An adult student needs to manage to read a document or even a chapter and understand the material on their own, not in the classroom. One of the greatest methods to make sure that this happens effectively is always to take notes while reading, writing down the ideas and thoughts inspired by what is being read.
Most students are taught to highlight while reading. This is somewhat useful, but merely highlighting does little to boost the understanding of what is 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 are as effective as taking notes.
The Intent behind Taking Notes While Reading
The main reason the student is reading something is, usually, to achieve an understanding of something that was previously not understood, or at least to boost the present understanding of the material. Often, the reading assigned to a grownup student is more condense and packed with information than reading done in grade school. Thus, the reading could be more difficult.
The goal of taking notes while reading is two-fold. On usually the one hand, the student is wanting to know what has been said, and to include that understanding in a more substantial picture of the course or goal of the reading. This purpose ensures that the student must understand not only the information but also the structure of what is being read. By taking notes while reading, this structure can often become clearer, more easily understood. On another hand, the student does not want to see the material a lot more than is essential; after all, the student is working within a period frame that will sometimes put constraints on the quantity of time spent in the reading. Having to see the material more times than is essential can be quite a waste of time. This does not imply that the student will read the material only one time; in many cases, multiple readings are needed. But readings should not 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 see the material a lot more than once. This fact ensures that the technique of taking notes could be more deliberate; the student can take some time needed to generate a couple of structured notes, rather than utilizing a approach to note-taking that minimizes time. For this reason, probably the very best approach to taking notes while reading is by using an outline. By creating an outline, the structure of the material could be more easily understood.MyReadingManga
The outline ought to be constructed as a series of layers, rather than trying to get the whole outline finished with one pass. The first layer ought to be on the basis of the structure of the reading; if section headers are supplied, these could give a readily available initial structure. Within each section, the very first thing to ascertain is the objective of the section. Is this section putting forth an argument? Could it be explaining an idea? Providing an example? Once the reason is determined, this should be written under the section heading.
After the section's purpose is determined, the reader then needs to put in the details. I have discovered that achieving this twice and comparing the outcome creates the most effective notes. Read the section through, creating an outline on the basis of the reading. After the section is done, the student usually has a much better understanding of what that part of reading is doing. Then reading the section another time, creating a fresh outline can offer a fuller understanding. Whether this second reading is done soon after the first is entirely up to the student. With particularly difficult sections, taking a break involving the readings can offer a fuller perspective on the reading, creating a better outline.
Once the outline is done, it should be reviewed for completeness. Is anything in the outline unclear, confusing? If that's the case, then the student has two options. Either they can reread the material, buying clearer understanding, or even a question could be designed for the following class, looking a clearer understanding from the instructor.
Reading Technical Material
This technique works best in material where claims are made and supported, such as in economics, design principles, or surveys. Technical writing, such as mathematics and electronics, desire a slightly different approach. The key sections for technical material in many cases are not the sections supplied by the reading material however the formulas being presented. Once the formulas are presented, then the outline should provide first an explanation of what is in the formula then at least one example; more examples are useful if the material isn't clearly understood the first time.
Practice makes Perfect
If there is any academic activity which improves with practice, it's reading and taking notes. Initially, the student will see the endeavor difficult and fraught with uncertainty. Dealing with others, comparing notes and examples, could be of immense help when learning how exactly to take notes on reading material. Because the student practices, however, she will notice an extraordinary improvement. As in a great many other efforts, persistence in reading and taking notes pays off.
