Three simple tricks to read textbooks more effectively
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- Опубліковано 7 чер 2024
- Textbooks are a slog. But part of the problem is that we read them like we read other things, and we shouldn't. Here's how to up your textbook reading game.
00:00 Introduction
00:38 Sipping and chugging
1:20 A technique for reading more actively
2:43 A technique for incorporating free recall practice
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The textbook pages are from "University Physics with Modern Physics" by Young and Freedman. If you're interested in learning physics on your own, check out: www.susanrigetti.com/physics
References:
My recommendations here are a variety of what's called "spaced retrieval practice". There is a huge literature that spacing out study sessions (e.g., "sipping") provides long-term learning benefits.
Here's a meta-analysis on verbal recall tasks: Cepeda, N. J., Pashler, H., Vul, E., Wixted, J. T., & Rohrer, D. (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological bulletin, 132(3), 354. escholarship.org/content/qt3r...
And here's a piece using realistic classroom controls. Seabrook, R., Brown, G. D., & Solity, J. E. (2005). Distributed and massed practice: From laboratory to classroom. Applied cognitive psychology, 19(1), 107-122. citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc...
For my intro to this phenomenon, see: bit.ly/3BKHhl2.
My recommendation to do free recall practice prior to coming back to the textbook again comes from evidence on the efficacy of free recall in general (that's the "retrieval"). Here's some good papers on it:
Karpicke, J. D., & Roediger III, H. L. (2007). Repeated retrieval during learning is the key to long-term retention. Journal of memory and language, 57(2), 151-162. citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc...
Karpicke, J. D., & Aue, W. R. (2015). The testing effect is alive and well with complex materials. Educational Psychology Review, 27(2), 317-326. citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/...
For my intro to retrieval practice, see: bit.ly/3djdOFv.
My recommendation on reading the question before seeing the answer (e.g., "active" reading) is based on work in prior knowledge and illusions of knowing.
Example problems tell you things, and there is "a time for telling". Seeing the canonical answer before first think about what the problem is short-circuits the learning process. Here's a few papers on this idea:
Schwartz, D. L., & Bransford, J. D. (1998). A time for telling. Cognition and instruction, 16(4), 475-5223. aaalab.stanford.edu/papers/tim...
Schwartz, D. L., Chase, C. C., Oppezzo, M. A., & Chin, D. B. (2011). Practicing versus inventing with contrasting cases: The effects of telling first on learning and transfer. Journal of educational psychology, 103(4), 759. ece.neu.edu/edsnu/mcgruer/USC/...
There's also interesting work exploring the opposite order. See the paper below for a really good discussion:
Fyfe, E. R., DeCaro, M. S., & Rittle‐Johnson, B. (2014). An alternative time for telling: When conceptual instruction prior to problem solving improves mathematical knowledge. British journal of educational psychology, 84(3), 502-519. www.academia.edu/download/393...
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i feel like for math and physics textbooks this strategy is often helpful: read the material lightly without going too deep necessarily and move to the problems/exercises. Then when you attempt to do exercises, you will definitely get stuck and at that moment to solve the problem you might go through the material again and this time read more in depth trying to prove everything and in turn solving the problems.
Agreed - this is a good approach for leveraging prior knowledge: knowing the basics let's you understand the structure of the problem enough to "see" what the problem is, even if you can't solve it. Then "seeing" the problem helps you to make sense of what the solution is.
No
I think it isn't useful when you go into higher level since you really need a bit of depth and that does take a lot of time when the topic is real. I would probably change to read the material and try to actually understand it, since reading it lightly definitely won't help at all when you try to solve problems
Best approach
@@artophile7777yes 😊
The sipping and chugging analogy is really good! Clever way to explain it
Thanks - glad it worked for you!
this should be taught at all education levels worldwide
it´s really so important yet so underestimated
More like completely "neglected/ignored" than underestimated.
I try to explain some strategies to understando ehat I’m teaching, but I’m completely ignored.
Your channel is super underated! Amazing useful content! Thank you so much!
When i learned to read a textbook like a normal book..
