One way to become comfortable with your college textbook is to write relevant notes directly onto the pages of the textbook as you listen to a classroom lecture. Not only will you save money on school supplies, but you are also likely to enrich your understanding of course material if you permit yourself the freedom of annotating your textbook.
Prior to attending lectures for your college course, skim your textbook to acquaint yourself with material related to these lectures. Then, as you listen to the lectures, simply take notes alongside of pertinent information contained in your textbook. Doing so will reinforce your comprehension of material, by providing you with a double-dose of exposure to specific information. Additionally, if you come across something that you don't understand or that you need to ask you instructor about, you'll be able to quickly make note of it.
Learn how to simplify the meaning of a textbook by engaging in systematic analysis. A sure way to reinforce your reading skills is to closely examine the importance of a textbook's structure. Develop key habits of looking up information in an index and consulting the table of contents. Browse the book's photos, drawings, maps and diagrams, and take a moment to read their captions.
As you review material within the chapter of a textbook, develop an awareness of how this material is presented. Mary Ellen Lepionka, author of "Evaluating Textbooks for Course Adoption", remarks that textbooks are actually designed to match the way that people learn. The organization of information within textbooks invariably follows a logical format. Lepionka observes, "the opening section may include, for example, the chapter outline, a chapter-opening photo, a list of focus questions for the chapter, and an introduction or chapter-opening vignette." Additionally, a chapter's closing usually includes a summary, a list of key terms or study problems. Once you get a feel for a textbook, you can develop the ability to skim the contents of any given chapter in mere minutes.
Branch out from your textbook to discover the value of supplemental resources. If you are an exceptionally motivated student, you may eventually jettison your textbook in favor of related materials, available at your local library or waiting to be discovered online. This is perhaps the best way to use a college textbook, since by doing so you learn to use a textbook as a stepping stone to continued education. Just don't forget that understanding your textbook itself is your first priority. If you can augment this foundational understanding with applied study habits, then your learning potential is unlimited.