Read Actively!

“The surest way to remember what you read is to read structurally, sensing the orderly unfolding of the author’s thought,” says The Art of Book Reading. Without question, your being able to follow the author’s development of ideas will help your comprehension. In turn, comprehension will aid retention.

Train yourself to distinguish main points from subpoints and details. Look for the topic sentences found in most paragraphs. As one reading expert put it, soon you will be able “to see the main sentences as if they were raised from the page in high relief.” Also, learn to anticipate what you will read next and summarize what you have already read. In short, be an active reader!

If you employ the technique known as questioning, this can help you to anticipate what is coming and to improve your comprehension. How is it done?

Factual reading material is usually divided into sections by chapter titles and subheadings. As you reach each new heading, turn it into a question. Then as you read, look for the answer.

If your questions are significant, most of the main points will be included in your answer. And if you give special attention to the main points, you will remember the details better than if you treat all sentences as of equal importance.

Then, too, the intent to remember will improve your reading. Students who know that they will be tested on what they read, for example, always retain more than those who know they will not be. In harmony with this, there is another “gear” you can shift into that will enhance the effectiveness of your reading. It is similar to an automobile’s “reverse.”

Immediate Recall as a Memory Aid

To remember what you read, more than comprehension is required. You need to “back up” and focus on the most important points you have read. Does that mean rereading the material? Sometimes. But there is a better way​—known as immediate recall.

To demonstrate its effectiveness, a group of students were asked to recall information immediately after they read it. Seven days later they were able to remember 83 percent of what they had learned. But when another group was asked first to recall the information one day after their reading it, they remembered only 45 percent after seven days. The conclusion? It is best to review what you read immediately after your reading, even during your reading.

Using a review method such as the one outlined in the box on this page is so effective that, according to one study, more can be remembered after two months than could ordinarily be remembered after one day without a review. In another study a college professor demonstrated that one minute spent in review would double retention. That is not too much of a price to pay, is it?

Here are a number of other tips: Remember ideas, not words. Take down a few brief notes on the main points. And review the information periodically instead of trying to learn it all at one sitting.

[Box on page 11]

PREVIEWING NONFICTION

1. Change the title into several questions that represent what you expect the article or chapter to cover.

2. Read the first paragraph or two.

3. Now read the subheadings.

4. Also read the first sentence of each paragraph. As you do, watch for sentences with italicized words and boldfaced type.

5. Examine illustrations, charts, diagrams, numbered sequences and other striking features.

6. Now ask yourself: What are the major points that the author is making? How is the material organized?

[Box on page 12]

RECALL AND REVIEW

1. After reading each section, ask yourself: What is the main point? Recite the answer. Only if you cannot answer satisfactorily should you look back.

2. Finally, when you complete your reading, test yourself on the entire article or chapter. Recite the main points, one section at a time. Look back only if you cannot remember.

[Graph on page 12]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

HOW MUCH IS REMEMBERED?

AMOUNT RETAINED

With immediate review

With review after one day

With no intervening review

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

DAYS

1

7

14

21