Changed my learning acquisition
Super useful and straight to the point ! I hope you add references in the description for future videos
I usually do add references - my bad for not doing it before publishing for this one. They're in there now, so check them out. : )
Surprisingly great tips, loved how you delivered them also. Thanks
It felt cool that I recognized the page from your thumbnail, and all the pages you are reviewing from the first chapters of university physics on vectors. 🤓
I very much like the "sip" analogy" on how to read a textbook!
Thank you for making this video 🙂
I learned a lot from this video 🙂
I've just been eating up your videos. Many thanks for producing them.
really good, thank you sir.
Hey Benjamin i know you stress more on retrieval as opposed to encoding techniques(agree with you on that; the free recall technique is absolutely fantastic for long term retention!), but really curious to know what are your thoughts on learning in layers i.e reading the chapter not from start to finish but all together as a whole with a big picture in mind as advised by Dr Justin Sung(Follow both your channels for learning how to learn!)
i.e first understanding basic foundational concepts in the first layer/reading; followed by adding the 2nd layer of concepts that help explain the 1st layer concepts in detail followed by the third layer that are excess details/exceptional cases/shortcuts; thus making learning much easier, much like when you draw a portrait you first start with basic shapes, then keep adding details! the 80/20 rule then makes much more sense when taken in context of the bigger picture, meaning 80% of the content on which you will be tested will be asked from the layers 1 and 2!
Would love if you make a video abt this along with any existing research explaining its effectiveness!
More videos on encoding will be coming in the next couple of months.
Learning in layers as you describe sounds like a decent strategy, especially when you don't have a lot of prior knowledge on the subject. It also probably depends on how the book was written and intended to be read. Ultimately, you want study decisions (like what to read next) to be guided by judgments of learning and knowledge - in other words, "I should read about X because I'm not clear on the details there" or "I don't understand the big picture yet, let me try to understand that".
@@benjaminkeep Didn't think you would respond honestly :P .....TYSM for taking some of your precious time for responding Sir! You got it absolutely right Sir! Prior knowledge does make it easier to learn the harder parts and in general makes the process smooth and fast!
Eager to view your take on encoding techniques Sir!
Reading textbooks efficiently requires a different approach than reading other materials. Here are some tips:
1. **Sip, Don't Chug:** Reading a textbook should be like sipping a beverage, not chugging it. Limit your focused reading time to 10-15 minutes or maybe half an hour at most, even if it's just a few pages. Understanding the fundamentals thoroughly is more important than skimming through multiple chapters.
2. **Active Reading:** Don't accept everything at face value. Be an active reader, fact-checking and verifying concepts yourself. When encountering example problems, cover the answers and try solving them before looking at the solution. This deepens your understanding and helps you become more self-reliant in learning.
3. **Incorporate Free Recall Practice:** Before starting a new study session, recall and write down what you remember from the previous session. This not only checks your understanding but also engages your prior knowledge, priming your mind for the upcoming material.
Remember, textbooks demand focused and active engagement. Using these techniques can enhance comprehension and retention, making your studying more effective in the long run.
Awesome. Thanks!
Nothing beats frolicking through Vector Fields before diving into a Physics text!
the third tip is really helpful❤
You and justin sung are literally my life savers
Frfr
Working out the examples yourself from scratch is something I found helpful
Can you make an example of reading biology or chemistry or any such subject textbook like you did with the history one in one of your videos . Just a short example. It would be really helpful
Will do - got a lot of other videos coming up first, but it's on the docket.
Thank you
This is a blast!
Amazing video
I have an issue of being a chugger. I've never heard it in that analogy before, and I think that may be what I needed to hear as a water drinker!
I love your video its very usefull!! Do you have some tips or techiques to read, understand and retain for example textbooks of medicine? thanks a lot. Best regards
Ty really helpful
Is it useful to take notes from a textbook or should I rely on recall and having the book at hand when I forget stuff?
Thank you Benjamin for your videos. As a teacher, I'm learning a lot of things about how we learn how I can help my students in their learning process. Talking about reading comprehensively, what's your opinion about SQ3R method? Is there any scientific research about it?
TBH, I'm not that familiar with SQ3R. As far as I can tell, there's been some occasional research on it, typically comparing it to doing nothing at all (in other words, the study designs that I've seen have been quite weak). From my understanding of SQ3R, it seems a little repetitive and not entirely consistent with modern theories of learning. For instance, one description I read encourages students to read rapidly during the first "R" and the review comes immediately after the other steps. Certainly, activating prior knowledge beforehand (through surveying or self-questioning) is a good thing to do.
