Several years ago, here’s how I would have weighed in on the usefulness of a book or magazine’s table of contents: “What’s that?” 🙂 I’m kidding, of course…sort of. The truth is that, over the years, my reading habits have changed. Today, in most cases, I rely on a book or magazine’s table of contents to guide me to the content that interests me the most. I’m not sure why
this reading habit changed, but I have a sneaking suspicion it’s time related. I especially like tables of contents that include pictures!
What about you? What do you have to say about tables of contents?
Happily,
Diane
My reading habits have changed over the years as well. So if it’s a “How To” book or magazine I look through the table of contents so as to pick the topics that are of interest to me. If it is a Text book or instructors manual I peruse the table of contents so as to choose the order by which I am teaching a course or workshop. For me I have found that just because the table of contents of an text book or instructors manual, book etc. is presented in, is not the order I want to teach a particular course or workshop. So I peruse the contents then pick and choose the topics I want to teach and put them in the order I prefer to teach them. I was required to use a certain text one time which was on Child Growth and Development but that chapter was number 10 in the table of contents and there were only 12 chapters in that particular text. I was wondering when they were going to get to the Child Growth and Development portion. So for me depending on the reading material, I scan, choose and then read. Even when you are teaching children to write a story you can teach them how to create a table of contents using the sequence or order of the story.
There are fun activities and games you can do/create with a table of contents with your class.
I’m from old school. And as fast as technology is changing the “Table of Contents” helps me alot. I love when there is consistance, order, and pictures. Love pictures. It helps alot in the classroom environment also.
Thanks ,
Elizabeth Garcia
I always red the table of contents first and love pictures with them.
Using the table of contents allows me to read first what I am most interested in. Due to time I do not sit and read a magazine or book form cover to cover at first. (unless its fiction of course) I read what interests me first and then read the rest when I have a few minutes.
I read the table of contents. I like to know how the book is broken down. I go to the topics that I’m interested in. 🙂
I always refer to the ToC.
I like to predict the content of each chapter from its title, read it, then I usually laugh at how far off I was.
Teacher books ToC help me quickly find the piece of info that I need.
I show my kinders the ToC in their Science Books; they love to look up the pages that the 6 chapters begin on.
I like to scan through the book first and bookmark things I like. then if I still need to I go look at the table of contents.