Read, Stop, and Ask

This simple rule can really help you in your efforts to assimilate textbook information. The sheer quantity and density of information in biology texts can sometimes be overwhelming, so one way to help transfer what you’ve read from your short-term memory into your long-term memory is to read a section no longer than one page, stop, and then quiz yourself on what you’ve just read and how it relates to what you already know about the subject. This method plays on the human brain’s ability to learn more easily when material is presented in short segments. It also forces you to make conceptual and factual connections between new and old ideas, which helps to organize complex information in your brain more meaningfully.

Read, Stop, and Ask