Reading in Math
Dr. Heather Moreland
Learning mathematics cannot be done by passively reading a journal article or textbook. One should always to this with scratch paper available to work through examples, make notes, and pose questions for future investigation. Too often students think that scientific reading can be done passively like reading a novel for pleasure. In reality, this is one of the most crucial skills that a scientist must learn...how to read critically, absorb and synthesize the material. This often starts as a painfully slow process that turns students off to the idea of reading a mathematical textbook. Yet, I try to encourage them to persevere and select textbooks that are conducive to allowing them to develop this essential skill.