Best way to do textbook readings

I learn't this strategy from Psychology 5th Australian and New Zealand edition and its described as the text book.

Throughout your life as a student you will always find your self required to read through long passages about complex concepts and this can be taxing for anyone, even the most disciplined students will "switch off". Less experienced students would begin by simply reading through from start to finish and then expecting to absorb the information which is extremely difficult. Just like an athlete might "go through the motions" a student may read the words without understanding the concept or meaning associated with it. There are techniques you can use to help you to get the most out (and not waste your time) of reading but most importantly stop you from "switching off" and end up "going through the motions. 

One popular approach is the SQ4R method, which stands for survey, question, read, recite, review and write. This is an extremely popular reading technique that has been researched and created by psychologists as one of the best ways to learn and retain information through reading. It is quite lengthy but many students (including myself) adapt the method to suit our needs.

If you survey (skim through a chapter, looking at headings and the summary), question (at the beginning of each section, turn the heading into a question), read (as you read, try to answer the question you posed), recite (mentally or orally answer your question), review (at the end of the chapter, recall your questions and relate what you have learned to your real life) and write (as you read or listen, actively write answers to questions and take notes), you have a better chance of retaining crucial information.

The SQ4R method fosters active rather than passive learning while reading. In brief, the steps of this method are as follows.

• Survey. Skim through the chapter, looking at headings and the summary. This will help you organise the material more efficiently as you encode.
• Question. When you begin a section, turn the heading into a question; this alerts you to the content and makes reading more interesting. For example, for the subheading, ‘Long-term memory systems’, you might ask yourself, ‘What evidence could demonstrate the existence of separate memory systems? Don't be afraid to have multiple questions
• Read. As you read, try to answer the questions you posed.
• Recite. Mentally (or orally) answer your questions and rehearse relevant information before going on to the next section.
• Review. When you finish the chapter, recall your questions and relate what you have learned to your experiences and interests.
• Write. As you read or listen to lectures, actively write answers to questions and take notes.

A good idea is to apply the SQ4R method to chunks of the reading material as you go. That is, do not wait until you get through the whole text to try to absorb all the concepts. You might review at the end of each paragraph, or section, or chapter. A useful idea is to use a pencil to tick off each paragraph once you are sure you understand its meaning. Or, once you get to the end of a chapter, you might like to close the text and jot down the key points and concepts in your own words. This is an effective way to check that you fully understand the material. Asking yourself questions is also a good way to check your comprehension. How does this material relate to other concepts you have learned? Can you apply this to your own experience? Can you think of examples that illustrate the themes? Another strategy is to chunk or group information together to facilitate comprehension and retrieval of information. Chunking is another technique developed by psychologists to improve short term memory. 

This is quite a lengthy process so it is recommended that you adapt this formula to suit your needs but maintain the key principles of: 

• apply and discuss  
• make connections
• brain to behavior