Hello snarklings! Have you ever wondered how some students get A+ even though they don’t really go to class that much? Maybe, they’re naturally smart. Or they just know how to use the textbook, readings and other course material religiously. btw I’m one of those students shhhhhh.
So I have method that works for most people and it’s really fast so that you’re not wasting too much time! It’s called the information funnel method.
Active Reading Not Passive Reading
When reading any type of text, remember that you should always be active! Active reading is when you process the information and have an internal dialogue such as asking questions and turning it into your own words.
So when you’re reading try to do the following:
Go the back of the chapter instead of the normal front-back approach (The chapter summary and the practice questions/exercises should give you gist of the big idea)
Skim the headings, charts and worked examples
Now read! Ask questions about new concepts, the who, what, when, where and why.
Annotate your thoughts and highlight the most important pieces of information (remember you only want the piece of information that can be recalled when done)
The Information Funnel Method
The information funnel method (IFM) can be used to turn large chapter texts into smaller chunks to help you remember what you read by doing three things:
It identifies the important information and hides the unnecessary ones
It lets you rapidly review the material n identify problem areas in you knowledge (called filling in the gaps)
It replaces your textbook
The IFM works by creating 2 sets of notes: A Keyword List for self-testing (like flashcards) and a Summary of each section for review
Note: Depending on your choice of note-taking this method works really well with the Cornell method where the keyword list is the question column (left-side) and the Summary of each section read corresponds to the notes section (main section)
So again, skim the chapter but pay attention to sections that don’t seem important or that you already know. Keep note of bolded text, information books, visuals/diagrams. Get the big idea for each section.
Put each section (large paragraphs) into your own words that’s less than what was written. Also use abbreviations!
Summarize large chunks of the main concepts into smaller ones (don’t copy word for word)
The chapter summary that you just wrote will replace your textbook/reading for review purposes. You can quickly review the entire chapter in 10% or 25% of the time.
Step 3: Create a key word/question list
Now crete a list of key words or questions that will facilitate your mind to recall from what was read.
Use this for self-testing
Start by looking over the summary points you made then cover them and read the keyword/questions to see if you can remember them.
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