There are four main categories that nearly all purposes for reading fall into; identifying which category you require will help you get the most out of the information. These categories are, reading to assess, reading to learn, reading to learn to do, and reading to do. The first category is merely another way of saying reading to skim, the second is gathering information in order to make logical conclusions and decisions, the third is learning how to go about doing a given task, and the fourth is like a reference book that is used while performing a task.
In order to be effective at reading, readers need to see the documents and the situations they are part of as a whole, not as separate entities. Experienced readers will soon see re-occurring, evolving patters that are present in almost all forms of technical documentation.
There are three steps that you can perform to help read effectively – skim, scan, and predict. By skimming the documents first, you can get a quick, overall sense of what the document is all about and where it is located. You can get an idea of what you need to put the most amount of time and energy into reading. Scanning involves glancing at each page for specific information which is usually made to stand out by the use of italics or bold words, for example. After you have done these two steps, you can predict what will be coming up ahead and formulate questions that you will want to have answered in the upcoming text.
Many texts that are published have an abstract included along with the full report. This is a very useful part of the document that will help to prepare you for the majority of the information that will be given to you. The four kinds of information that will help you out in an abstract are the objective, purpose or rationale, the methodology, the results, and the conclusion.
Along with the abstract, you can use visual clues that are scattered throughout the text to help you get the main points that are present. Some visual cues that are used to make the information more readable are chunking together information in order to form a clear relationship, arranging the information in a clear sequence, and placing emphases on the important parts.
There are additional strategies that the reader can use to optimize their reading habits. Determining the main points and sub points strengthens the ideas that are present. Questions can be asked to draw out the main points such as, what is the main issue or problem, who is involved in the problem, what approach is used to solve the problem, or how will the approach be implemented. Inferences can also be drawn to get more information than is given through the text and visuals.
In conclusion, while reading technical documents, you as the reader cannot just go through the words and pictures and expect to get all of the information that is present. Careful planning must be made to ensure that all of the essential points that are given are interpreted correctly. There are many different strategies that have been outlined and while each one does not have to be used at all times, the reader should try to get a good grasp on what works most effectively for that individual for different situations.
10 comments:
Good job with the summary, you did a great job with all the details. I really liked your conclusion.
I was glad to read the importance of doing the 3 steps of skim, scan, and predict before reading a document because that is something I do for almost everything I read. I usually quickly skim a chapter before actually taking the time to sit down and make sure I thoroughly comprehend the material. I sometimes have wondered if it is just a waste of time to go through it more than once, but now I realize it is definitely worth it. The first time I read through a chapter, another technique I try to remember is to highlight main points I can later reference back to. Also, when I am studying for a test I try to write down certain points/ideas that I am having trouble understanding and other ideas that I think are really important. I think it helps to not only read and highlight, but to write it out as well so it is easier to retain and recall. In the end, I usually end up reading a chapter at least a couple times to make sure I thoroughly comprehended all of the material.
I personally always skim what I am about to read before I go back and read it thoroughly. If I don’t skim before hand, I end up reading the passage and have no idea what I have just read when I am complete. I have never been a big reader, but I find that this is the best way for me to understand the context of the information. I usually don’t so much predict what I am about to read, but I am one to look at the pictures throughout the passage if any are provided. I find myself to be a visual learner more than anything and the pictures tend to help me stay interested in the subject of the passage. By looking at the bold words and their definitions you can also get a good understanding of what the information you are about to read is conveying to you. I think that you guys did a great job on the summary.
This chapter was quite interesting to me. I struggle reading things that don't completely interest me, then I end up not comprehending the material that I read, or I end up wasting time because I always have to go back through and re-reading it again. This chapter has some good advice though. I like the skimming, scanning and predicting part.I am even going to try it. What I have been trying to do is read things and if I don't understand a section I will re-read it again and again until I do get what it is saying. The one thing that I'm not sure on is with skim, scan and predict, I'm not confident that I will skim the right point or scan what is appropriate and say I do the skimming and scanning but I don't know if I will actually make a right prediction.I guess it's just something that I will have to try
I really loved this chapter because it illustrates the effectiveness of reading efficiently. Since I am personally an engineer, our books and papers have a lot of stuff that is not necessary for us to read, therefore by reading as described in the skim, scan, and predict method; we can efficiently read all of our chapters in a quick amount of time. Great Summary!
Many of us probably have difficulty reading from time to time, especially if the material is not real interesting. I get to that point when I have to read paragraphs over and over and it still doesn't sink in. This chapter has some good points to help improve reading efficiency, even for the dullest subjects.
I thought the summary was done well. Its just crazy all the time you have to put into reading something. I know i read wrong, cuz i try and just read through things all at once. And shockingly i dont remember a darn thing 10 minutes later. Knowing is half the battle right
It is suprising all the different types of reading there are and the techniques that go along with them. I personally don't feel that reading is one of my strong points but maybe if I try using the skim, scan, and predict technique I'll cut down on some of the time I spend going back and forth between documents.
Skim scan and predict........
I actually took a class on skim and scan. I know it is very improtant to do because it helps you read through dry material. You can actually obtain more instead of reading it word for word. Typically when the material does not interest you, you tend to forget what you read a lot faster. That why it does help to skim and scan.
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