How to Study

George Fillmore SwainProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.1

Word count: 86K words
Chapters: 9

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.How to Study by George Fillmore SwainAuthor: Swain, George Fillmore, 1857-1931,Language: English, Class: LB: Education: Theory and practice of education, Release Date: Oct 21, 2009

Editor's review

Though short, this book is a solid little primer on how to study. Its author, George Fillmore Swain, was an engineering educator of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and he writes from a teacher's perspective about how students can truly learn to learn: cultivating concentration, forming habits of thought, coordinating classroom work with self-study, and the rhythm of note-taking and review—all at a practical level. It offers no quick tricks; instead it stresses the seriousness and autonomy of learning, and reads with an old-fashioned earnestness. For today's readers surrounded by fragmented information, this plain and systematic discussion has a corrective value. It suits a methodological warm-up before a new term begins, and is also suitable for teachers to recommend to students in class. The original English is plain, with short sentences; readers with some English reading ability can work through it slowly alongside an e-book edition.

Who it's for

A good fit for

University students and upper-secondary students who want to systematically improve their study habits
Working professionals preparing to rebuild habits of reading and self-study
Readers interested in study methodology who are willing to read the English original
Educators and parents seeking to understand how study attitudes are cultivated

Not a good fit for

Those looking only for exam techniques and quick score-boosting schemes
Beginners whose English reading is not yet proficient and who need a Chinese translation
Readers expecting explanations of subject-specific knowledge

Reading tips

Start with the table of contents and pick the chapters most relevant to your current difficulties for close reading; there is no need to devote equal effort from beginning to end.
After each chapter, write a paragraph on one study habit you can adjust immediately.
Compare the book's discussion of concentration and thought with real study situations, and make brief annotations.
Read it alongside other modern books on learning methods to see which principles still hold across eras.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable for secondary school students?

Yes, but it is better suited to upper-secondary students or those with fairly strong self-study habits. The book discusses study attitudes and methods rather than subject content; younger readers may find it abstract and need a parent or teacher to guide discussion.

Is the English original difficult to read?

The language is generally plain and the sentences are short, making it a relatively accessible English read. But the book was written long ago, and some expressions have an old-fashioned style; it is advisable to use a dictionary or e-reader, reading through first and then returning to key passages.

Does the book contain specific review techniques?

The book emphasizes principles of concentration, thought, and self-study rather than listing techniques. Readers need to turn the principles into concrete practices suited to their own situation—for example, setting fixed study periods and forming the habit of thinking while reading.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

George Fillmore Swain Author · American · 1857–1931

George Fillmore Swain (1857–1931) was an American civil engineer and a professor at Harvard University. Public information about him is limited; the one work confirmed in this catalog is How to Study. He also wrote textbooks on engineering surveying and mechanics, which shows that his writing centered on engineering education and on presenting technical knowledge such as surveying and mechanics in a systematic way for students. How to Study turns to the subject of study methods themselves, indicating that beyond professional teaching he also cared about how students read and investigate effectively. His writing addresses classroom and self-study readers in a practical style, avoiding elaboration and aiming to make methods clear and workable. His engineering textbooks served professional training, while his work on study methods carries broader educational significance; together they reflect a engineering professor's sustained attention to how knowledge is passed on.