Read about six steps to productive reading

Have you ever been in this situation when you can’t seem to remember any details of what you have read recently? Or that a big chunk of information you got from all those books you had to analyze for your coursework writing just fell out of your memory? Here are some tips that might help you to read more productively and memorize what you have read.

  1. Determine your reading goals

Ask yourself a question: what exactly do you want to learn? Do you need to memorize some facts, understand some professional writing techniques or find answers to some questions that have been bothering you for a while? As you understand, this method is nor for fiction books did you usually read for pleasure. But in case you need to read a lot for your academic progress (and you probably do – good paper writing does need a lot of reading), it would be easier for you to memorize information and save time – because you already know what exactly you are looking for.

  1. Active reading will do the trick

If you are actively involved in the process of productive reading, you memorize more. This means that you should not just read, but write down some idea about what you’ve read. Of course, you don’t have to write down everything in detail. What you need to do is just making short notes in your notebook or maybe even in the book margins. This will not only help you to memorize certain things, but will also become a basis for recollecting the whole text. This method is great for another reason too: this way of reading and writing helps you to learn to write better.

  1. Survey, question, read, recite, review

This is one of the hardest methods. It might prove effective for those who really need to learn something or memorize a large piece of information – for example, preparing for your research paper presentation or studying some additional academic sources. By the way if you need a professional work you can use some custom research paper services.

This technique has been presented as long ago as in 1946 by Francis Robinson. Survey, question, read, recite, review are the five basic steps you need to make to memorize what you have read. First, you have to make a passing overview of the text, noting titles and subtitles. Then you need to think of a specific list of questions you’d like to ask in regard to this text. After this, you read the text with as much attention as possible and try to give short answers to your questions and last, you overview your notes and the text you’ve read and try to pay attention to those things you think you haven’t noticed.

  1. Use your imagination

You need to use your imagination not only when you are reading an engrossing piece of fiction, but even in those cases when you try to memorize some pieces of non-fiction. This will make your reading so much more interesting and will also help to fix the most important information in your memory. The brighter is the picture you imagine the easier it will be for you to memorize it. Are you preparing for your thesis presentation and you need to memorize your speech to impress your admission committee? Imagine yourself standing there, inspired and confident, people listening to you and the way the room looks. Gove this picture some bright details. In time, you will be able to remember this picture vividly and it will help you recalling every word you’ve memorized.

  1. Find someone to discuss your reading with

You probably experienced this feeling when you read something so great you are eager to share it with others. Don’t hold back; remember the “active reading” method? This is just another aspect of active productive reading. Sharing your thoughts will not just satisfy you immensely; it will also help you memorizing the most impressive things about your reading.

Reading is a great way to spend your time – even if it’s not for pleasure. It broadens your horizons, helps you learn a lot of things and even teaches you how to become a better writer. Use our tips to make your reading even more enjoyable and useful.