When you have just joined college, the huge amount of reading you are expected to do can be unnerving. Nevertheless, you can learn how to prepare yourself in advance and search for ways to make your studies easier.
Tips for active reading are:
Keep the purpose in mind while reading
Studying at college is usually about meeting challenging expectations and deadlines, hence it is essential to use the reading hours efficiently. Before beginning with the lesson, it is important to identify the purpose of that particular chapter/article and what to take down from it.
The student should think whether he/she wants to locate specific information, comprehend complex ideas, get an overview of something, enjoy words and descriptions (as in literature), or relax into the world of a novel?
Working out on the reason of reading ay text will determine the way you will read it, or which interpretation strategies to use while reading.
Select what to read
Higher education requires a lot of reading within a set time, therefore it is important to be careful about what one reads.
Make a list of compulsory topics for the course. There will be portions when you need to read an article or chapter in detail. While at times you just look for specific information relating to an assignment topic and only a couple of pages or paragraphs.
How to select what is important?
- Know what you are looking for in the text
- Identify key words
- Look for the key words when browsing the table of contents and index of a book
- Find an overview to further narrow down context
Focus on the questions of the task
Here it is very important keep in mind what the teacher wants you to know. Because in the end either you will have to write answers in the examination or give a presentation about the topic in class.
Question yourself what it is you must find out. Then recognize the questions and actively look for the answers:
- Study in details about topics of the key words that you find essential
- If you are reading for a definite assignment, read with a copy of the questions in hand so that you don’t waste time reading unrelated material.
Segregate chapters into understandable portions
If you are finding reading overwhelming, break the reading up into understandable portions such as chapters, individual texts or articles, specific number of pages
- Jot down your purpose and the time available
- Set yourself a goal and decide to read for a set length of time or a certain number of pages).
- Reward yourself with a break when you’ve completed it.
- The tasks and goals may be large or small, depending on what needs to be achieved.
Lengthy reading lists can be perplexing, especially when the subjects are unacquainted. However, don’t feel lost. No one is expected to read everything, but make sure whatever you read have a strategic approach which will make things easier for you.
