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How to read? Academic reading is a skill that takes practice. I’ve spent the last few years actively trying to do it more (& better). Here’s a few reflections
How to read? Academic reading is a skill that takes practice. I’ve spent the last few years actively trying to do it more (& better). Here’s a few reflections
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Reading is hard. It is important to acknowledge this. Reading academic texts takes practice, time & commitment. This is time & commitment that we have to actively make & often at the expense of other things
Reading is hard. It is important to acknowledge this. Reading academic texts takes practice, time & commitment. This is time & commitment that we have to actively make & often at the expense of other things
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In an increasingly digital & information driven world we are used to seeking & receiving information almost instantaneously & in bite sized chunks. Reading books is very different to this. But you have to read the books to know what’s in them
In an increasingly digital & information driven world we are used to seeking & receiving information almost instantaneously & in bite sized chunks. Reading books is very different to this. But you have to read the books to know what’s in them
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Because reading is hard, it is good to have some reading goals. Intellectual curiosity is great, but it can be very difficult to read more than one text thoroughly at any one time. What do you want to read & understand more? What will you prioritise? Why?
Because reading is hard, it is good to have some reading goals. Intellectual curiosity is great, but it can be very difficult to read more than one text thoroughly at any one time. What do you want to read & understand more? What will you prioritise? Why?
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Reading should be ‘active’ not ‘passive’ & there is a difference between the two. Adler & Van Doren (1972) wrote a book called ‘How to Read a Book’. They characterise passive reading as seeking to ‘receive’ info from a text. Passive readers read without asking many questions
Reading should be ‘active’ not ‘passive’ & there is a difference between the two. Adler & Van Doren (1972) wrote a book called ‘How to Read a Book’. They characterise passive reading as seeking to ‘receive’ info from a text. Passive readers read without asking many questions
[6]
Active reading connotes a more skillful & demanding activity. Active reading involves engaging in dialogue with the text. Asking questions of the text & of yourself as you read. Pausing to make sense of the bits that you don’t understand. Looking things up.
Active reading connotes a more skillful & demanding activity. Active reading involves engaging in dialogue with the text. Asking questions of the text & of yourself as you read. Pausing to make sense of the bits that you don’t understand. Looking things up.
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Active reading, is what helps us enhance our understanding & horizons. Philosophers can help us to make sense of this. Gadamer suggests learning is a process of mediation between our perspective & others. It happens in dialogue between the interpreter & the text
Active reading, is what helps us enhance our understanding & horizons. Philosophers can help us to make sense of this. Gadamer suggests learning is a process of mediation between our perspective & others. It happens in dialogue between the interpreter & the text
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To engage in dialogue like this, we have to try. This means concentrating & taking time to make sense of the material. That dialogue doesn’t need to end when you finish the text. Allow yourself to return to it. To look things back up. To consider it with reference to others
To engage in dialogue like this, we have to try. This means concentrating & taking time to make sense of the material. That dialogue doesn’t need to end when you finish the text. Allow yourself to return to it. To look things back up. To consider it with reference to others
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It is easy to finish reading something difficult & feel like nothing has gone in. Articulating your own interpretation is a good way to embed learning. Reading groups create spaces for this. Try summarising what you have understood with friends, or in writing
It is easy to finish reading something difficult & feel like nothing has gone in. Articulating your own interpretation is a good way to embed learning. Reading groups create spaces for this. Try summarising what you have understood with friends, or in writing
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It is also important to acknowledge that we build our own roadblocks. Most of us have a tendency to seek out information that reinforces our existing frames of reference. This makes it more difficult to disrupt & expand the frames that we use to make sense of the world
It is also important to acknowledge that we build our own roadblocks. Most of us have a tendency to seek out information that reinforces our existing frames of reference. This makes it more difficult to disrupt & expand the frames that we use to make sense of the world
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For example, I often highlight/underline materials that reinforce what I already know - not the parts that require more attention, like those I have struggled to understand. This is a habit I have had to actively unlearn
For example, I often highlight/underline materials that reinforce what I already know - not the parts that require more attention, like those I have struggled to understand. This is a habit I have had to actively unlearn
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Active reading will also surface that which you don’t know. Sociologists like de Sousa Santos call this ‘learned ‘ignorance’. Reading one text can alert you to others that you need to read in order to reach a comfortable level of understanding.
Active reading will also surface that which you don’t know. Sociologists like de Sousa Santos call this ‘learned ‘ignorance’. Reading one text can alert you to others that you need to read in order to reach a comfortable level of understanding.
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Active reading is something we can never really complete
Active reading is something we can never really complete
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All of this speaks to the importance of reading things that we enjoy. Learning how to read is an ongoing effort. It is almost impossible to commit to this if we are not interested
All of this speaks to the importance of reading things that we enjoy. Learning how to read is an ongoing effort. It is almost impossible to commit to this if we are not interested
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In the university we expect our students to read often & actively. Very rarely though, do we (i) acknowledge that this is hard, or (ii) challenge the assumption that knowing how to read equates knowing how to read ‘actively’.
In the university we expect our students to read often & actively. Very rarely though, do we (i) acknowledge that this is hard, or (ii) challenge the assumption that knowing how to read equates knowing how to read ‘actively’.
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If we expect our students to read ‘actively’ we might just have to have a conversation about how
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If we expect our students to read ‘actively’ we might just have to have a conversation about how
