Multi-textbook college courses demand the use of a systematic expository textbook study technique. As explained in this article, E.S.P. (Enlighten/Study/Preview) is designed to increase speed and ensure accuracy in comprehension by providing the student with continuous feedback of his or her understanding of the material. (Author)

Explains how a teacher taught his class the value of skimming in developing reading comprehension. (FL)

Suggests specific reading strategies for college level learners based on a thorough analysis of how successful college readers handle difficult text. (AEA)

Describes a note taking and teaching strategy designed to help students think during lectures and assimilate material in a synthesized form via small group and written recapitulation. (MKM)

The article describes a four-step procedure for constructing two types of graphic organizers (hierarchical and compare/contrast) to help secondary academically handicapped students gain information from textbooks. Implementation methods include teacher-directed, student-directed with text references, and student-directed with clues. Testing…

The ability of 54 learning-disabled high-school students to monitor their comprehension was compared under three prereading conditions: self-questions only, structured overviews and self-questions, and a control condition. Subjects receiving both the overviews and self-questions were best able to detect errors during reading. (Author/DB)

Offers explicit methods for the preparation, presentation, and utilization of handouts for lectures or seminars. Suggests that successful implementation of these methods can encourage students to take these handouts home, to read them, to refer to them again, and to recognize the contents when it appears later in the course of study. (JJK)

Two studies evaluated the effectiveness of guided notes with five secondary students with mild disabilities and three postsecondary students with learning disabilities. In both studies, use of guided notes resulted in significantly improved academic performance. (Author/DB)

Suggests ways of diagnosing problems in students' study habits and offers strategies for improving study skills and test taking strategies. (SRT)

Describes a prereading learning activity designed to make comprehension easier in content area reading for students with limited background. (MKM)

Looks at the effect of student-written test questions on student test performance. Students either wrote essay or multiple-choice questions, or did not write questions. Student items were not used on the test. Results indicate that question-writing is an effective studying technique. (Author/LS)

Discusses research that indicates the value of prereading and postreading in content area reading; explains the encoding specificity principle, which is the basis of methods that present similar cues during prereading and postreading. Describes several instructional applications of this principle. (GT)

This study skills curriculum addresses the problem of a lack of study skills demonstrated by students in grades 7-10. It focuses on 11 essential knowledge acquisition skills: (1) motivation and ice-breakers; (2) outlining and mapping; (3) time management; (4) PQ5R (Preview, Question, Read, Record, Recite, Review, and Reflect); (5) notetaking; (6)…

This article offers the Integrated Strategies Instruction Model as a method for teaching content-area lessons to students with mild disabilities, using a variety of graphic organizers. The model lends itself to both teacher-directed and student-directed learning activities. (DB)

Possible adaptations of textbooks for children with learning disabilities include modifying the textbook (tape recording the text, using high-interest low-vocabulary materials); altering instructional procedures (teaching textbook structure, previewing, providing advance organizers, preteaching critical vocabulary); and teaching textbook reading…