Reading difficult
material can be a matter of
concentration
or of simply organizing the challenge
into steps:
-
Choose a moderate amount of material or a chapter
to begin
-
Get a grasp of how the material is organized:
Scan the section
for titles, headings, sub-headings, and topic sentences to get its
general idea; pay attention to graphs, charts, and diagrams
If there is a summary at the end of a chapter, read it.
Check the beginning and the end for leading questions and exercises
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As you read, practice the "look-away method:"
Periodically look away from the text and ask yourself a stimulus question
relating to the text
Phrase the question positively!
Respond, or restate, in your own words
Make connections and associations, but don't use this exercise to
memorize--but rather understand
-
Look up words
Look up words whose meanings are important to your understanding of the
material, but you cannot discern from the context.
-
Read to the end
Do not get discouraged and stop reading.
Ideas can become clearer the more you read. When you finish reading, review to
see what you have learned, and reread those ideas that are not clear.
-
Organize your notes by connecting ideas
you choose into an outline or
concept map.
Pay
attention to relationships between ideas.
Do not confine yourself to words!
Use representations, graphics, pictures, colors, even movement to visualize
and connect ideas. Use whatever techniques work to help you understand
At this point, if you do not understand your reading, do not panic!
Set it aside, and read it again the next day.
If necessary, repeat. This allows your brain to process the material,
even while you sleep. This is referred to as
distributed reading.
-
Re-read the section you have chosen with the framework
(outline or concept map)
you have constructed in
mind
Separate out what you do understand from what you do not.
-
If the reading is still a challenge,
consult with either your teacher, academic counselors, or reading specialists.
Good luck!
College Reading and Study
Skills by Nancy V. Wood, Holt Rinehart and Winston, Inc. 1991
Website overview: Since 1996 the
Study Guides and Strategies web site
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