The piece actually did compare SQ3R to an alternative method (SOAR), finding that SOAR did better (one of the authors also developed SOAR). But I'm also not a fan of the primacy of note-taking in the SOAR method.
Jairam, D., Kiewra, K. A., Rogers-Kasson, S., Patterson-Hazley, M., & Marxhausen, K. (2014). SOAR versus SQ3R: a test of two study systems. Instructional Science, 42, 409-420.
Personally, I'm skeptical of the value of giving students these learning systems. They're formulaic and they don't give students an idea of the appropriate contexts to use different techniques. I think if it's pitched in terms of tools (e.g., the component parts, like survey, or come up with questions) and students have space to play with and use these tools, it is usually more helpful. Less "you should use this complete system to learn effectively" and more "this tool might help you learn - try it out in this situation and that situation". I do think giving students a wide range of learning experiences - opening their eyes to what they could do when they're learning - can be immensely valuable.
@@benjaminkeep thank you so much
Hi. The end screens don't seem to show up when you mention linking to other videos. Could you please check?
My course prescribes huge books but only recommends us to read a few chapters in between(7th chapter of a book with 20+ chapters). How do I apply this principle to that? As I don't have enough time to go back and learn all the 6 chapters before coming to the 7th
Justin sung recommends going through the whole text book quickly before diving in deeper and getting the details. Mentioning something to the effect of different parts will make more sense/be more relevant for different people and how the text book is layed out may not be the best for all people. Could those tidbits mentioned serve as good anchor points when building up that foundation?
One question: frequently after fact checking every equation in the textbook I have tons of paper with calculations. Shall I keep them or should I just throw it away? I believe that if I understand the topic properly I will be able to recreate every time those calculations and accumulate too much paper is bad, but maybe keeping the papers may be useful in the future. What do you think?
Can I read history, philosophy and other liberal arts and social sciences textbooks like how I'd read a novel? Backtracking is probably minimal since I'm not solving equations where I refer to a formula or table (e.g. z-score or t-score) that is a few pages away from the current page where I am trying to solve a problem.
I would really appreciate if you could also insert the endcards as info cards. Some people like me hide their endcards but its totally my fault lol
Me encantó este video, saludos desde buenos aires!
Saludos!
Is there a video/research on techniques and strategy for connecting the pieces/ideas from the text book ?
It's a good question. I'm not aware of any specific strategy that works across contexts. Just depends on what you're reading and what your goals are. But you might look into mindmaps or concept maps. Visualization and organization are probably the key moves, but how you visualize and how you organize - it just depends. Sometimes I find myself making timelines or charts or mini-graphs to show the nature of relationships, though I'm sure there are people that do this better than I do.
I use Mindmaps (xMind for example) and OneNote (which lets you search your handwritten notes). Most times it's for me about working and understanding the things I have to learn. For now I'd really wish that it would work faster. :)
Pdf editor name?
As an applied mathematics students, I must humbly disagree with your recommendation of reading max 30 minutes. In very dense math textbooks you'll have to invest multiple hours a day to get through maybe one or two pages. This is mainly because in order to truly understand some proofs and get the intuition of the concepts, sometimes half an hour is too little to understand even one single proof entirely. I would suggest starting with your sipping approach, but at the long run extending your focus is key.
Is that a goban in the background??
What about Biology..? I am an MBBS student. How would you recommend to read a lot of info in a short time?
I think the basic advice still holds. With biology and medicine, I think it's helpful to think in terms of systems, interactions, and cause-effect relationships. Try to tie information to practical examples, and it can be helpful to focus on examples that illustrate principles (or the limitations of certain principles) rather than just the abstract principles themselves. As in my last point - it's helpful to focus on "output" - self-explanations, visualizations that you make to summarize material, or just remembering what you learned, all without access to materials initially. Check out my videos on free recall, learning from podcasts, etc. for more advice on that. Of course, this all presumes you want to understand the information deeply in the long term.
If you just need to memorize lists of unconnected information quickly in the short-term, you might look into memory palaces and other mnemonic techniques. IMO, however this would lean you away from doing the necessary work to deeply understand the material.
