So much to read, so much to learn – Part 2 – All those digital texts
Did you know that you read online and print material very differently? And for all you digital natives out there, you may believe you read and learn better digitally than with print.
But the cold fact is that learning scientists have repeatedly tested all sorts of reading. And though we read faster online, we read very differently, spend more energy, write fewer notes, and learn much less.
Skills
When we read on paper, it is easier to skim and scan a text to gain an overview, it is easy to flip back and forth, and we can annotate it if it is ours.
But when we read electronic texts, it is much harder to do those things, and it is difficult to read for an extended time online. We focus on smaller ‘chunks’ (sections of text) and make fewer notes than with paper texts. (The exact reasons for this are unclear.)
Energy
Reading from a screen is more tiring than reading print. Scrolling down a page, constantly adjusting to new fonts, struggling to focus against a cascade of notifications, bells, and pop-ups, and straining with backlight all cost energy. All these differences deplete our precious and limited energy.
Understanding
Research over the last decade demonstrates that students perform equally well on discerning the main point in electronic and print texts. But after that, print wins the day: Finer recall of subpoints, details, the order of events, and much more.
But our readings are all online!
Shall we despair? Of course not!
First, remember the advantages of online texts: They are portable, accessible outside libraries, and available to multiple users simultaneously. They never go missing from the shelves, you don’t have to stand in queue to photocopy them, and the databases are comprehensive and easy to search. No, I don’t want to go back to those old days.
Some steps to compensate:
Print
No, don’t kill a forest and print everything. But evaluate: If this is an important reading, then consider printing it. This allows you to annotate the text, read more ‘naturally’, and retain a physical copy to refer to.
If you only need a quick glance at the text, or just the main idea, then read it once, online. But some documents need printing out for extended study.
Focus
Serious reading and study call for focus and effort. Dinosaur that I am, I have only just discovered the ‘Focus’ function on my phone. Now I turn on Focus, and turn off nearly everything else on my phone during work hours. This helps me focus and work, and I deal with all the messages after 5pm.
So plan to focus for a while. Turn things off, get rid of distractions you can control, and work steadily. (Just remember that you are not a machine, so plan short breaks as well.)
Use your active readings skills, such as SQ3R from So much to read, so much to learn – Part 1
Merely reading a text once, passively, is a time-waster unless you are reading for pleasure. We have to read actively to learn anything with print and screen readings. Use those SQ3R skills from So much to read, so much to learn – Part 1. Plan to learn from the text, not just read over it.
Chunk
When you read a text online, remember to chunk it – that is, read smaller sections at a time. We seem to do better that way for e-texts.
Annotate or make notes
We can make notes in the margins when we read paper, but not with electronic texts. And left to ourselves, we tend to make fewer notes. Of course you feel like you understand it and will remember it all, while you are reading. But remember the research: You almost certainly won’t remember much at all if you take no notes.
So be deliberate, stop more often than you feel you need, and make notes. Write your questions, confusions, arguments, and key terms.
But with electronic texts, you can’t annotate the text. So, keep paper notes.
[Many tablets allow you to annotate documents with an electronic pen. I have seen no research on using these devices for note-taking in lectures or for readings, but I would guess they are closer to paper in their benefits.
If you use one of these devices, I’d love to hear about your experience of it for work and learning.]
Discuss
Among the most effective learning techniques are elaborative interrogation, generation, and self-explanation. The first is explaining to yourself why something is true. The second is generating test or exam questions, and the last is relating your new info to what you already know. These all work a treat for learning.
Do these when studying on your own. But schedule a discussion of a few texts weekly. Check what others gained from a text, and compare your critical understanding of it – main points, strengths and weaknesses, and relationship to other knowledge. Ask yourself especially what difference it makes to your knowledge of God, your love for the Lord, and your conformity to Jesus.
This will sharpen your understanding, motivate you, and it is a pleasure. Theological study shouldn’t be dreary.
The big idea:
As Suzanne Julian (2018) concludes,
Engaged reading is the most important skill students bring to an academic text whether paper or digital. Tools can help manage information overload when using a digital text, but in the end, it is the student asking meaningful questions and searching for answers within the text that will make the difference. (Italics mine)
All reading for learning has to be active, but active reading for print and electronic texts are different acts. When you decide to read online, be deliberate about it: Focus yourself, use SQ3R, chunk your text, make notes, and discuss the text – at least with yourself if not with a friend. Then you will learn, remember, and use.
A few accessible articles on this topic:
From two of the leaders in the research:
Alexander, Patricia A. & Trakhman, Lauren M. Singer. “The enduring power of print for learning in a digital world.” The Conversation (October 4, 2017). https://theconversation.com/the-enduring-power-of-print-for-learning-in-a-digital-world-84352
Some cogent possible explanations:
Baron, Naomi S. “Why we remember more by reading – especially print – than from audio or video” The Conversation (May 3, 2021). Why we remember more by reading – especially print – than from audio or video
Now a bit old, but still good advice:
Konnikova, Maria. “Being a Better Online Reader.” The New Yorker (July 16, 2014). Being a Better Online Reader
(And I got distracted by the embedded video. It is difficult to stay focussed online.)