How do you speed read college textbooks?

Here’s what to do:

1. Get a pen.
2. Drag it along as you read.
3. Once you get used to it, let the pen lead the way.
4. Move the pen at the pace you can keep up with but faster than your ordinary speed.
5. Pace yourself from normal, fast to fastest.
6. Do it as a cycle (it gives you time to rest)

Why do most college students have difficulty in reading their textbooks?

Many of our students are poor readers. They often don’t know how to extract key information from the textbook, even when the textbook is “user friendly” and written at a lower reading level than a standard college text. When students grapple with the text before class what happens during class makes much more sense.

How fast do people read textbooks?

Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment, The University of Texas at Austin; and research conducted at Cambridge University in England; we can assume that the average college student can read 250 words per minute and that the average textbook has approximately 800 words per page.

What makes textbook reading challenging?

The chapters are long and packed with specialized vocabulary; assume background knowledge that students often don’t have; include various types charts, tables and graphics; and are poorly organized, covering too many topics piecemeal. They are not structured like any other authentic reading.

Why is it so hard to be a slow reader?

“Keeping up” in the literary world is always difficult, but being a slow reader presents a unique set of challenges. A typical book requires more time, more effort and more discipline for the slow reader than the average one. Plus, reading slowly can be demotivating.

What is the difference between fast and slow reading?

Fast readers can read up to 400 word per minute and get most of the information, and easily up to 800–1000 word per minutes if they are only ‘scannning’, foraging the text to figure what it is. There are also the phenomena of day-dreaming. If you read slowly, your mind get bored easily, and you beguin to daydream.

Should you read the textbook or do the reading assignments first?

If they tell you that the final exam will be based primarily on the assigned reading, then you better read the textbook closely. On the other hand, if they tell you that the reading assignments are more of a supplement to their lectures, you’re likely safe doing less of the reading.

How to read a textbook fast and effectively?

9 Tactics for Fast and Effective Textbook Reading 1 Focus on the Primary Text (s) 2 Don’t Read Mindlessly 3 Annotate the Book 4 Take Notes 5 Write Down Questions 6 Read Out of Order 7 Pay Attention to Formatting 8 Don’t Neglect Diagrams and Illustrations 9 Focus on Sample Problems for Technical Courses