This article was co-authored by Emily Listmann, MA and by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD. Emily Listmann is a Private Tutor and Life Coach in Santa Cruz, California. In 2018, she founded Mindful & Well, a natural healing and wellness coaching service. She has worked as a Social Studies Teacher, Curriculum Coordinator, and an SAT Prep Teacher. She received her MA in Education from the Stanford Graduate School of Education in 2014. Emily also received her Wellness Coach Certificate from Cornell University and completed the Mindfulness Training by Mindful Schools.
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Do you find that you forget what you read soon after you read it? Do you have trouble focusing when you need to read several pages? Improving your reading comprehension can help! Your reading comprehension is just your ability to read something, understand the information, and integrate it into the other information you already know. Improve your reading comprehension and you'll learn and retain more information to get more out of reading. Read on to learn what you can do today to better understand what you read.
Improving Reading Comprehension
- Skim the material first and do background research if necessary.
- Read actively, taking notes and marking up the text.
- Ask questions to better understand and relate to the material.
- Write a summary in your own words paraphrasing what you read.
- Revisit your notes and summary periodically to refresh your memory.
Steps
Expert Q&A
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QuestionHow do I retain knowledge when taking an exam?Emily Listmann, MAEmily Listmann is a Private Tutor and Life Coach in Santa Cruz, California. In 2018, she founded Mindful & Well, a natural healing and wellness coaching service. She has worked as a Social Studies Teacher, Curriculum Coordinator, and an SAT Prep Teacher. She received her MA in Education from the Stanford Graduate School of Education in 2014. Emily also received her Wellness Coach Certificate from Cornell University and completed the Mindfulness Training by Mindful Schools.
Academic Tutor and Life CoachTry looking up different note-taking methods online to find one that works best for you while you are reading. For example, Cornell Notes and concept mapping are both popular note-taking methods. -
QuestionHow do I learn to better comprehend historical information?Emily Listmann, MAEmily Listmann is a Private Tutor and Life Coach in Santa Cruz, California. In 2018, she founded Mindful & Well, a natural healing and wellness coaching service. She has worked as a Social Studies Teacher, Curriculum Coordinator, and an SAT Prep Teacher. She received her MA in Education from the Stanford Graduate School of Education in 2014. Emily also received her Wellness Coach Certificate from Cornell University and completed the Mindfulness Training by Mindful Schools.
Academic Tutor and Life CoachThe brain is not meant to remember isolated names, dates, and facts. Think of history in a larger, more connected sense by trying to find out more context for historical events and understand their larger significance instead of just a timeline of events.
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Tips
References
- ↑ https://www.purdueglobal.edu/blog/general-education/improve-reading-comprehension-college/
- ↑ https://students.dartmouth.edu/academic-skills/learning-resources/learning-strategies/reading-techniques
- ↑ https://faculty.washington.edu/smithant/DukeandPearson.pdf
- ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/reading-comprehension-tips/
- ↑ https://students.dartmouth.edu/academic-skills/learning-resources/learning-strategies/reading-techniques
- ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20438265
- ↑ https://faculty.washington.edu/smithant/DukeandPearson.pdf
- ↑ https://faculty.washington.edu/smithant/DukeandPearson.pdf
- ↑ https://faculty.washington.edu/smithant/DukeandPearson.pdf
- ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/reading-comprehension-tips/
- ↑ https://www.uwec.edu/academic-skills-center/resources/reading-in-college/
- ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/reading-comprehension-tips/
- ↑ https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/home-family-urban/the-importance-of-reading-comprehension/
- ↑ https://www.purdueglobal.edu/blog/general-education/improve-reading-comprehension-college/
- ↑ https://students.dartmouth.edu/academic-skills/learning-resources/learning-strategies/reading-techniques
- ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/reading-comprehension-tips/
- ↑ https://students.dartmouth.edu/academic-skills/learning-resources/learning-strategies/reading-techniques
- ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/reading-comprehension-tips/
About This Article
If you want to understand what you read, highlight or underline questions or important ideas as you go through the text. As you read each page, stop at the bottom and write a sentence or two that summarizes what you've read. You can also write down questions as you read so you can go back to them later. Finally, try to capture your immediate reactions to what you've read as soon as you're done, since this will help you remember what you've read later on. For more tips on understanding what you read, including how to read out loud and picture what you're reading, scroll down!
Reader Success Stories
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"The article is very clearly expressed with an economy of words. The writing your reaction detail is, for me, is a process for personally embracing what I read, which I hope will allow me to interact deeply with my study material and internalize it."..." more