INSIGHT ON EFFECIVE

READING SKILLS

Rotimi Taiwo (PhD)

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READING
One of the 4 Language Skills:

1. Speaking
2. Listening
3. Reading
4. Writing
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READING: WHAT IS IT?
 Reading is generally conceived as
cognitive process of decoding
written symbols.
 It involves recognition of words and
being able understand what such
words mean and what the
combination of words that make up
the entire text really communicates.
 The ultimate goal of Reading is
comprehension 3
TYPES OF READING
SKIMMING
 The act of reading in order to quickly gather the
most important information from the text.
 It is not essential to understand every
detail when doing skimming reading.
 Skimming is done at a speed three to four
times faster than normal reading.
 Skimming is useful when there are lots of material
to read in a limited amount of time
 Skimming can be done sometimes before a
detailed reading
 Use skimming when trying to decide if a book in
the library or bookshop is good for you. 4
SCANNING
 Scanning is used to find a particular
piece of information
 Scanning involves moving your eyes
quickly down the page seeking specific
words and phrases.
 Scanning is useful for instance if you want
to know if a book treats a topic and you
look through the preface, introduction,
glossary, index, introductory and
concluding paragraphs of a chapter.
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EXTENSIVE READING
 This is the kind of reading you engage in
when you need a general knowledge on
a subject.
 One may read as many different kinds of
books/journals/papers as one can, chiefly
for pleasure, and only needing a general
understanding of the content.
 The purpose of Extensive Reading is for
pleasure and information

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INTENSIVE READING
 Intensive Reading involves reading with
concentration and great care in order
to understand exactly the meaning of
what you read.
 Another word for Intensive Reading is
Study Reading
 It is important the reader understands
each word, illustration, number and facts
in the text.

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READING IN THE UNIVERSITY
 University reading involves the four types
of Reading described above
 As a student, you need to know which of
these to use each time you read.
 It is however important to know that most
of your reading in the university will be
intensive (Study Reading)

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WHAT DOES STUDY
READING INVOLVE?
 The goal of Study Reading is to learn and
retain the learning
 Paying more attention to the details of the
text
 Reading with a focus
 Reading actively and critically
 Reading carefully and reflectively
 Mentally interacting with the message
 Not taking a text at face value, but
examining claims put forward in the text
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READING ESSENTIALS
Interactive Reading
Reading Speed
Active Reading
Critical Reading

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MEASURING YOUR READING SPEED
You can measure your Reading Speed and improve on
it.
(a) Choose a passage you are not
familiar with
(b) Time yourself for 10 minutes
(c) Count how many words you have read
(d) Divide your total by 10
(e) Your answer tell you the number of
words you can read comfortably
NB: If it is less than 200 words per minute you need to
work on your reading speed
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SOME COMMON READING
FAULTS
 Head Movement (strains your muscles and
slows you down)
 Pointing to words (impedes understanding of
thoughts and ideas)
 Vocalization (reading aloud) (disturbs others
around you)
 Sub-vocalization (silent speech - imagining the
sound of the word as it is read) (places extra
burden on the cognitive resources, thus, slowing
the reading down)
 Regression (glancing back and re-reading
words, phrases and sentences already read) 12
STRATEGIES FOR STUDY
READING
There are five basic steps to effective
Study Reading, popularly represented
as SQ3R:
 SURVEY
 QUESTION
 READ
 RECITE/RECALL
 REVIEW

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SURVEY
Survey involves many processes, like:
 Reading the title, objectives, introductory
paragraph
 Skimming the headings and sub-headings
 Glance through pictures, graphs, diagrams
 Read the summary, highlights and
questions
NB: All these give you an overview of the
important information in a text
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QUESTION
 To stimulate your intellectual curiosity, write
down questions that come to your mind as
you survey.
 Your questions may be open questions
asked with What, How and Why or closed
questions, asked with Who, Where and
When, e.g, What do you know already about
the topic? Why are you reading?
 Read the questions after the chapter to know
what the author considers important
 You will be an active reader because your
goal of reading will be to answer the
questions you have raised 15
READ
 Read with your questions in mind
and try to answer the questions
 While reading, it is good to
highlight the key words and
phrases
 Take notes of important facts on
a separate page
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RECITE/RECALL
 Recite means to think back and
try to recollect all you have read
by either saying them, writing
them down mentally recalling
them.
 Your ability to recall accurately
shows the extent to which you
have retained what you have
read 17
REVIEW
A Review can be done by doing
one of the
following:
 Answer questions on the text
 Look through the notes you have
taken
 Write a summary of what you
have read 18
10 ESSENTIAL STUDY HABITS FOR
SUCCESSFL STUDENT

1. Try not to do too much study at a

time
2. Plan specific times for studying
3. Try to study at the same times each
day
4. Be clear about what you want to
accomplish during your study time
5. Start studying when planned
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ESSENTIAL STUDY HABITS (contd.)

6. Start with your most difficult

assignments, since they will require most
efforts
7. Review your notes regularly, especially
before a class
8. Switch off your phone while studying
9. Discuss difficult aspects of your study
with other students and your lecturers
10. Look for a good location where your
attention will not be distracted to study
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THE SPIRITUAL DIMENSION
Prayer
 Never underestimate the importance of
prayer in your study habit. Pray before
and after reading. Remember, God is the
custodian of wisdom, knowledge and
understanding. He is the one who can help
you to understand and retain knowledge
of what you have read.
 Even when some aspects of what you
have read are difficult, God is able to give
you an insight into understanding them. 21
Thank you for listening
&
God Bless you

Email: ferotai@yahoo.com
Webpage: www.rotimitaiwo.com

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