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194 CHAPTER 8Before Reading- Preview the Book for Learning Aids. If you were to review each of your
textbooks, you would find that they differ greatly in design and read-
ability. Think about two different textbooks you are currently read-
ing. What makes one appear more “reader friendly” and another less
“reader friendly”? Are you influenced by color, large type, headings,
pictures, summaries, or wide columns?
Have you considered the learning aids included by the author to
help you comprehend the material? The following are some of the
most common learning aids provided in textbooks:- Chapter objectives or questions
- Glossaries
- Boldface or italics
- Answers to problems or exercises
- Summary or review sections
- Tables and figures
- Research or application boxes
Think about how each of these learning aids help you learn.
Objectives and questions help you determine what you learned in
each chapter. When you are finished reading, you need to determine
whether you attained the objectives of the chapter. If questions are
presented at the beginning or end of the chapter, you can check to
determine whether you can answer the questions. If you cannot
answer the questions, you did not learn the material. A glossary
defines the key terms in a textbook and often is listed in the back of
the book. Some books have what is called a running glossary, where
key terms are defined on the page where they first appear. Some
authors boldface all words in the glossary and use italics or bullets
to identify an important term or phrase. These elements are used to
signal important information. Answers to problems and exercises are
very useful in mathematics, business, and science courses, where solv-
ing problems is an important objective of the course. Most authors
only provide answers to the even or odd problems in the textbook.
Summary and review sections help identify main points in the chap-
ter and serve as a useful reminder of what should have been learned.
Tables and figures can be useful in summarizing a large amount of
information on a topic. Finally, research or application boxes either
describe specific investigations that have been conducted by
researchers or provide special insights regarding the relevancy of the
information to daily life.
In summary, authors include various learning aids in textbooks to
help you comprehend and retain information. Recognizing and using
these aids can help you check your understanding and encourage you