how to take notes from a textbook - hack my study

8/10/2019 How to Take Notes From a Textbook - HACK MY STUDY

1/5

1000 pages of...Arnold Schwarzenegger

Using this method, you can turn 10,000 words

into 250.

Ever wonder how some students manage to get A's in their

classes without even showing up? This tutorial will show you how.

Hint: The smartest students typically spend less time reading their

textbooks than most.

Disclaimer: I am not advocating you skip all your classes.

How It's Done

In this tutorial, I'm going to show you how to take effective notes

from your textbook. Successful students then study only from the

notes, which results in a greater understanding of the material and less time spent studying. It's a pretty enticing

concept, right?

This tutorial is broken down into three three parts:

The Process1.

An Example2.

Why This Works3.

The Process

Below is the three step process to creating effective study notes from a textbook. If you find the explanation of the

steps confusing, don't worry, I'll go through an example with you afterwards.

Step 1: Read

Read the first chapter as you normally would. Dont worry about memorizing concepts in detail. At this point youre

just trying to get a general sense of the content.

Step 2: Summarize

Read the chapter again, but this time summarize the main

concepts and strip out al l the unnecessary information. You just

need to extract the key points from the book and write them down

as concisely as possible; do not write down the explanations

word-for-word. For each key point, track the page number next to

the header.

Step 3: List Key Words

Using the chapter summary from Step 2, create a list of key words.Most key words are simply the names of the concepts, but some

key words may be sub-headers or important elements of the

explanation. Every word in this list must have a purpose. Do not

worry about grammar or smoothness, just keep it as short and as concise as possible. No full sentences are

allowed. Only include key phrases and words that will help you remember the concepts.

An ExampleHome About Contact FAQ

Disclaimer Copyright 2010 DEBUS Solutions Co. All rights reserved.

To Take Notes From A Textbook - HACK MY STUDY http://hackmystudy.com/how_to_take_notes_from_textbo

8/21/2014


2/5

Read the full tutorial.

Step2 - 422 Words

The Chunking System- Theory

Order or patterns1.

We remember things much more easily if there is a pattern or order. Ex: Sentences that follow

correct grammatical rules are much easier than ones that dont.

ChunkingOur brains are adept at memorizing in chunks that are ideally about three to four units long.

This applies to digits (e.g. phone numbers), words (e.g. brand names) and phrases (e.g.

slogans)

2.

Repetition

With enough repetition we can memorize anything.

3.

The Chunking System - The Process

Determine the order (or pattern)

Ex: Categories, alphabetical & size

1.

Determine the chunk size

Usually three to four units

2.

Memorize the first chunk3.

~90% memorized is okayMemorize the second chunk4.

Memorize the first two chunks together5.

Memorize the third chunk6.

Memorize the first three chunks together7.

Repeat8.

Note: You only have to memorize the individual chunk up to ~90%, because you'll be repeating them over

and over again as you combine them with later chunks.

For speeches you have to use variable size chunking. The size of each chunk will vary depending on

what you feel to be an appropriate size.

Sets

You must divide the content into "sets" and start from the beginning when you get to the next set.

Examples of common set sizes are: full paragraphs for speeches or 35 words for lists.

Why it works

In addition to quickly memorizing words, The Chunking System also has many additional advantages:

Easily pinpoint problem areas: Can easily see where you keep getting stuck.1.

Easily observe % of completion: If youre 50% through, youre 50% done.2.

Ensure older terms get more practice: With other methods, the older terms are often neglected

and forgotten.

3.

Time efficient: There is no flipping of cards, no shuffling and reorganizing. All you have to do is

keep repeating and moving forward.

4.

Addi tional methods

VisualizationImagine vivid images and scenes of the

conceptUse for descriptive ideas

Multiple

Interpretation

Approach

Repeat concept w/ different approaches

(e.g. draw it, converse about it, act it out,

etc.)

Use for particularly difficult

concepts

Use for things that are difficult to

Home About Contact FAQ



8/21/2014


3/5

Random

RepetitionFlash cards To test recall (before an exam)

How memory works

Create a strong memory: Chunking & Visualization1.

Create a well-connected memory: Multiple Interpretation Approach2.

Create a memory trigger: Mnemonic devices3.

Long-Term Memory

You must constantly review to retain in longer term memory, otherwise it will be quickly forgotten.

Step 3 - 53 Words

Efficient memorization (Chunking System) = order + chunking + repetition

Ideal chunk size = ~3, but sentences = variable chunking

Benefits: pinpoint problems, observe % completion, older = more practice, time efficient

Visualization vs. Multiple Interpretation Approach vs. Mnemonic Devices vs. Random Repetition

Strong memory vs. well-connected vs. trigger

Review to retain long-term

With this method, Ive managed to condense the tutorial from 2,500 words -> 422 words -> 53 words.

Why this works

Chapter Summary

Roughly 3/4 of any given textbook is repetition, context, examples, introductions or unnecessarily long

explanations. The chapter summary gets rid of all of that and allows you to spend your valuable time studying only

the information that matters.

Keyword List

Reading the keyword list is the fastest way of reviewing a chapter. If you have to review an old chapter, simply

read the key word list and see if you remember all the concepts clearly. If you don't, then go back and review that

concept in the chapter summary.

Efficiency

Most students spend 25% or more of their time just flipping pages and looking for stuff. By having everything in a

concise document, you can reduce that number significantly.

Pro Tip: If the chapter summary is written in a Word document, you can use the ctrl+f (find) function to quickly

search for terms.

Efficacy

By logically structuring your notes and reducing time wasted searching and referencing, this method will allow you

to spend half the time studying and get twice as much done.

What's Next?

Improve A Skill Fix A Problem

Speed Reading Time ManagementHome About Contact FAQ



8/21/2014


4/5

5. Speed Typing6. Speed Writing7. Effective Searching

5. Bad Environments6.Internet Addiction

8 Comments 1

Annamarie

Hi there.

Do you recommend doing a whole chapter within one time span with this method, or would you

recommend doing a step a day?

Thanks

Tanveer

Thanks for this tutorial....

Vignesh

thanks for your tips....

Peeyush

It helped a lot. Thanx.

Sarah

this sounds like an efficient method, i sure hope it helps me with my three exams tomorrow

kirti bhushan

thanks for your website,now i can do my studies perfectly...thanks again..good job,sir

Inga

I had a supervisor who mentioned this method years ago to me. He said he never had to "study"

when he followed this way of taking and condensing his notes. Thank you for a thorough and

easy to follow tutorial on this method that I've hoped to come across for many years.

Akanksha

its good

thanxs shivangi




8/21/2014


5/5




how to take notes from a textbook - hack my study

Documents