The Horror of Reading!
In this world of ease, when students hear the word “reading” expect a sigh. Analytical reading can be a daunting experience if not practiced properly and efficiently. Today, I will be offering a set of tools for training your ways of seeing and making sense of things you are reading.
Here is a list of reading strategies that I mostly adhere to:
1- The SLOW DOWN Method
If the course requires you to holistically and critically analyze a certain text, then this method would work the best for you. I think this approach is suitable for scientific majors that require a lot of visual analysis. So, here how it goes.
When you are actively reading a text, always stop and dwell longer with the information before deciding what the data means. In other words, ask yourself “What do you notice in this paragraph?”. Although asking “What do you think” is an important question, it does not constitute an integral part of the critical analysis process.
- Make a list details of all the things that you have noticed whilst reading the passage.
- Rank them based on their purpose and their relation to the course.
- Choose the top 3 elements.
- Ask yourself at the end why have you selected these elements and what made them so interesting and noticeable?
2- Repetition Method
This might sound weird- but this method offers you the chance to get physical with the data. How? Let us find out.
- List the exact repetitions and the number of terms in each chapter.
- List the terms that “enjoys” a binary opposition relationship. This would indicate if there is a dichotomy in a number of views. (Good/bad, ugly/ beautiful).
I rarely apply this method; unless, I am studying a literature text or a poem. This is a micro approach to dissect information while reading.
3- “SO WHAT” Method
This method could be as fun as P!nk's ultimate single “ So What”! It is a challenge to create new meanings from essential terms, but knowing how to observe and constructing conclusions is a fun process believe me. This approach is interconnected to the above methods: you could observe the significance of the three elements or repetitive terms to make implications. Always remember to push your observations and implications into concrete conclusions. This method could be shorthand for the following questions:
“What does this observation imply?”
“Why does this observation matter?”
“Where does this observation get us?”
Happy Reading Y’all!
Credit to:
Rosenwasser, D., & Stephen, J. (2012). Writing Analytically . Boston : Cengage Learning .
