Unfortunately SQ3R is not the name of a Star Wars robot. It is a study technique developed in the 1940’s which is still utilized today. SQ3R helps students read strategically and more effectively learn the information.
Interested in improving your efficiency when reading your textbooks? Keep reading….
Here’s how it works…
Survey: Skim the textbook/reading. Pay close attention to the headings, sub-headings, and vocabulary words that are emphasized.
Question: Formulate questions about the chapter or reading based on the headings, sub-headings, and vocabulary. Ask yourself:
- “What is this chapter about?”
- “How does this information tie into information from lectures?”
- “What are the most important points/concepts from the chapter?”
Be sure to write your questions down, so you can answer them after reading the text more thoroughly.
Read: Actively read the chapter/book/article by using a highlighter or taking notes. See if you get more answers to your questions that were formulated in step two.
wRite: Write the answers to your questions you formulated in step 2. If you have a study guide or homework associated with the reading it may be a good time to complete those.
Recall: This is probably the most important step in SQ3R. Challenge yourself by creating a study sheet or notecards and recalling the key concepts, answers to study questions, meaning of vocabulary words, etc. without looking at the answers. If you can’t recall the information out loud or in writing, chances are you didn’t learn the information and you will not be able to recall it during a test. Be sure to tune-up on any questions you missed or had difficulty with.
