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February 4, 2009

Something About Reading

You are expected to do much more reading at university than at school or college; it's not called ‘reading for a degree' for nothing.

Here are five tips to help you improve your reading:

1. Styles of reading
2. Active reading
3. A tip for speeding up your active reading
4. Spotting authors' navigation aids
5. Words and vocabulary

1. Styles of reading

There are three styles of reading which we use in different situations:
Scanning: for a specific focus

The technique you use when you're looking up a name in the phone book: you move your eye quickly over the page to find particular words or phrases that are relevant to the task you're doing.

It's useful to scan parts of texts to see if they're going to be useful to you:

* the introduction or preface of a book
* the first or last paragraphs of chapters
* the concluding chapter of a book.

Skimming: for getting the gist of something

The technique you use when you're going through a newspaper or magazine: you read quickly to get the main points, and skip over the detail. It's useful to skim:

* to preview a passage before you read it in detail
* to refresh your understand of a passage after you've read it in detail.

Use skimming when you're trying to decide if a book in the library or bookshop is right for you.
Detailed reading: for extracting information accurately

Where you read every word, and work to learn from the text.

In this careful reading, you may find it helpful to skim first, to get a general idea, but then go back to read in detail. Use a dictionary to make sure you understand all the words used.

2. Active reading

When you're reading for your course, you need to make sure you're actively involved with the text. It's a waste of your time to just passively read, the way you'd read a thriller on holiday.

Always make notes to keep up your concentration and understanding.

Here are four tips for active reading.
Underlining and highlighting

Pick out what you think are the most important parts of what you are reading. Do this with your own copy of texts or on photocopies, not with borrowed books.
If you are a visual learner, you'll find it helpful to use different colours to highlight different aspects of what you're reading.
Note key words

Record the main headings as you read. Use one or two keywords for each point. When you don't want to mark the text, keep a folder of notes you make while reading.
Questions

Before you start reading something like an article, a chapter or a whole book, prepare for your reading by noting down questions you want the material to answer. While you're reading, note down questions which the author raises.
Summaries

Pause after you've read a section of text. Then:

1. put what you've read into your own words;
2. skim through the text and check how accurate your summary is and
3. fill in any gaps.


3. A tip for speeding up your active reading

You should learn a huge amount from your reading. If you read passively, without learning, you're wasting your time. So train your mind to learn.

Try the SQ3R technique. SQ3R stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recall and Review.
Survey

Gather the information you need to focus on the work and set goals:

* Read the title to help prepare for the subject
* Read the introduction or summary to see what the author thinks are the key points
* Notice the boldface headings to see what the structure is
* Notice any maps, graphs or charts. They are there for a purpose
* Notice the reading aids, italics, bold face, questions at the end of the chapter. They are all there to help you understand and remember.

Question

Help your mind to engage and concentrate. Your mind is engaged in learning when it is actively looking for answers to questions.

Try turning the boldface headings into questions you think the section should answer.
Read

Read the first section with your questions in mind. Look for the answers, and make up new questions if necessary.
Recall

After each section, stop and think back to your questions. See if you can answer them from memory. If not, take a look back at the text. Do this as often as you need to.
Review

Once you have finished the whole chapter, go back over all the questions from all the headings. See you if can still answer them. If not, look back and refresh your memory.

See also: Taking notes, Gathering information

4. Spotting authors' navigation aids

Learn to recognize sequence signals, for example:

"Three advantages of..." or "A number of methods are available..." leads you to expect several points to follow.

The first sentence of a paragraph will often indicate a sequence: "One important cause of..." followed by "Another important factor..." and so on, until "The final cause of..."

General points are often illustrated by particular examples, for example:

General: Birds' beaks are appropriately shaped for feeding.

Particular: Sparrows and other seed-eating birds have short, stubby beaks; wrens and other insect eaters have thin pointed beaks; herons and other fish hunters have long, sharp beaks for spearing their prey.

Whatever you are reading, be aware of the author's background. It is important to recognise the bias given to writing by a writer's political, religious, social background. Learn which newspapers and journals represent a particular standpoint.

5. Words and vocabulary

When you're a graduate people expect you to use a vocabulary which is wider than a school-leaver's. To expand your vocabulary:

Choose a large dictionary rather than one which is ‘compact' or ‘concise'. You want one which is big enough to define words clearly and helpfully (around 1,500 pages is a good size).

Avoid dictionaries which send you round in circles by just giving synonyms. A pocket dictionary might suggest: ‘impetuous = rash'.

A more comprehensive dictionary will tell you that impetuous means ‘rushing with force and violence', while another gives ‘liable to act without consideration', and add to your understanding by giving the derivation ‘14th century, from late Latin impetuous = violent'.

It will tell you that rash means ‘acting without due consideration or thought', and is derived from Old High German rasc = hurried.

So underlying these two similar words is the difference between violence and hurrying.

There are over 600,000 words in the Oxford English Dictionary; most of them have different meanings, (only a small proportion are synonyms).

Avoid dictionaries which send you round in circles by using very complicated language to define the term you're looking up, leaving you struggling to understand half a dozen new words.

Keep your dictionary at hand when you're studying. Look up unfamiliar words and work to understand what they mean.

Improve your vocabulary by reading widely.

If you haven't got your dictionary with you, note down words which you don't understand and look them up later.

taken from: http://www.studyskills.soton.ac.uk/studytips/reading_skills.htm

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Reading??Actually I am not interested at all to read.But to improve my vocabulary, i have to.I do not why..but i would feel bored when i am reading.Now I realize that reading is really important especially for English.All the tips above,I will try to practice it so that my vocabulary will be improve....

