[MUSIC PLAYING] How many times have you
read a page of your textbook and couldn't remember a
single thing about it? That happens when we're
not engaged in reading. Fortunately, there
are different ways you can read effectively in
order to understand and retain the text. This tutorial will
introduce a method called SQ4R, which you may apply
when reading books or reading articles from magazines,
newspapers, journals, and even websites. It was developed and later
expanded upon by professors Robinson, Forsyth,
and Wibberley. SQ4R-- what does that mean? It's an acronym for six steps to
effectively read and understand text. Survey the chapter or article. Write questions
for each heading. Read the information
one section at a time. Record important
information by taking notes. Recite your notes out loud. And review your questions
and try to answer them. Let's take a closer look
at each of these steps. Before you begin, be sure
to minimize distractions so you can focus on
reading and remembering. The first step in
SQ4R is survey, and it's intended
for you to determine how the information is organized
and what you need to learn. Take about a minute to read
the introduction, headings and any subheadings, and
the summary or conclusion. Check out graphs,
charts, and images, and skim their
descriptive captions. This will help you visualize
and make sense of the text when you read it through later. Now you should
have a general idea of how the chapter, or article
in this case, is organized, and what the main ideas are. The second step is to turn
each heading and subheading into a question. Use some of these question
words to get started-- which, when, what, why,
where, how, and who. Write down your questions to
refer to as you read the text. One of the headings in the
article about deforestation is "Deforestation
and Biodiversity." After reading the heading, you
might have these questions-- What is biodiversity? How does deforestation
affect biodiversity? Why does it matter? From the heading "Causes
of Deforestation," you might wonder, "What are
the causes of deforestation?" Also, ask yourself
what you already know about those topics. Even if you don't
know much, this helps your brain associate
the new information with the old information, and
it becomes easier to remember. For example, you
may already know that people are contributing
to deforestation in the jungles of
Central America, and you may wonder why they're
cutting down the trees. Now you know what to watch
for and focus on as you read. For the third
step, read the text carefully looking for major
points, ideas, and answers to the questions you wrote down. Read one section at a
time, reminding yourself of your questions. For example, when
reading this section, you'll notice that
forest fires is one answer to your
question, "What are the causes of deforestation?" Studies show that taking
notes while you read helps you remember
the content better. That's why Record is the
next step in the SQ4R method. As you read, write down or
record definitions, details, facts, and explanations
of concepts mentioned. Be as brief as possible. Use single words
or short phrases in place of sentences
when it makes sense. Going back to the paragraph
about forest fires, you might take these notes: Forest fires = 1 cause Wildfire vs. controlled
burn vs. vandalism Find out more about
controlled burns If there is something that
does not make sense to you, add a new question to your list. When you finish each
section of the text, recite your notes by
reading them out loud. Reciting your notes
will make connections in your brain between
what you already know and what you're reading. This helps you retain the
information for use later. After you finish a few sections
of the chapter or article, look at your questions
and try to answer them. Can you? Explain the answers
to yourself out loud. This will reinforce
the connections you made in the Recite step. Then, consult your
notes or even go back and reread certain
sections until you are confident that you
know the information. For example, check
your understanding by listing the causes of
deforestation out loud-- cattle ranching, forest
fires, population growth-- oh, yeah-- and farming. If you're still unsure or
confused about what you read, you may need to ask your teacher
or consult another source to get your questions answered. Applying these six steps when
reading may feel odd or seem to take too much time. Keep at it and the SQ4R method
will become second nature. Active reading does
take more time, but the benefit is that
you'll learn more and remember it longer. For specific examples
and for more information about this topic and the
entire research process, explore OSLIS. Thank you to the
Oregon CLIP Project for allowing the OSLIS Committee
to adapt their tutorials. OSLIS-- Learn to Research. Research to Learn.