The purpose of reading at university is not just to expand your knowledge but to improve your understanding and appreciation of WHY research is going on or WHY the different debates are taking place.
When you're learning at university, it's important not to approach your reading the way you would read a novel - you need to read in an active way.
But what does that mean?
There are a couple of things you can do to help your reading be more active, just remember, most of the time you’re going to have to re-read the text to make sure that you’ve understood it, don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal!
Try:
Try quizzing yourself on the content of an article, asking critical questions as you read the source:
To follow up, note down any key points, ask questions about what you didn't understand, maybe create flashcards or create a mind map to help you understand how the points are linked.
The Learning Spiral (The Open University, p.12, fig.1)
Examples of active learning activities for group-work include:
If this is something you'd like to develop, you can discuss learning strategies and time management with the Study Skills team.
If you Google 'notetaking' you'll get so many results! So, to help you out, we've pulled together a list of the four most common methods but there's more info on notetaking here for you.
Notetaking is an essential skill for your time here at university but that doesn't mean transcribing every word from your classes! Everyone has their own approach to notetaking so don't worry if your friends take notes in a different way to you - we all learn in different ways. Just remember, take your own notes in your own way - you might use one particular method, a hybrid or your very own invention.
The Open University (2007) Develop Effective Study Strategies. Milton Keynes: Thanet Press.