From :
NUR DALILA (AA 08131)
A15..

Anonymous said...

thank you miss yana...
all your tips are very helpful for me...
i love readings but most book that i read are not really suitable for my range..
i love to read books that suitable for secondary student...
but now i realise how to pick several books that suit my needs and wide vocabulary..
once again..thank you for all the tips...
i will apply it and try to reads more books that i can afford..

Anonymous said...

im enjoy reading so much.and i love to be with dictionary,which is my addiction to read and highlight the words ever since.But I found sometimes, the words may have the same meaning, but seems inappropriate to be use in the similar sentences if we just replace the other words into the sentences.i guess the thesaurus dictionary also a must indeed to improve our vocabulary.yep,i totally agree that reading need a skill,or it will be such a bore activity,and this entry may helps a lot. :)

Anonymous said...

reading tips???thanks miss..,
reading..?as f0r me,myself and i...,reading is interesting!but i only enj0y that sometimes..it depends on the content..if it's like Calculus or Mechanic book,i'll put them aside..haha..i hate th0se books but what can i d0?i have to study the book..haha..i always do a last minute study..i kn0w it's a wr0ng meth0d..but it can't be helped!hehe..i really like comics, magazines and newspapers..sometimes,it to0k me an h0ur to finish reading a newspaper as i love to read and understand..!reading is very interesting,useful and helpful..thanks again miss f0r the tips..

ej@Z@Za said...

to miss yana:

Your reading tips is very helpful.Eventhough, i'm not really interested in reading the english books,especially the thick one..but i'm love to read the novel or love story..Honestly,i can finish read the thick malay novel within a day..but not english one..huhu..it's strange right..but from now on..i will try to read the english story according to your tips..maybe i can start with reading the newspaper..

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for the tips miss...
your reading tips is really helpful and interesting for me. Actually, I am not interested at all to reading..hehe but I'm still read your tips because I want changes my habits and become a reading lover. I only read such as novel or magazine if I realy have free time or really bored. But now I realize that reading is very important to me especially to improve my vocabulary. so, I will apply your tips..
thank you once again miss!!

From:
Norhafiza Bt Hasan~
AA0049 (A15)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your tips miss...
Actually i really love reading especially for novel.When i at secondary school i really hate to read biology textbook..This book is really bored..Maybe i need to use your tips to make me more interested to read the book like that.Its important to improve my vocabulary and knowledge..

by;
Nurul Ain Zainodin
AA08149(a15)

Anonymous said...

About reading..Sometimes i like reading,sometimes do not like.Depends on the book or title.I like to read adventure stories.I will try to use the tips that miss give.It's look interesting.I will try my best to improve my vocabulary.Thank you for the tips miss.

From,
jahabar nachia
AA08067
A15

Anonymous said...

Thanks miss for your reading tips...hmm..reading?i like reading but i like to reading comics and magazines..i think i must to reading more article and newspaper too.i want to improve my vocabulary .for your informatin i also love to read scary book.huhu..very interesting..once again.thank you for the tips.

~SITI FARAH ATIRAH BT ROSLAN~
~AA08129~

Anonymous said...

miss jaja...
A15...

title : how about reading?
genre : tips..hehe
date : 28th february 2009
source : miss leana


book? magazine? novel?
which one do you prefer?
i prefer to read novel and magazine. such as cleo,galaxie and others. i like to read malay novel. but i also read short stories too in english.

conclusion : from the reading we will have more knowledge either local nor foreign. read for your own is the best!

Unknown said...

Assalamualaikum and hi to everyone..
Firstly, thank you to Miss Yana because give some tips to improve my readings. Actually, I really hate in reading books. I feel so bored to read a book even the book is so simple. However, as a student there is no impossible thing to succeed in my life. So, to overcome my problem in reading books, once a week, I will read one topic about my subject. Beside improve my readings I also can do revision about topic that I do not understand. That’s all my comment about my reading. Thank you.

NURUL NADIA BT SAMIN
KA08090
K25

Anonymous said...

salam..
thank you to Miss Yana for the tips..actually,I don't like reading especially read history's book..so sleepy and boring..but,as a student,I must have this attitude which is love reading..because,from that,many information can we get..sometimes,we can found information that is not discuss on class,but we are lucky..found it during reading any materials..reading not just focus on reading book only..for me,I don't like read book,but I like read magazines,newspaper and blog..so,as a conclusion..reading is so important in student's life..

EMA FARIMA BT RUSTAM ALI KHAN
KA08087
K25

cheeda K25 said...

Salam… Thanks to Miss Yana gives the tips to improve my readings. But honestly I not really like reading. I’m almost preferred listening and counting. But, sometimes I like, it depend to contain in that books. After I read your tips, I hope that I will try to read especially English books. It’s too important to increase my vocabulary and also information. Thanks to Miss Yana again because give me awareness about the important of reading

farahin said...

salam..
the tips are so interesting.It make ke to try how far the effect for me.Although I like reading BM book,this tips I can apply while I reading BI book.It also can make me more interested reading a english book.
Actually reading have many advantages.It can improve our language and also our vocabulary.So,anybody who don't like reading,lets try it.With the tips that have given from miss,I think we can manure the interest..

Anonymous said...

cool! the tips were superb.. it can be apply on any reading materials.. some times, reading factual materials can lead to sleepy n boring mood. But, with this courageable tips, can help to improve reader how to observe important facts and points in a factual reading material such as Malaysian studies and TITAS subject. Thanks, miss!
~bell k25~

* sorry for late posting comment *