An Introduction to Textbooks: Sport and Physical Education

Some common reading myths

Read every word One reading is sufficient Don't skip passages Machines improve speed A faster rate means less comprehension

SQ3R Method for Thorough Study

S Survey Q Questions R Read R Recall* R Reading

*) more time should be spent on recall than reading

Survey
Look over material critically Skim through the book and read topical and subtopical headings and sentences Read the summaries at the end of chapters and books Try to anticipate what the author is going to say
WRITE the notes on paper, in sequence; then look over the notes to get an overall idea or picture. This will enable you to see where you are going

Questions
Instead of reading paragraph headings such as "Basic Concepts of Reading," change to read, "What are the Basic Concepts of Reading?" These questions will become "hooks" on which to hang the reading material
WRITE these questions out; look over the questions to see the emphasis and direction; then attempt to give plausible answers before further reading

Read
Read with smoothness and alertness to answer the questions Use all the techniques and principles
WRITE notes, in your own words, under each question. Take a minimum number of notes-use these notes as a skeleton

Recall
Without looking at your book or notes, mentally visualize and sketch, in your own words, the high points of the material immediately upon completing the reading Why?:
This forces you to check understanding This channels the material into a natural and usable form This points up what you do not understand This forces you to think

Review
Look at your questions, answers, notes and book to see how well you did recall Observe carefully the points stated incorrectly or omitted Fix carefully in mind the logical sequence of the entire idea, concepts, or problem Finish up with a mental picture of the WHOLE

Steps to Follow in Skimming for the Main Ideas

First action
Read the title of the chapter or selection carefully. Determine what clues it gives you as to what the selection is about. Watch for key words like "causes," "results," "effects," etc., and do not overlook signal words such as those suggesting controversy (e.g. "versus," "pros and cons"), which indicate that the author is planning to present both sides of an argument.

Secondly
Look carefully at the headings and other organizational clues These tip you off to the main points that the author wants you to learn You may be accustomed to overlooking boldface headings and titles which are the obvious clues to the most important ideas If you concentrate on the details and ignore the main ideas, you will have much more difficulty retaining the information you read

Remember that authors of college textbooks want you to recognize the important concepts. They use:
Major headings and subheadings to convey major points Italicized words and phrases so that crucial new terms and definitions will stand out Lists of points set off by numbers or paragraphs that begin with the phrases such as "The three most important factors . . . " etc

 Redundancy or repetition. By stating and restating the facts and ideas, the author ensures that you will be exposed in different ways to the concepts she feels are the most crucial for you to understand. She hopes that on at least one of these exposures you will absorb the idea. Therefore, it is vital that you recognize when an important concept is being restated in slightly different words and when you have completely mastered the idea