Sponsored Post: McGraw-Hill SmartBook

This is the second post in a 3-post series on McGraw-Hill's Smartbook. 

If you aren't familiar with SmartBook, check out the video (made by students!) below:

Last week, I talked about the methods that SmartBook uses to engage the reader (aka you) to make textbook-reading more interactive. And seriously, who couldn't use some more of that?! One of the most important things that SmartBook does is give a preview of each chapter before you read it. 

This is super-imperitive because, when we are trying to learn new information, our brains are constantly trying to connect it to our existing knowledge. It’s kind of the same as when you see an actor/actress that looks familiar and you actively think (and think and think and and obsess, if you’re me) about it until you figure out what you’ve seen them in before! 

That's what your brain is doing every time you read new info! It is actively searching for a place to connect it to something else that's familiar to you. And if you’ve read an overview/preview of the material before you actually read the material itself, your brain has something to connect it to! Which helps you comprehend and retain the material better! The specific name for this is Schema and it’s one of the most important elements for learning!

I’ve been researching a TON of strategies lately for how to read textbooks more effective. And I will definitely be posting them within the next few weeks! :)

Do you do an overview of your textbook chapter before reading it? Or do you just jump in and start reading start-to-finish? What are some strategies/tricks that you’ve learned to make the material easier to remember?