Advice for Students on How to Read Like a Scholar
At the most fundamental level, reading skills focus around comprehension. However, during academic study, as you progress to higher degrees of sophistication, you'll require a more in-depth approach to texts. In addition, the extensive reading required by many secondary and post-secondary schools demands that students learn to read deeply and efficiently, getting the most of out a text in the least amount of time.
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Pre-Reading Techniques
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Instead of just opening to page one and proceeding forward, breaking your reading into discrete steps can sharpen your focus and reduce your reading time. Before you start reading in earnest, familiarize yourself with the general structure of your text. If it's a scholarly article, scan the abstract and the conclusions. If it's a chapter from a textbook, read the chapter's section headings. Before starting an entire book, read or skim the preface, introduction and table of contents. As you focus your attention on these headings and sections of the book, put together a loose answer to the question, "What is the big picture of this text?" From pre-reading, you should get some idea of the author's viewpoint, argument or scope and of the text's basic structure.
Reading Strategies and Styles
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During actual reading, you can select from literally hundreds of strategies to improve your efficiency and your engagement with the text. Before you pick a strategy, give yourself a basic assessment. After reading a short text, close the book and record yourself explaining the gist of the text in simple terms, as if to a friend. Return to the text and note which parts you best retained. If you left out large parts of the text, focus on getting the big picture when you read. Every time you get to a new section or chapter, ask yourself a question related to the section heading. For example, if a chapter is titled "The Life Cycle of the Mealworm", ask yourself, "What is the life cycle of the mealworm?" As you read, focus on finding an answer to the question.
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Post-Reading Techniques
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Each time you finish reading, replicate the technique you used for self-assessment; record yourself giving a casual, spoken synopsis of the text. If it's inconvenient to do orally, wrote out basic notes. By taking your notes after you finish reading, you can continuously check on your retention. Once you've taken some basic notes, include the extra step of returning to the text. If you notice that you've left out pertinent information, add that to your notes. If you want extra reinforcement write the additional notes in a contrasting color.
General Considerations
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For scholarly purposes, effective reading is purposeful and engaged; however, one student may find a very purpose-oriented approach provides focus, while another student gets the most from a reading technique with a looser structure. Since different students have different learning styles and different tastes, take the time to experiment with several techniques. If you're concerned about jeopardizing your schoolwork, try out more experimental approaches on a chapter of a textbook you haven't yet been assigned.
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References
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