Reading and research series

Reading speed & comprehension

Reading rates
 Each type of reading has a different rate;
an exciting novel is a quicker read than a text in biology.
 Text books vary in how well they are written;
as a consequence some are more difficult to read.
 Each semester, time yourself reading a chapter
in each of your text books. See how many pages an hour you can read. Once you
have an accurate estimate of your reading rate, you can better plan your reading
time and studying time.
 Test your reading speed

Comprehension
Scan the chapter first.
Identify the sections to which the author devotes the most amount of space. If there
are lots of diagrams for a particular concept, then that must also be an important
concept. If you're really pressed for time, skip the sections to which the least amount
of space is devoted.
Read the first sentence of every paragraph
more carefully than the rest of the paragraph.
 Take notes on headings and first sentence
of each paragraph before reading the chapter itself.
Then close your book and ask yourself what you now know about the subject
that you didn't know before you started.
 Focus on nouns and main propositions in each sentence. Look for the noun-
verb combinations, and focus your learning on these.
 For example, consider the following text:
Classical conditioning is learning that takes place when we come to associate two
stimuli in the environment. One of these stimuli triggers a reflexive response. The

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second stimulus is originally neutral with respect to that response, but after it has
been paired with the first stimulus, it comes to trigger the response in its own right.
Rather than read every word, you might decode this text graphically:
Classical conditioning = learning = associating two stimuli
1st stimulus triggers a response
2nd stimulus = originally neutral, but paired with 1st --> triggers response.
Rather than reading and re-reading your text, take notes in this form, so that you've re-
written the important parts of the text. Once you have written notes, you don't have to
worry about the text itself.

Reading and research series

Reading critically | Pre-reading strategies | SQ3R reading method | 
KWL reading method | Marking & underlining | Reading difficult material |Interpretive
reading | Reading essays | Reading fiction | Narrator/character types |
Speed and comprehension | Researching on the Internet | Evaluating websites | 
Organizing research: computers | Organizing research: note cards
Adapted from "Being a Flexible Reader" by Gail Kluepfel, Rutgers UniversityFlash exercise by
Eric Price, Interactive Media DHA 5341 Fall 2006, Interactive Design, College of Design; Brad
Hokanson, faculty, College of Design, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN.

http://www.studygs.net/reading.htm

Reading
skills
back 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

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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

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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

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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.
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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 recognise 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

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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.

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 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.

> return to the list of quick-reference guides

Further Reading
Your next step should be to print out and work
through the study guide Reading Academically
last updated on October 16, 2008 
contact details and credits
all resources © University of Southampton
http://www.studyskills.soton.ac.uk/studytips/reading_skills.htm

Reading strategies
Home > Study skills > Learning strategies > Reading strategies

Being able to read effectively means more than just being able to understand what
is written on the page. In this section, you can explore different reading strategies
to ensure your reading, and in turn your assignments, are first-class.

 Reading for different subjects

 Reading for any subject

 Reading for different purposes

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  Reading for understanding

 Change the text 

Reading for different subjects

Different reading strategies are needed for different subject disciplines, and even
for different kinds of writing within the same subject. Subjects in the humanities
and social sciences often require fairly rapid reading of large amounts of
information. Reading for these subjects requires you know where to look for the
information you need, and to use contents and index pages very closely.

You may also be asked to read about the same topic from different angles. This
means that you need to ‘get a feel’ for what is written rather than knowing all the
details. Be selective about what you read depending on your purpose and interest.

Science subjects tend to require slower and closer reading of smaller amounts of
text. Generally, you will need to work through what is written in close detail,
making sure you understand the different steps. For most subjects, you need to
change between different reading strategies.

^top^

Reading for any subject

1. Be selective. You are not expected to read books from cover to cover.

2. Change strategy. You need to develop skills in changing from one kind of reading
to another, depending on how useful the information is for your purposes.

3. Use the index pages at the end of a book. Find the exact pages for what you
need.

4. Read from paper. Avoid reading for long periods from computer screens if using
the internet: print out an electronic copy in a font that suits you.

