learning methods

The SQ3R study system is an organized approach to your textbook learning. Students who use a study system read with greater comprehension and remember more over a period of time. What are the components of the SQ3R system?
The essential rules are condensed into the following formula involving the five specific steps of

the study system:
Survey
Question
Read
Recite
Review

The first step is the SURVEY step. This is the process in which you get a quick overview of the material that will be covered in the article or chapter. The survey, which should not take more than 3 or 4 minutes, involves looking over the introductory and concluding paragraphs so that you know what the author intends to cover and reading the subheadings and captions to any pictures, charts or tables. Now you know what the reading selection is all about.

Step two is the QUESTION step. Here you are to take all of the boldface, subheadings in the text and turn them into questions. Write these questions down the right hand side of a sheet of notebook paper, leaving 4 to 5 lines between each question. This is called making advance organizers for the reasoning and gives you a purpose to help keep your mind on what you are doing.

Step three is READ. Now you read the chapter in order to find the answers to your questions. Write these answers on the notebook paper on the left side next to the question. As you do this you are creating a study guide for the chapter which will make your review easier. Make certain that you ask questions that are answered in the reading. If the question you me up with is not answered, change the question. As you become more proficient at this, you may start to notice an interesting phenomenon. The questions that you make up for study may be the same ones that your instructor makes up for the exam. In effect, you are predicting exam questions. The

fourth step is RECITE. This is especially necessary in study reading. This is a step in which you say to yourself or to a partner, out loud, what it is you have just read. The more of your senses that you use while studying, the more likely you are to remember.

Step five is REVIEW. Take the study guide that you have developed for the chapter and look over it whenever possible. Don't wait until the last minute. The review can be done in small chunks of time as you wait between classes or have some time to spare while waiting for friends or lunch. Engaging in short periods of intensive concentration is a very efficient study method.
If you apply this formula--Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review--to your reading jobs that require concentration and learning, you will greatly increase your learning efficiency. The key to this and other study systems is repetition and comprehension monitoring. This method requires you to review the material several times and to determine, through the use of your study guide, what you do and do not understand prior to moving on. These processes will aid in your retention of the material.

SQ5R Method

The SQ5R study method is one system for active reading. Actively processing information improves comprehension and retention of the material.

SURVEY Before reading a chapter or passage, read the introduction and summary. Skim topic headings, bold-faced words, pictures, charts, and graphs to get an idea of the general structure and content before beginning reading.

QUESTION Formulate a purpose for the reading by developing questions from the topic and headings skimmed in the survey step. Ask who, what, where, when, why, and how questions: the best questions are general, covering main topics and important points.

READ Break the material into sections that take about 20 minutes to read and go section by section. Look for answers to your questions, key concepts, and supporting details. Study charts, graphs, tables, and pictures, which serve to present new information and tie together concepts from the reading.

RESPOND After each section, think about the material you have just read and answer the questions you have asked. This can be done during the reading step, since response is often automatic. The purpose of this step is to think about the material and take notice of what is important.

RECORD Go back and underline key concepts and take notes. This can be done on a separate sheet of paper, on note cards, in the margins of the textbook, or any way that works well for you. (Do this after each section.)

RECITE Next, look away from the material and try to recite the key information and ideas in your own words. Re-read the material, if necessary, until you are able to recall the most important points. This may be frustrating at first, but will lead to better understanding and save review time in the long run.

REVIEW After reading the entire chapter, scan and review the information aloud or in your head. Discuss the material with a classmate if possible. Identify overall themes and relationships between concepts. Revise notes or markings so they can be easily understood later.