Students are desperate to find a way to retain more of what they read. One of the one of the best ways to do this is by becoming an ACTIVE participant while reading and studying. Almost all of us think of studying as sitting passively staring at notes or a book for hours on end. PLEASE! If you are still studying this way or you feel like this IS the way to study, get in touch because we need to talk. 

Studying, especially reading, needs to be ACTIVE. Now, not active in the sense that you are moving while studying {although that IS a very effective method we can discuss at a later time} but active in that YOU are in control of the study session. You are actively pursuing the knowledge you need and desire so you can easily retain the information.  How do we do this?

A very effective method to retain more of what you read is to define the purpose for you reading. Before reading a single word, decide if your reading is:

1. Quick Reference Reading-This is the type of reading you might do when you need to find the answer to a question or simply trying to find other specific information {e.g trying to find current events or a particular piece of information in an advertisement}
2. Critical Reading-This type of reading is often what you will do when you are learning a particular concept or needing to analyze ideas/concepts. {e.g reading your World History text to learn about a certain topic}
3. Aesthetic, or pleasure reading-This is the type of reading you do when you are cuddled up on your couch with a warm beverage in the winter, without a care in the world. {novels, magazines, etc..}

Once you define your purpose for reading, you will find that your retention of the material is much improved AND that you spend less time reading/studying. Gone are the days of reading the same paragraph over and over again because you weren't paying attention. 

Here's to studying smarter NOT harder. 

Sounds crazy doesn't it? Goes agains everything you may have already been taught, right? 

It's not crazy. 

A very important study skill that will boost reading comprehension and shorten study sessions times is to begin at the end of your reading. The only time that this will not apply is when you are reading a novel and don't want to spoil the ending! For the most part, when you are reading for other academic topics, beginning at the end is what you want to do. 

There's a little more to the story, so take a minute to learn exactly HOW to begin at the end. 

Here's to studying smarter and not harder!