Great Helps: RSSG Method

The RSSG Method is an excellent study habit to learn. It will help you find the main points of what is being said or taught in a material or presentation, to produce a concise outline or condensation of it.

RSSG = Read, Skim, Scan, and Glean to get the most important points from a material.

1. Read the material all the way through once.

As you read, get the 'gist' of the material - what it's about, what the main theme is, and begin to note important parts you'll want to skim and scan more closely.

2. Skim the material quickly while re-reading it.

Skimming means not reading every single word, but quickly going through the material. It helps to hold your finger in the middle of the page and drag your finger down the middle looking briefly at the first (topic) sentence and then the few words on either side of your finger as you pull it downward. Since you are already familiar with the material from having read it through first, this should be fairly easy.

3. Scan to find the most important words, themes, and points.

Scanning is looking for specific important information by taking note of chapter and section titles, subtitles, first sentences, and things written in bold or italics. (These are the things the author of the book thought were the most important.) Frequently ask yourself this question: What's the point? You want to figure out what they were trying to convey in their material.

4. Glean the most important points and information by recording them / writing them down.

Gleaning is writing down the information you have found, in free flowing notes. You can use an outline format or any other method that will help you begin to organize your notes. (You will probably want to come back at some point to 'tighten up' or 'tweak' your notes and make them neat for future reference - but this is not essential.)

Keys to Remember:

Constantly ask: What's their point?

Note the topic being discussed.

Note the most important things being said about the topic.

Record those things.

Learn to see extra words for what they are - extra. (They may be very interesting and give you more to think about and chew upon - which is perfectly fine, but in the end they're not absolutely essential or even necessarily pertinent to the core of what needs to be remembered.)

The RSSG Method is a skill that takes just a little practice to learn but can be a tremendous aid to understanding and retaining what you've read.

© 2007 John and Kim Namestnik    www.givengrace.com

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