Use your TEXTBOOKS!

Textbooks are pricey, often heavy (with physical texts), and can be overwhelming. However, textbooks are an integral part of your independent learning and aid comprehension. So how do you use them best?

What is a textbook for?

  • Often the foundation of a class or topic
  • Provides information that builds on itself
  • Comprehensive; often written by lots of people
  • Can be used to:
    • Preview, learn, and review course concepts
    • Create study materials for yourself
    • Act as a reference material when you’re not sure of something

There are different ways to read a textbook:

  • Previewing
  • Following along in class
  • Reviewing
  • Referencing 

Previewing a chapter:

  • This is done before you discuss the textbook material in class.
  • First, find the chapter you need.
  • Read the introduction and conclusion first to get the general ideas.
  • Look at the headings to learn what sub-topics there are.
  • Look for any bold terms and be sure to understand what they mean.
  • Skim through the sub-topics.
  • Note down anything you have questions about.
     

Following along in class:

  • When taking notes, make it clear which chapter in the textbook talks about those topics (e.g., page numbers).
  • Write down anything the instructor says that adds onto or clarifies something in the textbook.
  • You can also print out PPT slides and take notes directly on those, which can make this process easier.
  • Ask questions about things that were unclear when you previewed the material, then note down the answer.
     

Reviewing

  • You can test yourself by focusing on specific parts of the textbook:
  • Read over the bolded terms. Can you explain what they all mean in your own words?
  • Review the learning objectives. Have you met all of them?
  • Try to answer any discussion/practice questions in the chapter, then check your work using the answer key or by
  • looking back at the parts of the textbook that cover those topics.
  • Go over the notes you took in class and during your preview. 
     

Referencing

  • There are several tools you can use to quickly find information in textbooks:
    • The table of contents
    • Chapter summaries
    • The index (helps you find where key terms are in the rest of the textbook)
    • The glossary (tells you the definitions of key terms found in the textbook)
    • The search bar (available for many online textbooks)
       

Highlighting Method 

  • Highlighting Method is a form of notetaking.
    • Preview your text – know your purpose or focus
    • Choose your highlighting colours accordingly – ex. different colours for terms, facts, examples, etc.
    • Read slowly and highlight sparingly.
    • Write notes based on this important highlight info.