Rapid learner skills(2)——Is re-reading helpful

Is re-reading helpful?

There is a lot of potentially wasteful studying tactics students regularly employ-highlighting while reading, recopying notes, cramming-but today I would like to focus on re-reading.

Why am I against re-reading?

In truth, I am not against all re-reading. Applied selectively, re-reading is often necessary to pick up on concepts you did not fully grasp the first time around. Instead, what I am against is bulk re-reading. This could mean re-reading chapters from a book, or more commonly, re-reading your notes as a way of trying to remember all of the material.

Re-reading of this sort has two major problems:

It is not focused on weak points first.

It encourages passive, rather than active, learning.

Replace re-reading with:

Practice questions or self-testing first.

When you get stuck, go back and selectively read the section that pertains to the gap in knowledge.

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Words:

tactic:
 n.
 a planned way of doing something
cram：
 v.
 to try to learn a lot very quickly before an exam
bulk:
 n.
 large size or mass
stuck:
 adj.
 not able to continue reading, answering questions, etc. because something is too difficult
pertain:
 v.
 to be connected with a particular subject, event, or situation