Survey Each Assignment Before You Read It

Before you even think about reading an assignment, look in your course syllabus and the table of contents of your textbook to find out where your assignment fits. To understand the big picture you need to know how each assignment fits together.

Your classes will follow a logical, linear path—even if sometimes it doesn’t seem so. How do I know? Because that’s the way each discipline is structured, and so each course is going to follow a certain path to highlight that structure. Your challenge is to figure out what that path is so that you can see and learn that bigger picture. It’s easier, and it’s much more interesting..

After you know where the assignment fits, read the headings and subheadings. For example, if the physics assignment you are reading is under the heading “Doppler Effect,” read the heading and frame your thoughts around that subject. Before reading the section The Doppler Effect, briefly read over the main concepts and notes that have lead you to this point. This is the habit you will use throughout college: each principle builds on the last and provides further foundation for the next. If your notes are unclear—as they often are—go to Wikipedia or Google to read or find a summary. No, you won’t ever cite to these directly; but that doesn’t mean you can’t use these tools for what they are—a fast, usually good introduction.

Once you have read the headings; scanned the assignment and paid attention to sub-headings, bolded or italicized phrases, etc.; and perhaps read up on the topic generally—then you’re ready to dive in. I can almost hear you saying, “But this is more work!” First, remember that your goal isn’t to do the minimum. It’s to be effective. This means, among other things, that you need to do more than the minimum. Second, the process I outline will make your study much more efficient, because you’ll actually understand what it is you’re reading, rather than have your eyes glaze over. Finally, it won’t take more time. What is done here is done quickly. It only takes a few seconds to scan your course syllabus: a minute or so to scan the headings, phrases, etc.; and another few minutes to read about the subject online. As a result, less time is wasted when you do read the textbook or article—because it will make more sense.

Each piece is part of the puzzle that creates the “big picture.” Each assignment is structured differently, but with some view towards that big picture. For example, if you’re reading from a textbook, then the reading will follow a structured outline—bolded headings, sub-headings, and so on. Other assignments might be from books written in a more traditional format, be it a classic piece of literature or an essay on evolution. The format doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you understand what’s going on in the assigned reading—the part of the big picture it addresses—before you focus on its many details. You need to know where you are before you start—and one way to accomplish this is by surveying each assignment. “Survey” means what it does to a land surveyor: knowing exactly where each piece of land starts and where it ends. Surveyors are not “kind of” sure; they must know, and lay out precise coordinates.

Finally, most textbooks will have a list of questions or additional points at the end of each chapter or section. Scan these questions or notes as well, before reading the assignment. All of this is there to help you sort, understand, and remember. The assignment won’t make sense if you don’t understand why you’re reading it; these practices will help.