Enhancing College Reading: Techniques & Strategies by Sandra Jamieson, Study notes of English Language

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Reading for College

How to read Faster

AND more effectively

Sandra Jamieson, Drew University, 2005

Reading for college

First, let’s talk about

reading speed

This is not about trying to read as

FAST

as you can...

... It is about learning to read

as

effectively

as you can

Test your reading speed

Okay, now for some math:



Count the number of words in ten lines and writethat down;



now divide that number by 10. That is the averagenumber of words per line. Write it down;



now count the number of lines you read andwrite it on a piece of paper. Write it down;



multiply that number by the number of words per line,and you have roughly how many words you read.Write down the number you get



You read for ten minutes. Divide the total numbersof words you read by 10 and you have your words-per-minute.



Write it down.

Assessing your findings 

150 wpm

Insufficient



250 wpm

Average general reader

(too slow for college)



400 wpm

Good general reader

(the minimum for effective

college-reading)



600 wpm

Strong college reader



1000 wpm

Excellent

So now what?



There are three main factors involved inimproving reading speed:

(1) the desire to improve,(2) the willingness to try new techniques, and(3) the motivation to practice.



Most people can double their reading speedwhile still maintaining equal or even highercomprehension.



Warning: In order to learn to read rapidly and well you musthave acquired the necessary vocabulary.



When you can understand college-level materials,you are ready to practice reading faster.



The average college student reads about 350 words perminute. A "good" reading speed is around 500 to 700words per minute, but some people can read a thousandwords per minute.

What makes the difference?

Strategies for effective reading



Pre-Read

: Skim the piece looking for sub-headings,

images, graphs etc. Try to get a sense of what thereading is about.

You can call this READING FOR PLOT (like reading the end of a mystery novel before you get there);



Pre-think

: ask yourself some questions that this

reading might answer, things on the syllabusperhaps, or from the lecture. Think BEFORE youread.

You can call this CREATIVE THINKING;



Read in blocks

: Read several words at once (a

phrase, half a line, or a full line in textbooks withcolumns);



Pause ONLY at the end of sections. Don’t reread,but jot down what you remember at the end of eachsection. You can go back and reread at the end.Don’t wait for the action replay. Just read!



If you find yourself falling asleep--take anap! DO NOT keep reading. It is a wasteof time. Just give it up for a bit.

A Trip Down Memory Lane 

Before that you sounded letters

.

R - E - M - E - M - B - E - R

okay

RE - MEM - BER

REMEMBER!!!

Tricks for successful reading 

Reading one word at a time in college is likesounding out letters or parts of words

It TAKES TOO LONG

Instead...

Read in blocks

: Read several words

at once (a phrase, half a line, or a fullline in textbooks with columns);

We are going to practice this

Tricks for successful reading 

Take a sheet of paper and fold it in half



Place it under a line of text



If the text is in columns, put a dot on thepiece of paper in the middle of the line



As you read,



move the piece of paper down the page so itis always under the line you are reading.



Look at the DOT



and SEE the words,



but do not SAY them

We are going to practice this

Using the eye-guide

Move the eye-guide downthe page as you read.

One line at a time.

Focus on the dot, and justsee the words

Article source

:

www.sedl.org/reading/topics/brainreading.pdf.

Now YOU need to practice…The Basic Program: 

Two or three times a day

, read something you enjoy for

15 to 20 minutes without stopping. Time yourself to within30 seconds.



Record your reading rate

and chart your progress.

Recording and charting are essential if you wish to makereal progress.



Push yourself gently

as you read. If your mind wanders,

get it back on track.



Set reading-rate goals

for yourself. Aim for a 10%

increase in your reading rate over the previous record.



Practice skimming & scanning

by finding an interesting

newspaper column or magazine article and rapidlyreading the article, sampling just the first sentence or twoof each paragraph and a few key words. Jot down all thefacts you can remember. Then reread the article slowly,giving yourself a point for every item you can recall.



READ YOUR TEXBOOKS ACTIVELY!

REVIEW:TO ACTIVE READ YOU: 

Ask general beginning questions;

Set a purpose by pre-viewing achapter, and deciding what you hopeto learn;

Guide yourself through the reading byskimming first, looking at its length,sub-headings (

the plot

), images,

charts and graphs, etc.;

Make notes, highlight, and summarizeAFTER

the reading is done!

AND BECOME MORE EFFECTIVE!!!

Okay, let’s try this

Put a mark next to the line whereyou stopped.

Did you read more than the firsttime?

Now PRACTICE

Good luck!!!