Rapid learner skills(2)——Is re-reading helpful
Is re-reading helpful?
There is a lot of potentially wasteful studying tactics students regularly employ-highlighting while reading, recopying notes, cramming-but today I would like to focus on re-reading.
Why am I against re-reading?
In truth, I am not against all re-reading. Applied selectively, re-reading is often necessary to pick up on concepts you did not fully grasp the first time around. Instead, what I am against is bulk re-reading. This could mean re-reading chapters from a book, or more commonly, re-reading your notes as a way of trying to remember all of the material.
Re-reading of this sort has two major problems:
It is not focused on weak points first.
It encourages passive, rather than active, learning.
Replace re-reading with:
Practice questions or self-testing first.
When you get stuck, go back and selectively read the section that pertains to the gap in knowledge.
Words:
tactic:
n.
a planned way of doing something
cram:
v.
to try to learn a lot very quickly before an exam
bulk:
n.
large size or mass
stuck:
adj.
not able to continue reading, answering questions, etc. because something is too difficult
pertain:
v.
to be connected with a particular subject, event, or situation