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Time: 8 hours
Level: Introductory
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 Introduction Resource- Reading is easy, isn't it?
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| | 1 The experience of reading
- 1 The experience of reading Resource
- The best way to develop your understanding of the reading process is to follow the principles of the Kolb learning cycle, by doing some reading and then reflecting on your experience. To this end, Activity...
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| | 2 Getting round obstacles
- 2.1 Unfamiliar words Resource
- Salim, Erin, Lewis and Kate all mentioned various difficulties encountered as they read the Layard article. Perhaps your experience was similar. If so, how did you respond? Was your progress held up, or...
- 2.2 The ‘academic’ style Resource
- You might also be put off by the ‘academic’ style of writing. In everyday life, what you read is usually written to grab your attention and get a message across quickly before you ‘switch channels’. By...
- 2.3 Coping with difficult parts Resource
- Salim and Lewis mentioned that they found some sections of Layard's article difficult. So did I; for example, anyone without a background in economics would have difficulty grasping the arguments in paragraphs...
- 2.4 Disagreeing with the author Resource
- It is clear from Kate's responses that from the outset she felt hostile to Layard's article and to Layard himself. As she later explained in a seminar, she felt that he looked down on people with low incomes,...
- 2.5 Poor environment Resource
- Were you held back at all in your reading by the environment you were reading in? Were you reading in bed, in the bath, sitting at a desk, on the bus, or in the park? Any of these could be a good time...
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| | 3 How quickly should you read?
- 3.1 Skimming Resource
- Did you read the Layard article quickly enough, or perhaps too quickly? Reading speed is a persistent worry when you study. There always seems to be much more to read than you have time for, so you feel...
- 3.2 Reading to learn Resource
- In order to learn you need to follow the argument as you read. With an important text, you should slow right down and take it bit by bit. Here is a student describing how he tackled a particularly challenging...
- 3.3 Choosing a reading speed Resource
- As a student you cannot afford to read at just whatever speed comes naturally. If you are trying to keep abreast of a course, you have to push yourself. However, reading speeds range from a lightning skim...
- 3.4 Time chunks Resource
- Apart from sheer speed, there is the question of how to parcel out your study time. With a two-page article you would assume a single study session, but a chapter of a book might be spread over several...
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- 4.1 Underlining and highlighting Resource
- To be able to make sense of what you are reading, you need to read actively. One method that can help is to use a pen.
- 4.2 Notes in the margins Resource
- 4.3 Does writing on a book seem wrong? Resource
- 4.4 Questioning what you read Resource
- Another way to keep your mind active while you read is to ask yourself questions about what you are reading.
- 4.5 When you get stuck Resource
- Sometimes as you read you will get stuck. When this happens, don't sit staring at the page; find a way to tackle the problem.
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- 5.1 Critical questions Resource
- As well as making sense of what you read, you have to think about whether or not you are convinced by the arguments being presented. At degree level, you don't simply accept what you read – you read ‘critically’,...
- 5.2 Thinking for yourself Resource
- These are the kinds of questions you need to ask in order to read critically. As a higher-level student, you don't read simply to ‘find out facts’. It is assumed that you will think for yourself and question...
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- 6.1 What is a ‘good’ reader? Resource
- If you ever worry about:
- 6.2 Specific difficulties Resource
- Some students contend with physical difficulties in reading. Here is one:
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- 7 Conclusion Resource
- Reading is a core activity in most courses of study. The purpose of it is to enable you to learn. But learning is not a passive process, you don't just let ideas wash over you. You have to make sense of...
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| | References and Acknowledgements | |
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