Post on 25-Feb-2016
description
READING How to comprehend, retain and complete assignments
better and faster
Knowing how to read can come in handy….
IT SAYS “YOU GO
FIRST, DAVE.”
IN
OUT
HOLD
GET ITGET IT
EXPOSURE
I finished most (skimmed) or ALL pages of reading
Books are very $$$$* so get your worth
*Average price of a year’s worth of textbooks is $900
ATTENTION I was concentrating
TURN ON YOUR RADAR!
I allowed enough time to really get it
IMPORTANCE!!I decided correctly which material was worth getting
IMPORTANCE
…and might show up on tests
KEEP ITKEEP IT
IMPORTANCE!!
I decided correctly it was worth keeping…
IMPORTANCE
… and will show up on tests
TIMING
I didn’t underestimate the time needed
TIMING
I started early enough
so I could keep enough
ORGANIZATION
I was detailed enough (facts, events, statistics, names, dates, theories…)
ORGANIZATION
An general enough (overviews, summaries, trends…)
“enough”: The “Goldilocks” Problem:
NOT TOO MUCH…not too little…not too little…
ORGANIZATION
I made connections (among text lessons, lectures and class discussion, and lab exercises…)
SHOW ITSHOW IT
through
TESTSPAPERSPROJECTS
PRESENTATIONSclass participation…
Am I getting it?Or not???!!
POSITIVE & NEGATIVE
COMPREHENSION SIGNS
The following are + (positive) and
x (negative) signs
that you’re “getting” it:
+ If you understand why the material was
assigned.syllabus
x If you can't figure out why the material was
assigned or explain why it's important.
+ If you can see where the author
is going.
x If you feel as if you are struggling
to follow the author and can't predict what will
come next.
+ If everything seems to fit and make sense – the
ideas flow logically.
x If some pieces do not seem to
belong-the material seems
disjointed.
+ If you can make connections among
ideas.
x If you can't detect
relationships - the organization is not
apparent.
+ If you can identify what's
important.
x Nothing(!) seems important or Everything(!)
seems important.
+ If you feel comfortable with and/or have some knowledge of the
topic.
x If the topicis unfamiliar but
the author assumes you
understand it.
+ If you can express the main ideas in your own
words
x If you have to reread and use the author's language to explain an idea.
+ If you can read at a regular,
comfortable pace.
x If you often have to slow down
or reread.
+ If you recognize most of the words or can figure them out from context.
x If many words are unfamiliar.
Finally, reading is an unusual and
challenging mental activity:
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabridge Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in what
oredr the ltteers in a wrod are!
The olny imprmoetnt tihng is that the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit
pclae.
This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed errvey
lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
When your When your textbook is a textbook is a
STRUGGLESTRUGGLE
1. Look for essential words1. Look for essential words If you’re stuck on a paragraph,
mentally cross out all the adjectives, prepositional phrases,
and adverbs, and read the sentence
without them. Concentrate on the significant words, usually verbs and nouns.
2. Read it aloud2. Read it aloud Even though this slows you down to the rate of speech, it’s alive and
active. Read a passage aloud several
times, each time using a different inflection, emphasizing a different
part of the sentence. Be loud and animated.
3. Read it again, later3. Read it again, later If you read an assignment and are
completely lost, don’t despair.
After reading, leave it alone. Sleep on it. Your mind will work on those concepts while you slack
off. When you return to the assignment, you should see it with
fresh eyes.
4. Use an alternate text4. Use an alternate text Read another book?!!!
Well, sometimes the same concept can be understood better if you find it
expressed another way. Maybe a GRE, SAT, AP or GMAT
prep book in the subject would condense or explain better.
5. Hold a mini-review5. Hold a mini-review Stop at the end of each paragraph,
section or page and recite - in your own words – what you have read.
Or write a short summary, possibly in the margin of the text.
6. Try to explain or teach It6. Try to explain or teach It We often understand more than
we think we do. To get in touch with this ability,
pretend it's clear as a bell and explain it to yourself, your study
group or some other victim. Write out your explanation as a
potential essay question.
7. Stand up!7. Stand up! Try standing when you read, especially
if you get stuck on a tough passage and decide to read it aloud.
Sometimes hearing the words makes them more understandable, and
pacing back and forth can help to focus concentration.
8. Use your instructor8. Use your instructor Most teachers welcome the
opportunity to work individually with students, which is why they have office hours…
Be very specific about your confusion.
Point out the paragraphs that you found
toughest to understand
9. Find a tutor9. Find a tutor CUA peer tutors are
students who were inyour position not long ago
and might even have had your professor and/or your text.
Tutors can give you a first-hand approach to a course and look at your
situation from a student perspective.