Blog · · 2 min read
Highlight Less, Ask Better Questions
Use highlighting to find key lines, then turn them into questions you can answer with the book closed.
Use this
- Use marks to find lines again, not as proof of learning.
- Choose a line instead of marking most of the page.
- Write one sentence in your own words after each section.
- Make a question to answer tomorrow with the book closed.
Know what highlighting can do
Dunlosky, Rawson, Marsh, Nathan, and Willingham (2013) rated highlighting and underlining as low utility. A marked page can feel like progress, but making a mark does not require you to recall the idea.
Use highlighting as a way to find a line later. Do not treat it as a substitute for answering a question with the book closed.
Make each mark a choice
Students often highlight so much that marking stops being a decision. Read a section before deciding what deserves a mark.
Choose a line you want to return to. If you are about to mark most of the section, pause and decide which line you actually need to find again.
Turn the section into a question
After each section, write one sentence in your own words and one question you could answer tomorrow. Use the sentence to state the idea rather than copy the highlighted wording.
Make the question something you can answer without looking at the page. Tomorrow, close the book and try to answer it before returning to the marked line.
Give memory more work to do
The Learning Scientists publish classroom guides for six strategies that ask more of memory: retrieval practice, spaced practice, interleaving, elaboration, concrete examples, and dual coding.
Start with retrieval practice and spaced practice: answer your question with the book closed, then return to it on another day. Let your highlight help you locate the material when you check your answer.
Your plan for this week
Today, read one section of your course material. Mark a line only if you want to find it again. Write one sentence in your own words and one question to answer tomorrow.
Tomorrow, answer that question with the book closed. Then open the book and compare your answer with the section. Revise anything that does not match.
During your next study session, repeat the process with another section. Keep the questions together so you can return to them.
At the end of the week, answer your saved questions again with the book closed. Use the marked lines to check your answers, rather than simply rereading the highlights.
Sources
- Dunlosky, Rawson, Marsh, Nathan, and Willingham (2013). Strengthening the student toolbox. American Educator.
- The Learning Scientists. Six strategies for effective learning.
These notes describe published study methods. They are not a promise about a grade.
