Read decisions rather than lines
A worked example contains choices as well as operations. Identify why a method was selected, why a condition was checked and why an alternative route was not used. Copying every line can leave these choices invisible. Annotate the example with short explanations in your own words, while preserving the original source. If a transition is unclear, mark it explicitly instead of filling it with an explanation that merely sounds familiar.
Hide a meaningful step
Begin by covering one decision or intermediate result, not an arbitrary stretch of text. Predict what belongs there and justify it before revealing the solution. Choose a step that tests the concept you are learning. In a mathematical example this might be a transformation; in textual analysis it might be the link from a quoted phrase to an interpretation. The exercise is about reasoning, not memorising the next visible line.
Compare the reason as well as the answer
A different route can be valid, and a matching answer can follow from invalid reasoning. Compare assumptions, conditions and the explanation of each transition. Use the course’s accepted methods to judge the difference. If your approach works only because this example has convenient numbers or unusually clear evidence, identify that dependence. Do not generalise a shortcut before understanding the circumstances in which it is legitimate.
Reduce support gradually
Move from one hidden step to several linked decisions, then attempt a new practice task independently. Keep checking errors before adding more difficulty. If you become lost, restore the smallest amount of support that lets you understand the next decision. This is a practical study sequence, not a guarantee of improved performance for everyone. Adapt it to the subject and to the type of assistance your course permits.
Create a decision checklist
End with three questions you should ask before solving a similar problem. They might concern the available evidence, the relevant condition and the validity of the final interpretation. Keep the checklist short enough to use without reproducing the entire solution. Test it on a fresh example and revise any question that is too vague to guide action. Retain attribution when your notes include borrowed wording or distinctive worked material.
