Wouldn’t it be great if you opened a textbook and found it so captivating that you just couldn’t put it down? …Like that could ever really happen…

Let’s face it…most textbooks are boring to read. No matter how interested you are in a subject, the normal format for textbooks is dull, dry and boring. In fact, staying awake while you’re reading can be a real problem.

So what can you do? You have to read the book. Your grade depends upon it.

The following method helps me to achieve a better understanding of the written material and remember the more important facts. First, examine the table of contents to see what is actually being covered in the book. The outline usually gives you a pretty good idea.

For each chapter in the book, first read the introduction. Then skim the entire chapter. This shouldn’t take long. You’re not looking for detail. You just want to get a better about what the chapter covers.

Next, get a piece of paper and pen, sit down, get comfortable and create an environment that makes it easy for you to concentrate. That might mean a quiet place or wearing headphones with loud music playing. Do whatever works for you.

Go back to the beginning of the chapter. Treat each individual section as though it was a separate document. As you read each paragraph, jot down any questions that enter your mind. Don’t judge the question. There is no such thing as a stupid question. Just write it down. Make sure you leave enough room to write down the answer later. When you finish reading the section, see if your questions were answered. If so write the answer under the question. If not, highlight the question. It may be answered later on.

Do this for each section of the chapter. You should have found the answers for most of your questions. Carefully read the chapter summary to see if you’ve come up with any new questions.

If you still have unanswered questions, go back through the chapter focusing specifically on finding the answers. As an alternative, you can use your favorite internet search engine to see if the answers are available online. The whole idea is to find answers to any questions you had. In order to understand something, you can’t have a lot of unanswered questions.

If there are chapter discussion questions, try to answer them. If you can’t find the answers in the book, on the internet or from a classmates, bring them up at the beginning of the next class so the teacher can answer them for you.

Trust me, if you follow this process, you will usually end up understanding the class material much better because seeking answers to YOUR questions is the best way for you to learn something.

P.S. (Keep your list of questions so you can review them before the exam.)