with research tips for the underdogs. Deep reading is usually
for grasping new concepts. Skimming is usually for expanding our existing
concepts. The SQ3R is an effective deep reading method that can help us to
learn more and remember longer. Until next time, let’s keep it as a nature
way when it is time for some deep reading. 6park.comTo Subscribe Dr. Liu ResearchTIPS:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXMJUogKw0lXduef7nu3I7A/?sub_confirmation=1 6park.com
贴主:inmatureTIPS于2019_05_04 9:38:57编辑