Reading Efficiently and Effectively
Improving precision for college reading
Have you ever felt like you don't remember what you read?
Perhaps what's been happening is that you have fallen victim to some habits and misconceptions of what it is that can make reading more efficiently and effectively.
What are some reading myths?
- You must read the material only once and be able to retain the information in large part.
- Reading ahead, such as the conclusion or text headings is cheating.
- Highlighting text and rewriting it in your notes word for word is a great "active reading" habit.
- If you speed read you will not learn the same as if you take your time.
What can we do to improve our reading efficiency?
The PR2 System:
Overview the section before reading
The purpose of over viewing/previewing is to give you an initial big picture on what the reading is about so that as you read those parts will pop out at you, allowing you to more efficiently pinpoint what the central themes in the reading are.
After this has been done, read the section you have to read!
Read
Take notes and make them your own
Summarize the key points of the reading. The best thing would be to write down what you remember as this will once again re engage the mind into what it was just reading, thereby storing it differently in the brain.
Also, organize your reading and note taking such as through diagrams or outlines that are in your own words. Utilize what notes you made in the margins to deepen the understanding.
Is there more than one way to read effectively and efficiently?
They are all slight variations of the above mentioned process. The key is to identifying which one works best with your learning style as well as the type of learning that you want to retain from it.
PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE
Time with consistent and purposeful practice will gradually improve your reading efficiency and effectiveness.