5. Set targets. It is easy to lose focus when reading. Set yourself targets to
complete a reading task, with clear objectives for what you want to achieve.

6. Focus. Jot down a list of questions before you read and as you go along. This will
improve your attention - and save you from getting side-tracked.

^top^

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Reading for different purposes

For all subjects, you will need to know how to change quickly from one kind of
reading to another.

1. Browsing : looking over a text to see how it ‘feels’, whether it appears to be the
right kind of book, what it contains that might be of use, getting a general feel of
the contents. You often take in more information when browsing than you may
think at the time.

2. Checking: looking in the contents or index to see whether the book contains
specific information that you know you want - or which looks useful.

3. Focusing in: allowing yourself to read more closely when you spot something
that looks more useful. It is also important to notice when the text is less useful,
and to return to browsing.

4. Fact-finding: looking for specific facts and data.

5. Background: This is additional reading, which gives you a sense of the bigger
picture. Select texts that are general and which you find inviting or easy to read.
Read these selectively and at your own pace. This is best undertaken in vacations if
possible.

^top^

Reading for understanding

The main purpose of reading is to understand - not to get through text at speed for
the sake of it. Comprehension is increased if:

1. You are clear about what you are looking for.

2. You discuss your reading with others. Each person is likely to make sense of
different aspects, and you can pool your ideas.

3. You read something that gives you a general overview first. For complex ideas,
choose the easiest book first and work up to more complex texts.

4. You keep active. Set yourself targets and jot down questions to answer. If the
book is yours, underline key points, use highlighter pens selectively, write
summaries in the margin. This prevents you from ‘drifting off’ or simply reading the
same text over and over without taking it in.

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5. Read in short bursts of up to twenty minutes, then take a few minutes break
before starting again.

6. Make notes of key points as you go along. This can create natural breaks every
few minutes in your reading that can help maintain attention. See making notes.

7. Change reading speed. Often, reading faster can help memory of what you are
reading, so it makes more sense. Browse quickly and focus in more slowly only
where needed.

^top^

Change the text

Many people read less efficiently because they are not aware that their eyes have
preferences for reading different fonts and colours. Where possible:

1. Have your eyes tested regularly.

2. Check whether you read more efficiently with larger text.

3. Experiment reading text printed on different coloured papers or using different

coloured filters or lens over the text.

4. If you have access to texts through the computer, experiment with different font
styles and sizes and different colour backgrounds and text.

5. See whether you read more easily in bright rooms, with certain kinds of light or
in dim lighting.

Reflection

 Which three things can you do to improve your reading?

This content has been written by Stella Cottrell, author of The

Study Skills Handbook.

http://www.palgrave.com/skills4study/studyskills/learning/reading.asp

Study Skills

Many students think that being a good student means just showing up for

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classes, taking a few notes, reading the textbooks, and studying right before the tests. However,
learning, like many other activities, involves a complex set of skills that require practice. For
example, if you wanted to become a good basketball player, you would have to learn how to
dribble, pass, shoot, rebound, be a team player, etc., and you would have to practice these
individual skills over and over in order to improve them. Similarly, studying involves learning a
complex set of skills, such as note taking, test taking, etc., that must be practiced in order for
you to become a good student.
 Reading Comprehension 
 Note Taking 

 Test Taking 

 Writing 

 Understanding Instead of Memorizing 

 Studying Math/Science 

 Working on Study/Learning Teams 

 Additional Relevant Study Skills Sites

Reading Comprehension

Do you read page after page of your textbooks and then realize that you have no idea what
you've read? To help you avoid having to re-read your course materials and to make more
effective use of your reading time, Penn State Learning has developed the following website
where you can learn about a step-by-step study-reading method, speed reading, highlighting
text, taking notes while reading, reading difficult texts, and more.

