Sunday, January 27, 2013
Reading is
one of the most important skill for learning, it is one of the founding pillars
of making students success at university, grow autonomous, and learn more about
the world around them. Many people tend to underestimate reading, deeming it as
a mere process of moving one's eyes from one line to another. On the contrary,
being a good reader necessitates certain skills that not all people are
acquainted with. Visualization and dialogue while and after reading; "scope
it out" and "I wonder" question skill; as well as reading
extensively and having positive attitudes towards the author are some of the
tips that readers in general and students in particular need to use so as to be
effective readers.
Visualization
and dialogue are two tips that help the reader to retain and grasp what s/he is
reading. Visualizing means imagining what you are reading, and giving it a
mental picture in your mind. So as to do so, you only need to draw pictures
while reading. By drawing pictures that represents the content of your readings,
you trigger places in you mind where you can create mental pictures; which will
strengthen your memory, help you retrieve information and use it whenever you
need it. Drawing while reading is similar to organizing papers in file folders;
you don't need to scrutinize all the papers, you just have look at the folder and
you will remember all the things you've put in it. In addition to
visualization, dialoging with other readers is of high importance. The
Integration in social media pave the way to create group discussion, give and
receive comments, make you more engaged and improve your critical thinking. In
fact, reading in group is one of the essential things that the new technology
made it much easier to do.
Along with
this, readers can improve their reading skills by tow strategies which are "I
wonder" strategy as well as "scope it out" strategy. Through
using questions which start with "I wonder why, how, where..",
readers test their understanding and improve their engagement with the text.
Seeking answers for your "I wonder" questions from the text you are
reading or from other sources deepens your reading, enriches your understanding
of the context, and "stores" the answer in mind. As far as
"scope it out" strategy", the latter revolves around remembering
the most important points in the text rather than trying to remember the whole
text. When you have a lot of readings to do in a very short amount of time, it
becomes sometimes difficult to read the whole thing let alone keeping it in
mind. Therefore, it advisable to scan anything which is eye-catching such as topic
sentences, titles, subtitles, and pictures. Thus; when you need something more
specific, you know where you'll exactly find it without wasting your rereading
the whole thing for a second time.
In
addition to what have been mentioned in the two paragraphs above, extensive
reading and positive attitudes towards the writer enhance your reading skills.
Reading on a daily basis makes you more accounted with different formats,
styles and genres. It also makes reading an enjoyable habit through which the
reader forgets everything around him, and gets indulged in the facilitating world
of the writer. Moreover, reading extensively boosts your knowledge about the
world of books; it also enables you to distinguish between books worth reading
and the ones who don't. On the other hand, having positive attitude towards the
writers of the material you are reading maximizes your benefit from the material
and makes you more engaged with it. Contrariwise, the more your dislike of the
material the less learning takes place. For instance when you are asked to read
a play of shakspear, don't say shakspear bores me, rather say shakspear is a
wonderful writer and I will do my best to enjoy his plays.
To sum up,
effective reading doesn't take place by chance. The reader should know that
there are certain tips which s/he needs to apply to maximize his/her benefit
from the material he is reading. Reading
is a unique, vital thing in life. It engages your body, mind, and the heart in
the world of the writer. It broadens your imagination, opens your eyes to other
cultures, and gives the opportunity to learn from the other… So give it a try,
take a book and enjoy the flavor of being an effective reader.
By: Omar Taky-eddine
