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6.7 Read Deliberately with SQ3R

Its an unfortunate truth that written
instructions are generally considered to be Written instruction is the
the least efficient. Many of the parts of the least efficient.
brain and body that you want to train or
educate arent the parts that process language. Remember from
our brain discussion that the portion of your brain that processes
language is relatively small. The entire rest of your brain and body
doesnt do language.
As a result, it seems that we learn best from observation. We are
natural mimics, and the best, most effective way to learn is by
observing and mimicking someone else. Well look at this phenomenon again a little later, but in the meantime, we have a bit
of a problem.
Right now, you are reading this book. Over the course of your lifetime, youve probably read a lot more books than you have attended
seminars or lectures. But reading is the least effective means of
learning, compared to any sort of experiential learning.
One way to make reading more effective is to approach it a little
more deliberately than just picking up a book and plowing ahead.
There are a number of popular techniques in use; we will look at
one in detail here, but this is just one of many that work along
similar lines.
This technique of studying a book or other printed matter is known
as SQ3R; thats an acronym for the steps you need to take.10
Survey: Scan the table of contents and chapter summaries for
an overview.
Question: Note any questions you have.
Read: Read in its entirety.
Recite: Summarize, take notes, and put in your own words.
Review: Reread, expand notes, and discuss with colleagues.
10. Described in Effective Study [Rob70].

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R EAD D ELIBERATELY WITH SQ3R

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The first helpful aspect of this technique is that it is deliberate.

Instead of randomly picking up a book, reading it, and maybe or
maybe not remembering much of it, this is a much more thoughtful, conscious, and aware approach.

The Process
To begin with, you survey the work in question.
Look over the table of contents, chapter introductions and summaries, and any other high-level
landmarks the author has left for you. You want
to get a good overview of the book without delving into any details
just yet.
Next, write down any questions you want answered. How does this
technology solve this problem? Will I learn how to do this one thing,
or will this point to another source? Rephrase the chapter and section heads as questions; these are all questions that you expect the
book will answer.
Now you can read the book in its entirety. If you can, carry the
book with you so you can get some reading time squeezed in while
waiting for a meeting or appointment, while on a train or airplane,
or wherever you may find yourself with a little spare time. Slow
down on the difficult parts, and reread sections as needed if the
material isnt clear.
As you go along, recite, recall, and rephrase the most important
bits from the book in your own words. What were the key points?
Take some initial notes on these ideas. Invent acronyms to help
you remember lists and such. Really play with the information;
use your R-mode, synesthetic11 constructs and more. What would
this topic look like as a movie? A cartoon?
Finally, begin to review the material. Reread portions as necessary,
and expand on your notes as you rediscover interesting parts (well
look at an excellent method of taking this style of notes in Section 6.8, Visualize Insight with Mind Maps, on page 181).
11. Crossing senses, imagining that numbers have colors, words smell a certain
way, and so on.

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