Can you please elaborate a little bit more about the "metacognitive knowledge" you are talking about?
I can't say it differently it will blow my cover...
Surely a novel you read from a to be in a text book you readit in the rider that makes sense to you and you keep
P going g back and forth.
What is the purpose of open book quiz? I have always wondered. What is the most effective way to Prepare for one?
I write poems but dread performing it. What is the most effective way to memorize it and remember?
I think teachers use open book quizzes to blunt student complaints about having to remember all of the things. In reality, you still have to know the material deeply to do well on an open book quiz because you don't have time to look up and learn the material during the test period (or at least, in most cases, you don't). Maybe there's formulas or definitions that teachers want the students to have access to. In a way an open book quiz, for some kinds of subjects, is more realistic than a closed book quiz. Lawyers really on books and reference material; they don't analyze cases just from memory.
In most cases prep for an open book quiz isn't going to look that different than prep for a closed book one. I would probably prepare with practice tests without reference to the materials, if possible. Then having the book there is just a nice support.
I don't have any advice on memorizing poems, sorry! If you're struggling, might look into the pegboard method or method of loci. But personally, I would think about the logic of the poem and practice performing it part by part.
@@benjaminkeep Thank you. I find the comment section of your channel as relevant as your videos.
Regarding your first tip about reading only 10 to 15 min. 15 min a day? Or several 15 min-sessions with breaks in between?
I think it is about 15 minutes strictly reading those pages and taking more time actually trying to embrace methods mentioned in the video inbetween
nice
1. Don't drink much water
2. Learn actively (try to challenge your self with exemple with don't look the answer before trying self
3. Pre actively (read down what new knowledge from your read in this paper.
Tip 1 is hard to do on a school schedule and if you’re doing it for pleasure this strategy will take forever to finish said textbook.
Which textbook is that 👀? We have the exact same chapters and same topics to study in grade 11 here in India
Edit: I saw the textbook name in the description, and from the title... it seems it's for University level 💀. THEY TEACH US THAT IN HIGHER SECONDARY 😭. And it's also the syllabus for competitive exams like NEET and JEE for medical course and engineering courses respectively. This is so not cool 🥲.
Sir please make a video on how to study chemistry from zero....!!!
Hope this helps because I am also in your position so understand you. Nowadays I'm really enjoying chemistry which at first I absolutely had no idea about like literally Was zero. So How I develop interest in it was by going to contents of the Chapter (not Not Chapter content but the Course content of the chapter).
And I liked how our books have already Course contents on the first page of the any starting chapter.
I now quickly watch youtube videos to help me understand the MAIN course contents of the chapter which then in turns helps me understand the new or deep things about that chapter you know.
I'm impressed how easily things are just making a lot more sense than before. MashAllah!
You should also find teachers on youtube from whom you can learn best or whom you think can teach you better and easily with good concept.
Hope this helps.
So much love and light sent your way! ☺
Can I asked you about the IQ or G-factor and how it affect how human learn. Like if you good at verbal IQ/non-verbal IQ/ spatial IQ...does it mean it will effect how you think and learning think=> I hope you share some of your idea on the IQ subject
Good question - since there's been some interest in IQ, I'll make a video on it. But my short answer is that I doubt that "G" actually exists and what IQ tests measure is a variety of "culturally inflected" cognitive abilities that tend to be valued in school settings. Having a low or high IQ is really not that important. Gaining knowledge/skills, and learning to think critically is more important, and IQ test scores don't seem to impact these things that much.
@@benjaminkeep Thank you. But there are so many research about IQ that give us enough data to said that those people whose from 80-100 they can't do anything complex with their brain. It affect their ability to learn and those whose good at it is doing very great at school. And not every test IQ is "culturally inflected" since some test call Raven matrix
Thanks for the reply. I think a fuller video with references would elaborate my position. Needless to say, I disagree with your statements. There's plenty of evidence that Raven's matrices are not "pure" measures of intelligence. And people with IQs in the 80-100 range can certainly learn and develop high levels of skill. But let's agree to disagree and take up this conversation again later. : )
@@benjaminkeep Thank you for the reply.
