Chapter 11 (reading, understanding, and creating visual aids)

Chapter summary
Textbook authors often use visual aids to help their readers better understand the information they are presenting. Visual information reinforces and supplements reading material. Types of visual aids include mind maps, outlines, charts, diagrams, graphs, illustrations, photographs, and time lines. The type of information being conveyed determines what type of visual aid an author will use. Learning how to read visuals will help you to understand and remember the textual information they illustrate.
An effective reading and study strategy is to make your own visual aids. To create an effective visual aid, you have to recognize the important elements in what you are reading and be able to prioritize and organize them in a logical and useful format. It will quickly become obvious how well you know the material; you can't draw a diagram or devise a table if you don't understand what you have read or heard. In many instances, an effective visual will save you from taking as many notes from your texts or in lectures.