SQ3R A
Proven method for effective textbook reading is the SQ3R method developed by
Francis Robinson. The first step is to survey (the S step) the chapter by
reading the title, introduction, section headings, summary, and by studying any
graphs, tables, illustrations or charts. The purpose of this step is to get an
overview of the chapter so that you will know before you read what it will be
about. In the second step (the Q step), for each section you ask yourself
questions such as “What do I already know about this topic” and “What do 1 want
to know” In this step you also take the section heading and turn it into a
question. This step gives you a purpose for reading the section. The third step
(the first of the 3R’s) is to read to find the answer to your questions. Then at
the end of each section, before going on to the next section, you recite (the
second of the 3R’s) the answers to the questions that you formed in the question
step. When you recite you should say the information you want to learn out loud
in your own words. The fifth step is done after you have completed step 2, 3,
and 4 for each section. You review (the last of the 3R’s) the entire chapter.
The review is done much as the survey was in the first step. As you review, hold
a mental conversation with yourself as you recite the information you selected
as important to learn. The mental conversation could take the form of asking and
answering the questions formed from the headings or reading the summary, which
lists the main ideas in the chapter, and trying to fill in the details for each
main idea.
