Highlighting can help locate important material, but a colored page does not show whether you understand it. Use a decision rule and a follow-up action so selection serves a clear learning purpose.
Read with a purpose
Read a paragraph or short section before highlighting. Decide what role the selected words play: definition, central claim, essential evidence, or condition. Mark only enough to locate that role later. Then add a brief question or explanation in your own words. This requires a judgment about meaning instead of marking sentences merely because they sound important on first contact.
Work through the text
In a chapter on markets, highlight a concise definition and a condition under which the model applies. In the margin, ask when the condition would fail. After the section, close the book and answer. If you cannot explain the highlighted line, use it to locate the relevant clarification. The mark has a retrieval and navigation role, while the actual answer provides evidence of learning beyond recognizing familiar colored text.
Check your understanding
Do not impose an arbitrary highlighting percentage as if all texts contain the same density of essential ideas. If most of the page seems indispensable, create a separate outline or ask what the assignment requires. During review, attempt answers first rather than automatically rereading every highlighted passage in the same order.
Put it into practice
Try it in your next study session
- In your next available study period, highlight one short section only after reading it.
- Label each selection's role, write two questions from the selections, and answer those questions later before reopening the text.
- During the later question attempt, keep the highlighted page closed until you have produced an answer. Compare the explanation with the original conditions and relationships, not just its vocabulary. If the markings cover too much to guide a return, write a brief overview that identifies the specific role of the most important passages.
Sources & further reading
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