here’s the truth about textbooks
i keep seeing posts out there saying that you need to read the textbook to succeed in class. NO. you do not need to read the textbook. at least not for many, if not most, of your classes. first of all, it’s impractical. profs can assign up to 2-3 a week, and if you’re taking around 4-5 classes, that’s a WHOLE LOT of reading. if you have time to do so, go ahead, but a lot of students don’t have that much time on their hands. so i’m suggesting that you DON’T need to read every single chapter your prof assigns. what you DO need to do is to get smarter at selecting what and when to read, as well as scanning the text effectively.
when TO read the textbook
when your profs tell you that they will not be teaching from the textbook but that the exams will cover material and/or questions from the textbook
when the material is difficult, tricky, or lengthy and you need clarification, further explanation, or examples
when you HAVE TIME to prepare for lectures in advance
when you feel that you actually learn and retain information better by reading the textbook
when NOT to read the textbook
when your profs teach from the textbook pretty much line by line
when your profs tell you that they will not be assessing you based on information from the text, but from their lectures
a strong implication of this is if your profs require lecture attendance
when you feel that reading the textbook does not help you learn or retain information
when you are constantly confused by the textbook (esp when it comes to calculation-based stem classes like math or cs)
when you have absolutely no time whatsoever to read pages after pages of bad academic puns
what you can do INSTEAD of reading the textbook
look at the course syllabus/schedule to see what you will learn in lecture. have an idea of what material you’ll be covering, then do the following steps.
check the course website/resources and ask yourself: what do you have to work with? are there lecture slides? lecture notes from previous semesters? online links or readings?
if one of the above exists, read the lecture slides/notes. they are usually much less text-intensive and get straight to the point. you can zip through them pretty quickly. you will at least have a basic understanding of the material that will be introduced in class.
google terms and concepts that you don’t understand from just reading the lecture slides. again, the idea is to get you to have a basic understanding of the material and not become an expert. this will help you avoid getting lost during the lecture.
if you’re still a little confused, read selected sections from the textbook that deal with the topic you need more help with. please don’t read the entire thing.
if there are no lecture slides or external resources to help you out, scan the textbook effectively.
how to SCAN textbooks effectively
read the chapter title and section headings
read the highlighted, bolded, or italicized terms and concepts, as well as their respective definitions in the content itself, the margins, and/or the index at the back
google the terms and concepts if you’re still confused
examine any charts, graphs, or flowcharts
examples and example questions can be helpful, so pay attention to those
at the end of each chapter there should be a brief summary or main idea section. read those and do the practical problems if possible.
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