Sq3R Study Method
Using the SQ3R Study Method
A. Kent Van Cleave, Jr., Ph.D.
Why use a study method? Perhaps you have noticed recently that everyone, especially in the news media, is talking about something called the information revolution. This term refers to some profound changes that have affected most aspects of our lives and that have been caused by computers.
In the workplace, information technology has caused many work organizations to completely restructure themselves. Electronic data interchange has helped companies closely link themselves with their customers and their suppliers. Computers have made mass production obsolete by giving manufacturers the ability to customize the product exactly the way the individual customer wants it. (Look for the big auto manufacturers to have Websites soon where you choose nearly every feature on your car, apply for a loan to buy it, and then specify where it will be delivered, all without having to go to the showroom.) Computers have also automated many jobs, including those of many middle managers. The result of this has been fewer levels of management in large organizations and higher productivity in the production facility. For most products, the cost of the goods on store shelves has dropped dramatically over the last ten years.
But this explosion of information technology has its challenges in the workplace, too. Because of it the pace of change has increased. Work organizations find that they must continually adapt as technology progresses. And workers find that they must adopt a new way of approaching what they do. In order to survive in the workplace, everyone, from the CEO on down to the newest employee, must be continually growing and learning.
Educators today refer to this demand for continual growth as lifelong learning. In business, it is beginning to be called learning on demand. Those who make a commitment to lifelong learning get ahead, and those who do not get consigned to the less skilled, less
A. Kent Van Cleave, Jr., Ph.D.
Why use a study method? Perhaps you have noticed recently that everyone, especially in the news media, is talking about something called the information revolution. This term refers to some profound changes that have affected most aspects of our lives and that have been caused by computers.
In the workplace, information technology has caused many work organizations to completely restructure themselves. Electronic data interchange has helped companies closely link themselves with their customers and their suppliers. Computers have made mass production obsolete by giving manufacturers the ability to customize the product exactly the way the individual customer wants it. (Look for the big auto manufacturers to have Websites soon where you choose nearly every feature on your car, apply for a loan to buy it, and then specify where it will be delivered, all without having to go to the showroom.) Computers have also automated many jobs, including those of many middle managers. The result of this has been fewer levels of management in large organizations and higher productivity in the production facility. For most products, the cost of the goods on store shelves has dropped dramatically over the last ten years.
But this explosion of information technology has its challenges in the workplace, too. Because of it the pace of change has increased. Work organizations find that they must continually adapt as technology progresses. And workers find that they must adopt a new way of approaching what they do. In order to survive in the workplace, everyone, from the CEO on down to the newest employee, must be continually growing and learning.
Educators today refer to this demand for continual growth as lifelong learning. In business, it is beginning to be called learning on demand. Those who make a commitment to lifelong learning get ahead, and those who do not get consigned to the less skilled, less