Use the SQ3R Method for More Effective Learning
The whole point of studying is to retain information that you will need later in life, even if it’s just for an upcoming exam. It’s not easy when you’re learning a bunch of unfamiliar phrases and concepts, so you need a good method to structure your learning sessions. Try the SQ3R technique the next time you study and see what a difference it can make.
What is the SQ3R research method?
I briefly touched on a similar method earlier when I gave advice on note-taking best practices , but SQ3R has applications far beyond when you’re taking notes in ( and after ) class. It is actually a reading comprehension technique that was first introduced in 1946 by Francis P. Robinson in his book Effective Teaching . (Fun note: the “P” stands for nice!)
SQ3R has stood the test of time and is now widely recommended by academic advisors on campuses across the country. It is named after the five steps of the method:
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Survey
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Question
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Read
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Read
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Review
How does SQ3R work?
It is important here, first of all, to divide your work into parts. The goal is not to do this with the entire textbook or a bunch of materials, but to go chapter by chapter or section by section. You’ll see why as you move through the steps, but keep in mind that you need to focus on the smaller sections.
First, you skim through your materials, looking at them just enough to understand what the overall idea is. Look at the chapter title, introductions and conclusions, headings, subheadings, graphs, tables and summaries, but don’t read the whole thing. Then you have questions , such as: “What is this section about?” or “How will I use this information in real life?” The questions may be more specific and will largely depend on the content of your chapter. A simple trick is to turn subheadings into questions. If your subtitle simply says “The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand,” your question might be, “What were the immediate consequences of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand?”
Write down the questions before moving on to the third step, which actually involves reading the entire chapter or section, paying attention to everything that might answer your questions. Take notes and then move on to the next step – recitation . Use your own words to explain what you have learned and answer your questions. Imagine yourself explaining this to someone else, or even write it all down in a short essay format. Finally, review what you have read, written, and/or said before starting the process again with another chapter.
The purpose of all this is to make you think critically and help you stay engaged as you read to find answers to your questions. Recitation is also key: describing the topic you just learned in simple words is a proven method for effectively understanding and reinforcing it. Taking all five steps together will help you understand complex topics and break down big ideas into smaller, more manageable ones.
Recommendations for using SQ3R
You can divide your notebook paper so that you have space for questions in one column and answers in another. Writing by hand really helps you retain information, so actually writing down your observations, questions, answers, and notes is much better than just trying to do it in your head.
In most cases, you don’t need complex learning tools, but in this case, I recommend purchasing the SQ3R laptop . It’s only $6 and has special spaces for different steps; plus, since the sections are predefined, you have to do the work in smaller chunks because there’s no room on the page to try to do too much at once.
Finally, don’t think you’ve reached the end of the tutorial when you get to the overview portion of SQ3R. Learning is a long-term endeavor, so the “review” part actually continues from the moment you first learn the material. After you complete the first round of SQ3R, study the materials periodically, every few days. You can do this by reviewing your notes or using another method, such as the Leitner system , which determines how often you should use flashcards to review what you’ve learned. If, after a few repetitions, you feel that you have not learned the material as well as you would like, try the SQ3R method again on the same piece of text that you have already used, asking different questions and looking for different points of view.