EFFICIENT READING

By: Kristy Young Malezky Hernández Edwin PittyFinal

Project

III

Trimester

What is your Reading Rate?

It is the speed at which you read and comprehend the

words in a text.

What is an Average

Reading Rate?

Adult average reading speed

250 words

per minute

70 % compre-hension

They vary according to the difficulty of the

material.

Tips and Suggestions for a Better Reading

How Can You Increase Your Reading Speed?

Be Aggressive! Attack!When reading, strive towards understanding rather than compliance.

Don’t be a

passive

reader

Look for meaning

Get involv

edBe Active!

Drive for the main idea

Have a strong intellectual curiosity

ConcentrateThe faster you read, the harder you must concentrate.

External Distractions:

Physical things

Internal Distractions:

Your own thoughts

Use visualizing to

improve concentratio

n

Steps to stop them

Keep on reading, no matter what

Pay more attention to the text

Only regress when reading a complex subject

Regression: The act of going back and rereading what you

have finished.

STOP REGRESSIONS

Expand FixationsFixations are the frequent stops your eyes make.

They last only for a

fraction of a second.

To expand them, read

phrases and thought units.

The average

reader can see

approx. 2.5 words per fixation.

Vocalization: Moving your lips as you read. It takes additional time

and is a sign of an immature reader.

It is sometimes involuntary; a trick to avoid it is to place a slip of paper in your mouth.

AVOID VOCALIZATION

Subvocalization: A voice in your head that reads out loud for you. It’s necessary for diffi cult

material, although fast readers are totally visual and don’t need it.

Reinforces the words and gives you better reading comprehension.

AVOID VOCALIZATION

Use a Pen as a Pacer

Helps you set a rhythmical pace for you

reading.

Preview Before Reading.

Looking over the material and

thinking about what you need to

accomplish.

Think about the title and glance

over the material for key words and

phrases.

Read the Boldface and Italic type.

Decide what you think the selection

is going to be about and what

you want to know when you finish it.

Activate your Schema.

Set a time Goal for an Assigment

Estimate the approximate

number of word per page.

Calculate the time it’ll take

you.

Make a Realist goal.

Count the number of pages you

need to complete.

“IT WILL HELP YOU SPEED UP YOUR

READING AND IMPROVE

CONCENTRATION”

Be Flexib

le

Don’t read

everything al the same rate

Select the

appropriate speed Adjust

your speed to

your purpose.

PRACTICE

Practice faster reading techniques every day.

Efficient reading strategiesSkimmingSometimes you need to get the general idea or gist of a text. The way to do this is not by reading every word. Few text books were written with your specific course in mind. So you need to adapt the material to your particular purposes, given the course and the task at hand.

Skimming is the sort of reading which would be appropriate if your tutor asked you to read several books and articles for the next tutorial. She would not expect you to be able to recite it word for word, but she will want you to be able to discuss the issues raised.

ScanningYou skim read material to get the general picture. To find out precise information you will need to practise the technique of scanning. You may need to find out specific details of a topic for an assignment or a task that your lecturer has set.

There is little point in skimming a whole book for this purpose. You should identify a few key expressions which will alert you to the fact that your subject is being covered. You can then run your eyes down the page looking for these expressions - in chapter headings or sub-headings, or in the text itself.

Efficient reading strategies

Detailed readingSome subjects such as law subjects and literature, for example, require a very detailed understanding from the student. This kind of reading is always more time consuming, but can be combined with skimming and scanning for greater efficiency.

If it is a photocopy or your own book, take full advantage by underlining or highlighting and using the margins for your own comments or questions.

Efficient reading strategies

Bibliography

Chapter 8 – Efficient ReadingBrenda D. SmithBreaking Through 8th Edition – Pearson Longman

Web Referenceshttp://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/quickrefs/12-efficient-reading.xml

Tryeciak, J and Mackay, ES 1994, Study skills for academic writing, Prentice-Hall, Hertfordshire, UK. Smith, M and G 1990, Study skills handbook, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Fairbairn, G and S 2001, Reading at university, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Goatly, A 2000, Critical reading and writing Routledge, London, UK. Arnaudet, M and Barrett, ME 1984, Approaches to academic reading and writing, Prentice Hall, New Jersey.