How-to-Make-Full-Use-of-the-Textbook

HowtoMakeFullUseoftheTextbook1.Textbooks,thoughoftencriticizedandseldompraised,areessentialtoourcollegecareer.Theyprovidecoreinformationineasyaccessibleform.(orFartoomanystudentsbelievethateducationconsistsofaloadofbusyworkandpassingsomeannoyingexams.Theyholdtheviewthatpassingtheexamsisthemostimportant,andlearningisincidental.Asaresult,fewstudentsattachmuchimportancetothetextbook.)Atextbookisacollectionoftheknowledge,concepts,andprinciplesofaselectedtopicoracourse.Usingtextbookswiselyenablesustodeveloptheselflearningabilityandkeepourstudyingorganizedandefficient.Somestepstomakefulluseoftextbooksareexplainedbelow.2.First,surveytheentiretextbookandeachchapter.Whenyoufirstreceiveyourtextbook,spendhalfanhourskimmingtheentiretextbooktoacquireanoverallunderstandingofhowthebookisorganized.Forexample,youshouldlookatthetitlepageandcopyrightpage,readthepreface,andlookatthetableofcontentsandanyillustrationsincludingcharts,graphs,andtables.Thenyoucansurveyeachchapter.Thesurveyshouldtellyouthescopeofthecontent,howthedifferenttopicsareorganized,andwhattheauthor’spurposeandpointofvieware.Thechaptersurveywillalsogiveyousufficientbackgroundinformationforyourclassnotes.Asyousurveythematerial,askyourselfquestionsaboutwhatyouarereadingandwhatyouwilltrytoanswer.Thisisthefirststepbeforereadingthebookintensively.3.Thesecondstepistoreadeachchapterintensively.Youshouldreadeverythinginachapterincludinganyofthevisualaidsandtrytofindthemainideasineachchapterorsection.Ifyoulike,underliningkeywordsandsentenceswillmakethoseitemsstandoutinyourmind,soyouwillthenhaveavisibleoutlineofthemajorpointsonapage.Youmanyalsomakesomemarginalnoteswhichgiveyoutheopportunitytorememberfromtheparagraphorquestionastatementorpositionfromtheauthor.Inaddition,doingeachassignmentbeforeclasswillprepareyoutoparticipateinclassdiscussions.Inclass,teacherswillgiveussomekeyknowledgeanddescribewhatweshouldknoworbeabletodo.Weshouldbefreetoaskforananswerifwecouldn’tgrasptheknowledge,orwehaveadifferentideaconcerningsomestatementortheory.4.Aftertheclass,reviewingwhatwehavelearntisanessentialpartofretention.Reviewingyourtextbooknotesbeforebeginninganewreadingassignmentwillhelpyoukeeptheoverallpictureofthebook’sdevelopmentinmind.Youshouldreviewanyandallsupplementstoyourtext,whichwillprepareyoubetterforexaminations.Constantlyreviewthroughoutthecoursewillgreatlyreducethetimeyouwillneedtospendpreparingforexamsandwillmakethattimelessstressfulandmorerelaxing.5.Tosumitup,ifwewanttolearnandgraspthekeyknowledgeofatextbook,weshouldmakefulluseofthetextbook.Besidestheaboveadvice,we’dbetterkeepacriticalwayontextbooks,becausenotextbookisperfectorcomplete.Itisbutoneresource.Weshouldlearntouseitasaguidetoabroaderwayofknowledge.