A good Method of Improving Your Reading Ability with SQ3R

王 璇 储晓静

   In recent years, "SQ3R" five-step reading method has been popular abroad. Some educators and psychologists believe that this kind of reading is consistent with the study of the general law of thought, helps to understand the book and personal memories. This passage makes a brief description.

   As a method of improving reading, SQ3R was first designed for the U.S. Special Forces training by F. P. Robinson, the psychology professor at Ohio State University during the WWⅡ. Then it was appeared again in the work of Effective Study, mainly for Intensive Reading. By using it, students could get a systemic review after class and then got a promotion in reading.

According to the survey, it has been famous, popular now in the world among the scholars, the teachers and the students. It has been considered as one of the best ways to learn. SQ3R is simply formed from its first letters: Survey-Question-Read-Recite-Revise. In principle, it is applicable to all fields.

With SQ3R, you can build a skeleton frame to understand your reading materials.

Step One---Survey

That is to do a fast browsing first, and find out the basic content. Then you can has a preliminary impression of the writer’s views. Generally speaking, before you read, please survey the key points. Such as the title, subheadings, chapters, captions under pictures, charts, maps, review Qs or teacher-made study guides, introductory and concluding paragraphs. All work is done, you can have a fair idea of the writing .

Step Two--- Question

In the process of study, we should not only solve problems, but also find Qs. That’s more important. In reading, you need to capture Qs through the surface words between the lines, and propose your own ideas. Meanwhile, you should ponder some of the points of view, compare them with relevant ideas, and make comments on the issue. With them, you will explore much further, which may help produce a new point of view.

Step Three--- Read

   The purpose of reading is to well understand and grasp the essence of the materials, making it become a solid foundation for your knowledge structure. The best state of reading is finding" something that is not in the book". The content of the book is static, but scientific knowledge is changing rapidly. If you can see the development, then it will be able to activate the "dead" knowledge. Therefore, you shall receive something if you get into the habit of thinking while reading. When you start to read: in search of answers to the questions you first mentioned. Reread and note all the key points. Reduce your speed of reading for difficult passages. Stop and reread parts which are not clear. Read only a section at a time.                                                                                                      Step Four--- Recite

   Recite here, not refers to the repetition and memorization of each sentence, but understand and concentrate on the relevant ideas. Of course, some important basic concepts are not ruled, just recite them.

Step Five--- Revise

This step needs an ongoing process for the materials you want to remember in a long time. Review is to help you understand the main focus of the materials, and fill a vacancy of memory. The best time of doing a review is the time when you just completed a reading materials. Be attention to each revision, more discoverable and more evolutive.

In the early stage of SQ3R-using, you may spend more time than usual. If you can do persevere practice like this, you will have a good benefit.

（作者单位：连云港工贸高等职业技术学校）