Active and effective readers
Effective readers are ACTIVE readers. As they read they:
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know what they are looking for and how to find it
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relate new knowledge to old knowledge
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make patterns and connections
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ask questions about the text.
Thus effective reading involves many of the features of critical reflection.
Knowing what not to read
Active readers are selective readers. Very rarely will you need to read a whole text from cover to cover in order to prepare for assignments, examinations or seminars.
‘The art of reading is to skip judiciously.’
P.G. Hamerton
Reading with a purpose
Read with a specific purpose in mind. It enables you to focus on the relevant parts of a text and to use appropriate reading strategies. Are you reading:
- to gain background information?
- to gather specific facts?
- to identify the structure of an author’s argument?
- to understand a concept?
- to find alternative views to challenge an argument?
Once you have identified your purpose, you will know what you can and can’t skip.
