What is the best way to study economic textbooks?

Answer 1

The best way to approach almost any textbook is to start by looking at the overall organizational system of the book. First, take a look at the table of contents and see how the writer envisions the organizational system. A writer organizes a book in a way that seems efficient to him or her. Studying the table of contents will clue you in to the broad outline that the writer deems efficient. Next, look at the organizational structure of each unit. Figure out what is similar from one unit to the other units. These broad similarities will tell you what the writer sees as similar from topic to topic. Next, go deeper into each unit and chapter headings. Compare the chapter headings within each unit and within the entire book. Learning how the writer thinks is important, since you will be following this writer's thoughts as you learn. Finally, check out the glossary. The writer thinks that certain terms are important enough to define. These words are probably among the most important words in the book, and you will meet them again and again. Learn these words. As you meet them in the text, see how they are connected to the surrounding ideas.

If the writer has included chapter/unit questions, pay close attention to them. The questions are answered in the book, (or the information needed to find the answers is in the book) and so they are important guides to the organization of the writer's thoughts.