Step 1: Survey
Skim through the book and read topical/sub-topical headings and sentences. Read summaries at the end of chapters and books. Try to anticipate what the author is going to say. Write these notes on paper, then look it over to get an overall idea.
Step 2: Questions
Turn paragraph headings into questions (e.g. “Basic Concepts of Reading” to “What are the Basic Concepts of Reading?”). Write these questions out.
Step 3: Read
Read with alertness to answer the questions you came up with. Write notes, in your own words, under each question.
Step 4: Recall
Without looking at your books or notes, mentally visualize, in your own words, the high points of the material immediately upon completing the reading
** More time should be spent on recall than reading
Step 5: Review
Look at your questions, answers, notes and book to see how well you did recall. Finish up with a mental picture of the WHOLE
Adapted from F.P. Robinson. Effective Study. New York: Harper and Bros. 1948. Chapter II
