Reading strategies
Content
01 Reading Strategies /
Task 1
02 Matching reading purpose with reading strategy
03 Four reading strategies /
Task 2 /
Task 3 /
Task 4 /
Task 5
04 SQ3R: Survey, question, read, recite, review
- 01 Reading Strategies
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[Back to top] - 02 Matching reading purpose with reading strategy
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The most important question to ask yourself at the beginning of any task is, what is my purpose? It is particularly important to be able to do this when you have limited time available to get through a great deal of reading material. By identifying the reason why you are looking at a particular text, you should be in a position to then plan the most appropriate set of actions which can help you to achieve your specific aim. In other words, you will be able to identify which reading strategy would be best to apply to your task.
[Back to top] - 03 Four reading strategies
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Predicting what a text will be about is often something that happens naturally without us even being aware of it. Why is it helpful? Well, by anticipating the content of the text, we are activating any background information (schemata) we may have about the general topic area. In this way, when we start to read, we begin to relate the new information in the text to the information we have already stored in our minds. This leads to greater comprehension and it helps to motivate us to read since we are always more interested in a subject we know something about. It is also useful to think about a text before we read it in order to generate subject-related vocabulary so we can read with more fluency and ease.
This technique involves reading only short parts of a text very selectively, usually the abstract (if there is one), first and last few sentences or paragraphs of text or units/chapters within a longer text to get a 'flavour' of the overall content. This technique is especially useful when we are about to read a text in detail, since we can get a good idea of the essential points which will be dealt with and will know what to expect.
This approach involves quickly casting your eyes over a text to get a very general idea of the content. It involves making use of your full visual span, to register maybe 5 or 6 lines at a time, looking briefly at section headings, illustrations, diagrams and key words. Again, this is a useful technique for identifying whether or not the text includes information which will be useful for our needs.
This is a technique which is used to rapidly locate specific information contained in a text. This skill involves solely focussing on finding the exact information required and not being distracted by any other material in the text. Scanning helps save time since we can concentrate only on identifying the exact information which is needed and can usefully ignore any irrelevant detail.
[Back to top] - 04 SQ3R: Survey, question, read, recite, review
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A very specific approach to reading for academic study which has proved popular with many students and study skills tutors is known as SQ3R. The acronym was first coined by F. P. Robinson in 1946 in his book entitled Effective Study.
SQ3R stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recite or Recall, Review.
Survey:
This stage involves 'previewing' material. Here you need to use both sampling and skimming skills. Your aim at this stage is to identify whether or not the text will be useful for your purposes. You may find it helpful, then, to skim through the Contents pages of a book and to see if you can find key words relating to your particular topic area. Skim through the main body of the text and try to get an idea of the overall content. Also, by focussing only on the introduction and conclusion sections, you should get an idea of the overall arguments and ideas contained within the text.Question:
This is a very important stage because it helps you to focus on your specific purpose for choosing to read the text. The questions you might ask yourself could include some of the following:- What do I want to read?
- Why do I need to read it (for example to prepare to write an assignment, to find a useful quotation to support an idea, to obtain some background information relating to my studies, etc.)
- What do I already know about the subject?
- Is the book included on my departmental reading list?
- Does it contain relevant and up-to-date information?
- Has it been written by a reputable author/does it come from a reputable source?
Read:
This stage will involve reading in detail so that you are able to fully comprehend all the information contained within the text. Detailed reading may involve consulting reference sources, e.g. a dictionary or other source material, such as an atlas or encyclopaedia or other works referred to in the text.
For most people, engaging actively with a text requires taking notes. However, a word of warning - ALWAYS keep a full reference of the material you are making notes from. If you don't do this, the chances are that you will forget where the material came from and then you won't be able to use it in your own work (if you do and you don't provide an accurate reference you will be guilty of plagiarism!) Please also be very careful NOT to mark library books or any other material borrowed from others. If your books belong to you, then think carefully whether or not you wish to write in pen - if you decide to sell your books at the end of your degree, you won't get much money for them if you have defaced them with pen markings.
At British universities it is expected that students should be able to read critically. In other words, based on your own knowledge and understanding of ideas within texts, you should be able to evaluate them and either agree or disagree with an author. It is also important to be able to recognise whether a claim made by an author is supported by evidence or not.
'Reading between the lines' is an expression used when information is not explicitly given in a text but is implied by the context or else is expressed through the author's 'voice'. This voice may, for instance, express sarcasm or understatement which may alter the literal meaning of a sentence. For example, consider the following sentence: 'When he asked the computer technician why the computer hadn't been working she suggested it might be helpful next time to switch it on'. If you understood the expression 'it might be helpful' literally, it would indicate that the computer technician wasn't really sure whether or not the action of switching it on would help. Clearly the technician is being sarcastic and expressing her irritation that the person concerned hadn't thought about doing such an 'obvious' thing himself.Recite/Recall:
Unless you make a conscious effort to remember what you have read, the chances are that you will forget a great deal. Even if you are able to immediately recall most of the content of a text, it will be difficult for you to store the same amount of knowledge in your head in a week's time and there will be even less likelihood that it will be there over a longer period.
If you wish to retain information, then, you must actively make an effort to remember. A good way to do this is to provide yourself with useful notes which summarise the key ideas. After your first thorough read through, have a look at your notes, checking to see that you have included all the key points from the original. You might find it helpful to meet up with members of your study group, if you have one, and tell them about the text you have read. You may also benefit from the opportunity to talk about the points raised in your text in seminars or tutorials.
If you are alone, you may wish to recite what you remember. For some people, pretending to speak to an audience is a very helpful way to test how much information they have managed to store in their memory. It also helps to structure material in your head in an organised and logical way and will prepare you to write assignments and give presentations on the subject.Review:
The last stage in the process involves going back and briefly repeating all the other stages of SQ3R. Now you'll be in a position to ask yourself some final questions in relation to your choice to read the text. In other words, have you found what you wanted in the first place? Will it now help you to achieve your purpose? What further steps should you take to help you to achieve your aims? You may find it necessary to consult a further source to supplement or reinforce the ideas in your text, or you may need to find another text which expresses an opinion which is different from the viewpoint of the author of your original text.
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