1) I never said that Raven's matrices are the measures of "pure: intelligence. All i said that Raven's is very good test to know people cognitive ability without being "culturally inflected". I know it not a good test (as so as IQ) but still is one of the best thing we have now to know someone talent since it was used in VietNam-war by military called "project 100,000". Not suddenly, all the genies people in the world have very high IQ: Garry Kasparov, Rick Rosner, Bobby Fischer, Terry Tao....they all show their talent that normal people couldn't catch-up. On the other hand, all the low IQ people are being considered "Mental Disability". So that a large different between ability/talent of the Top IQ vs the Bottom IQ => It may cause the different at the medium range as well. So we can said that the result may not accurate to their ability but that not mean the test not warn us something important about the reality that IQ is very important. It show the different cognitive ability between different range very clearly
2) The people with IQ in the range of 80-100 is good enough to learn some skill but that not the " complex skill" that i have mention. Complex skill here is the skills like: mathematics, philosophy, Physics.....they can't not dealing with things so abstraction to their brain. The data have show that people have the IQ from that range can't excel those skill
3) I don't really want to make people disappointed in reality that some
people can't learn, also i don't really want to accept that painful reality either (if IQ is a dark reality). But sometime we must accept if IQ is a important thing. Because we can only help people when we understand that harsh truth. If we can't accept people can't fly then the "plane" still not exist in this world .
Thank you
@@benjaminkeepWhat are the common correlations between genetics and intellectual ability. I apply this analogy when arguing with individuals. Some people have a better genetic abilities to build muscles than other people ,therefore some people have a better genetic ability to improve their intellectual abilities. I believe that anyone can achieve in the top 1% academically but only a few can become world-class at their academic endeavour
0:00 Thank you. This is called "functional illiteracy".
Can you tell me the book's title?the vector thing
Did you discovered it? Looks like a very good book
NOT yet
Although I do think all tips that you provide are useful, I don’t understand how you’d go about reading 150 pages per week for only 1 of your courses if your study sessions of 15 minutes only gets you 4 pages and you also have to do a free recall on beforehand. I see the benefits but I don’t really understand how practical it is.
Book title: University Physics by Hugh D. Young, Roger A Freedman, Ragbir Bhathal
I am a math grad student and trying to read the math textbook is absurd a lot
I wish I knew this as a kid
Limit your reading time to shorter sessions
actively engage with the material by fact-checking and questioning the information
proactively engage your prior knowledge before starting a new study session
references please 🙏🏻
I didn't include references for this one because there aren't direct studies on the topic. Think of it more like your mechanic telling you what he does to fix his own car. 🙂
The literature on the effectiveness of spaced learning is long and ongoing ("sipping vs. chugging"). This is a representative paper: Seabrook, R., Brown, G. D., & Solity, J. E. (2005). Distributed and massed practice: From laboratory to classroom. Applied cognitive psychology, 19(1), 107-122. citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.374.3437&rep=rep1&type=pdf
The other ideas relate to free recall and prior knowledge. The descriptions in these older videos contain some references to those ideas.
ua-cam.com/video/6v9DtRtsfh0/v-deo.html (telling first vs developing prior knowledge)
ua-cam.com/video/FatnXnlwAc4/v-deo.html (free recall)
You win - they're in there now. : )
👍
0:07 “different than” → different from (Sorry for being a grammar cop)
2:35
2:50
Sears and Zemansky
Know and MetaKnow
Thanks Jordan Peterson
Great video
I try to read like a detective.
I find a screenshot tool to be incredibly useful here.
Basically screenshot the page. Randomly scratch out important looking pieces of information. Look away for a bit then try see if I can guess remember what was there.
Alternatively, highlight and lift out the important points. Try creating a narrative that makes them make sense. After that I can read the text more like a puzzle seeing how well things fit rather than just passively taking it in.
I very much like the "detective" or "skeptical scientist" metaphors.
if i write down what i remember from last time it'll be nothing and ill have to go study that chapter again lmaoo
Yah ...where is nigh correcttions personel ✓✓™®©
idk most of the kids that read the matteral just take things as facts i seem to be the only one that quetisont things at times. IDk but i'm little below average in the class...
Jee aspirant here
Hey. How is your preparation going?
Sus detective 👀
Comment for algo
Default to truth.
3:02 handwriting isn't your primary skill
SQ3R
Does that work for maths textbooks?
Lol