Reading Comprehension

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Note Taking

Because so much material is covered in college courses, you won't be able to remember
everything unless you know how to take good notes in class. Good note taking also involves
adequate preparation and review outside of class. The following site provides valuable
strategies for taking notes during lectures, tips for effective listening, and the “Five Rs of Note
Taking.”

Note Taking
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 Top

Test Taking

Successful test taking involves four critical steps: (1) preparing well in advance of the day of the
test, (2) taking the test in an organized way, (3) managing stress, and (4) learning from the test
after it is over. The following site focuses on ways to become a successful test taker.

Test Preparation, Test Taking Tips, and Test Anxiety

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Writing

The ability to communicate your thoughts and ideas in writing is critical for success in college
and in your future career. Effective writing is a combination of many skills that must be
developed through practice. The following websites will help you in developing these skills.

Some General Advice on Academic Essay-Writing (University of Toronto)

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Understanding Instead of Memorizing

Memorizing without understanding is not the best way to study, nor is it sufficient for success in
college. When students understand the material that they are studying rather than just
memorizing facts, they are more likely to remember the material. Students who study for
understanding read and think critically, recognize the complexity of the content, and can
demonstrate and explain how concepts are related to each other. The following sites provide
information on how to study for understanding.

Critical Reading (Cleveland State University)

Critical Reading vs. Critical Thinking (Dan Kurland)

Concept Mapping (University of Victoria)

Reading Ideas as Well as Words (Dan Kurland)

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 Top

Studying Math/Science

Learning mathematics and science often presents unique study skill challenges. The disciplines
of mathematics and science communicate content using new language and many symbols, are
theory oriented, and often require the mastery of prerequisite concepts as a base for acquiring
new knowledge. The following sites discuss how to study effectively for your mathematics and
science courses.

Academic Success (Eberly College of Science)

Math Study Skills (Texas A&M University)

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Working on Study/Learning Teams

Many instructors assign projects that require students to work together in “learning teams.” In
addition, many students voluntarily set up their own study groups. Being able to work as a team
member is a skill that can be learned only by being part of a team. Unless these teams function
effectively, they can be frustrating and a waste of time. However, there can be many benefits,
including learning from others, participating in active learning, supplementing your personal
studying, and seeing material from other perspectives. The following sites provide ways that
study teams can be effective in helping you to learn.

Using Study Groups to Increase Learning (University of Victoria)

Start a Study Group (Brigham Young University)

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Additional Relevant Study Skills Sites

Additional information about note taking, test taking, reading, writing, and other topics related to
study skills improvement can be found on the websites listed below.

Helpful Study Skills Links (University of St. Thomas)

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Study Skills Self-help Information (Virginia Tech)

Study Strategies (University of California–Berkeley)

http://dus.psu.edu/academicsuccess/studyskills.html

Motivation
Home > Study skills > Learning strategies > Motivation

Motivation can increase and decrease over time. When you are strongly motivated,
it is easier to stay focused, to keep to the task, to work long hours. However, it is
natural to lose some of your motivation when a project lasts as long as a degree.
This is not something to worry about but it does need to be addressed. It is
important to review your goals and reasons for study at regular intervals, reminding
yourself of what you have to gain.

 Motivational spurs
 Celebrate success

 Activity

Motivational spurs

You can boost your motivation by:

 Being clear why you started the degree

 Reminding yourself of the benefits of gaining the qualification

 Writing the benefits down and put these where you can see them

 Setting yourself manageable short-term goals

 Finding a source of inspiration: who or what could inspire you to complete

your goals?

Celebrate success

 When you achieve a target or goal, give yourself a reward

 Set rewards that are likely to motivate you

 This will vary depending on what you deprive yourself of whilst studying

 Congratulate yourself for meeting targets

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Activity

 Write a list of all the things you hope to achieve by gaining a degree
 What one thing is likely to motivate you the most to keep going with your
degree?

 Identify one target you want to achieve in the next six weeks

 Identify one target you want to achieve  in the next week

http://www.palgrave.com/skills4study/studyskills/learning/motivation.asp

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