By Alison Seagle
Sports Columist

Now that the new semester is underway, the lines at the bookstore have dwindled and

students are beginning to crack open those books that they’ve spent so much money on.

Some students are reading their books, or at least they intend to. Not reading the material occurs at CSUSM as well as other schools. This factors into the learning process and can affect even the smartest individual’s ability to pass a class.

Regardless of major, students can be heard around campus discussing their

reading assignments: they have too much to read, they read everything, they read nothing, they only read for classes they like, they only read for classes they struggle in or sometimes they don’t even bother getting the textbook for a class.

Despite what students hear each other claim about their reading habits, or lack thereof,

there are two important factors every student should consider before deciding to forego reading assignments: their own personal learning style and the format of their course.

Everyone has different ways that they learn. Some studies suggest that people have different learning-styles or sense-based best approaches for learning. People can be auditory learners, some learn better when they have visuals to aid them and others grasp concepts best when kinesthetic activities are included in the instruction. Just because a few classmates say they think the reading is a waste of time does not mean it’s useless. In fact, many teachers administer regular quizzes based solely on the reading.

“It is ineffective for students to attend my classes if they have not prepared by reading the text, but I can’t speak for other professors, who may work differently. The reason I give unannounced reading quizzes is to provide external motivation for students to read the assignments, as I find that they largely do not read if I don’t provide some kind of grade incentive. I think there are a number of reasons why students choose not to do the work they are assigned, but the truth is that if they are spending the time and money to attend college, they should read the assigned materials—not simply because the teacher says so or because they will be tested on it, but because the purpose of college-level education is to allow people to grow as individuals through exposure to a wealth of new ideas, methods, beliefs and cultures. If they aren’t doing the work (including the reading), then they are wasting their time and money and they will leave campus not have learned much. Having said that, this isn’t a new phenomenon,” said Dr. Heidi Breuer, a literature and writing professor at CSUSM.

Perhaps students that shy away from reading may just learn better from lecture than from reading. Other students may prefer to do the reading on their own and feel like going to lecture is a waste of time. Students can go to the following link to get an idea of what their learning style is so they can develop study habits to help them best understand material: http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-learning-styles-quiz.

The format of a course and the teaching style that the professor uses also play a part in determining whether the reading assignment is worthy of a student’s time. Some professors thoroughly cover all of the reading in their lectures, and often more, only assigning the reading so that students can get a preview before the lecture, and hopefully follow along better or ask questions if necessary. Other professors assign reading to be done before class so that the material can be discussed in class, where students are able to share their ideas and interpretations rather than just scribbling notes for an hour. It is critical in classes of that format for all students to do the reading so that everyone can participate, more ideas can be shared and a greater understanding of the topic can be grasped. If only a handful of the students do the reading, those class discussions will not be very lively and the students who have not read will not get the most out of their class.

Curling up on the couch with a textbook to spend an hour or two reading may not sound like everyone’s idea of a fun night, but it may be necessary for a student’s learning style or the best way to prepare for a class so that students can benefit the most from taking that course.

The Cougar Chronicle will be conducting an anonymous survey on the subject of reading textbooks and other sources. To take it, go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8PG5R86. It will be followed up on in a story later this semester.