Read Strategically

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Read Strategically

• How to read more efficiently.

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Learning Objectives

• To understand how reading contributes to college
  success
  
• To assess your learning style
• To build your concentration skills
• To develop multilevel thinking skills
• To learn to preview and predict before reading
• To develop questions to guide your reading
• To check your comprehension

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Reading and Academic Success

• Active reading includes
• pre-reading and predicting,
• assessing prior knowledge,
• defining a purpose for reading, building
  concentration,
  
• checking comprehension.

Are the bulls active readers?
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What is your learning style?

• Auditory
• Applied
• Spatial
• Social
• Creative
• Visual
• Conceptual
• Verbal
• Independent
• Pragmatic

How much has Bill learned?
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How do you build concentration?

• Eliminate Distractions
• Choose a place conducive to reading.
• Notice your physical state (tired? hungry?).
• Have necessary materials available.
• Choose your peak periods of attention (evening?
  day?).
  
• Keep a list of distractions and then avoid them.

Is this a good place to read?
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How do you focus attention?

• Set goals.
• Reread psychology lecture notes - 15 minutes
• Review chapter 9 in accounting - 30 minutes
• Reward yourself
• snack,
• TV,
• phone call
• Begin by reviewing previously read material.
• Write and underline as you read.

How is the speaker focusing attention?
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Six levels of thinking skills

• There are six levels of thinking skills, from
  basic to advanced
  
• Knowledge
• Comprehension
• Application
• Analysis
• Synthesis
• Evaluation

Inference is not a basic level skill. Inferencin
g requires
advanced thinking!
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What is to previewing?

• It means to guess what is meant.
• It indicates to take into account factors other
  than the words that make up the sentences in a
  statement, or the images in a picture.
  
• Inferential previewing is a high-level thinking
  skill--reading between the lines.

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What do previewers read?

• Read the chapter title.
• Read the introduction or the first paragraph.
• Read each boldface heading.
• Read the first sentence under each major heading

Is this study predictive?
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Previewing Nontextbook Material

• Pay close attention to the title.
• Identify the author and source of material.
• Read the first paragraph carefully.
• Read the first sentence of each paragraph if
  there are no headings.
  
• Pay close attention to the last paragraph.

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How to activate background knowledge?

• Ask questions, and try to answer them.
• Draw on your own experience.
• Brainstorm - Write down everything that comes to
  mind about the topic.
  
• THEN MAKE PREDICTIONS ABOUT WHAT YOU WILL HAVE TO
  KNOW!

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What are guide questions?

• Guide questions direct your attention to what is
  important in each chapter section you are
  reading.
  
• The easiest way to make up guide questions is to
  turn the chapter title and headings into
  questions that you try to answer.

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How to check comprehension?

• Recognize comprehension signals. Checking
  Techniques
  
• Use your guide questions.
• Ask yourself thought-provoking questions.
• Use internal dialogue. Mentally talk to yourself.

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Paragraph Analysis

• Find the sentence that doesnt belong. Then
  replace it with a more appropriate sentence.
  
• Stephanie wanted a dog. She begged her mother to
  allow her to take a puppy from her neighbors
  dogs litter. Her mom was reluctant because she
  didnt know if Stephanie would take all
  responsibility for the dogs care. Rachel and
  Sarah had dogs. Finally, mom, who really liked
  dogs, decided to allow Stephanie to have a puppy.

If the topic is about what Stephanie wants,
then which sentence isnt about her desire?
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Its not about others!

• Find the sentence that doesnt belong. Then
  replace it with a more appropriate sentence.
  
• Stephanie wanted a dog. She begged her mother to
  allow her to take a puppy from her neighbors
  dogs litter. Her mom was reluctant because she
  didnt know if Stephanie would take all
  responsibility for the dogs care. Rachel and
  Sarah had dogs. Finally, mom, who really liked
  dogs, decided to allow Stephanie to have one.

So what if Rachel and Sarah have dogs?
The text is about what Stephanie wants!
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Summary Questions

• How do you improve your concentration?
• What is your learning style and how can you
  capitalize on it?
  
• What are the six stages of thinking?
• Why is previewing important?
• How do you preview material?
• How do you make guide questions?
• What are some comprehension checking techniques?