Still Reading the Same Paragraph Over and Over?

Still reading the same paragraph over and over?
Use these tricks to remember what you read- the first time!

I know reading is important. But it’s so time consuming!
And half the time I find myself thinking about something else (what’s for dinner?)
or having to reread things multiple times. I’d rather bypass reading all together.

Many of us have thought this at one point or another. Between deciphering complicated legalese and making your way through what seems like hundreds of pages of text, reading can oftentimes seem more like a tedious chore than we’d like to undertake.

This does not undermine the importance of reading, however. Here are some tips and tricks to help you best optimize the information you read, so you’re remembering more (and having to read less). Don’t worry- we’ll keep it brief. 😉

1. Ditch the Kindle & Digital Devices!

A study conducted by Anne Mangen of Stavanger University in Norway found that students were able to recall more detail when reading short stories out of a text book than on a Kindle or other digital device. Stravanger’s study found that overall, students who read texts in print scored significantly higher on reading comprehension test than students who read those same texts in a digital format. ¹

2. Read to the room. No, really. Read out loud to yourself.

A 2010 study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition found that content spoken aloud was recalled better than content read silently, thanks to something called the production effect. According to psychologists, the production effect boosts memory by making content read aloud more distinctive- this is because what you read has been spoken aloud, and thus you have knowledge and memory of both producing the content and hearing it.²

3. Give yourself a head start- read the table of contents and content summaries FIRST.

Having a bit of background knowledge helps boost reading comprehension by helping you familiarize yourself with the content before reading. This helps cut down on having to re-read certain passages.

4. Doodle all over it.

Taking notes in the margins (or highlighting important information) creates a tactile memory similar to the production effect. The more you interact with the material you are reading, you increase your chances of remembering what you read. Therefore, when reading a multiple-choice or essay test question, do your best to “get involved” with the material you are reading. Imagine personal scenarios and how the particular test question scenario might apply to a personal situation familiar to you. This helps you to become “interactive” with the fact pattern you are reading (well, excluding math, maybe).

5. Impress your friends with your reading comprehension- AND create a set of notes for future use by writing an outline.

Outline, outline, outline! Yes, this tedious task often falls on the list of least-favorite activities by students of new material everywhere. However, when you take the time to create an outline of the material you are reading, you incorporate almost every technique on this list for boosting reading comprehension. Even more beneficial is if you create your outline post-reading by asking yourself “what did I just read?” and challenging yourself to recall the section in your own words. The bonus? You now have a great outline to reference later (and you can bypass rereading the 600+ page text again)!

~Brittany Boyce Abrams~