1. Efficient and Flexible Reading, 7/e Kathleen T. McWhorter
Chapter 8:
Learning and Retention Strategies
Efficient and Flexible Reading, 7/e Kathleen T. McWhorter
© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers.

2. In this chapter you will learn:
© 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers.
In this chapter you will learn:
To use textbook structure to guide your reading.
To increase your retention and recall using new techniques and systems.
To read scientific and technical material more efficiently.

3. Using the Organization of Textbook Chapters
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Using the Organization of Textbook Chapters
Headings and Subheadings
Study the entry for a chapter in the table of contents before beginning to read the chapter.
Preread the chapter to get a more detached picture of its structure and focus.
Use the chapter’s headings to identify its overall organizational pattern (see Chapter 5).

4. Using the Organization of Textbook Chapters
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Using the Organization of Textbook Chapters
Textbook Learning Aids
Learning Objectives
Chapter Outline
Chapter Overview
Special Interest Boxes
Marginal Notations
Summary
Vocabulary Lists
Review Questions
Discussion Questions
Suggested Readings or References
Glossary
Appendix

5. Applying Effective Recall Strategies
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Applying Effective Recall Strategies
Using Review to Increase Recall
Immediate Review
Periodic Review
Why Review is Effective
Review provides repetition.
Review draws information together in a unified whole.

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Aids to Recall
Building an Intent to Remember:
How important is this information?
Will I need to know this for the exam?
Is this a key idea or is it an explanation of a key idea?
Why did the writer include this?

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Aids to Recall
Organizing and Categorizing:
Information that is organized is easier to remember than material that is randomly arranged.
Group or put similar items together.

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Aids to Recall
Associating Ideas:
Connecting new information with what you already know.
Finding a connection between the known and unknown allows retrieval of new information from memory along with the old.

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Aids to Recall
Using a Variety of Sensory Modes:
Sense of touch
Underlining
Highlighting
Note-taking
Outlining
Auditory Sense
Repeating information out loud
Listening to someone else repeat it

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Aids to Recall
Visualizing:
Create a mental picture
of what you have read.
Visualize:
Events
People
Processes
Procedures

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Aids to Recall
Using Mnemonic Devices:
Rhymes
Acronyms
Acrostics

12. The SQ3R System for Reading & Learning
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The SQ3R System for Reading & Learning
Survey
Question
Read
Recite
Review

13. The SQ3R System for Reading & Learning
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The SQ3R System for Reading & Learning
Survey
Read Introductions
Headings
First sentences
Last paragraph

14. The SQ3R System for Reading & Learning
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The SQ3R System for Reading & Learning
Question
Develop questions from the headings.
What do you expect the material to answer?

15. The SQ3R System for Reading & Learning
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The SQ3R System for Reading & Learning
Read
Read the entire selection.
Keep those questions in mind!
Stop at the end of each major section to “recite.”

16. The SQ3R System for Reading & Learning
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The SQ3R System for Reading & Learning
Recite
After each section, stop reading and check to see if you can recall the answers to your questions.

17. The SQ3R System for Reading & Learning
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The SQ3R System for Reading & Learning
Review
Reread the headings and recall your questions.
Check to see that you can still recall the answers.

18. How SQ3R Improves Your Reading Efficiency
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How SQ3R Improves Your Reading Efficiency
It increases your comprehension.
It increases your recall.
It saves you valuable time by encouraging you to learn as you read.

19. Adapting SQ3R to Suit the Material
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Adapting SQ3R to Suit the Material
In mathematics, you might add a “study sample problems” step.
In literature, you might add a “reflect” step.
In some textbooks you might need a “highlight,” “take notes,” or “outline” step.

20. Adapting SQ3R to Suit Your Learning Style
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Adapting SQ3R to Suit Your Learning Style
Ask yourself:
Does repeating things out loud help me to learn?
Do organizational charts, lists, and diagrams help me to learn?
Is writing and rewriting information a good way for me to learn?
Does asking challenging questions and answering them help me to learn?
Does writing summaries or outlines help me to remember information?

21. Reading Scientific/Technical Material
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Reading Scientific/Technical Material
Read technical material slowly and carefully.
Plan on rereading certain sections several times.
Keep a notebook of significant information.

22. The Vocabulary of Technical Writing
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The Vocabulary of Technical Writing
Keep a notebook or a notebook section for listing new words in each course.
Use context clues to discover the definition of a new term.
Use prefix-root-suffix learning.
Pronounce each new term.
Use the glossary in the back of your text.
Consider purchasing a subject-area dictionary.

23. Illustrations in Scientific/Technical Books
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Illustrations in Scientific/Technical Books
Refer back and forth between the text paragraphs and the illustrations.
Study each illustration carefully.
Test your understanding of an illustration by drawing and labeling your own illustration without looking at the one in the text.

24. Examples and Sample Problems in Scientific/Technical Books
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Examples and Sample Problems in Scientific/Technical Books
Pay more attention to examples than you normally do in other textbooks.
Be sure to work through sample problems.
Use the problems at the end of the chapter as a self-test.

25. Critical Thinking Tip #8: Using Background Knowledge and Experience
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Critical Thinking Tip #8: Using Background Knowledge and Experience
Ask yourself: What have I already read or seen that is related to this topic?
Brainstorm. Spend two or three minutes thinking about or writing anything that comes to mind about your topic.
Try to think of situations or examples from your own experiences that relate to the topic.

26. © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Longman Publishers.
Summary Questions
How are textbook chapters organized to help you learn?
Describe the two types of review that you can use to increase retention.
What other aids or methods can be used to increase your recall?
What is the SQ3R system for reading and learning?
What should be considered when adapting the SQ3R system?
How does writing in the scientific/technical fields differ from that in other areas of study?

27. Visit the Companion Website
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Visit the Companion Website