Six Reading Myths

MYTH 1: I HAVE TO READ EVERY WORD Many of the words used in writing grammatically correct sentences actually convey no meaning. If, in reading, you exert as much effort in conceptualizing these meaningless words as you do important ones, you limit not only your reading speed but your comprehension as well.

MYTH 2: READING ONCE IS ENOUGH Skim once as rapidly as possible to determine the main idea and to identify those parts that need careful reading. Reread more carefully to plug the gaps in your knowledge. Many college students fell that something must be wrong with their brain power if they must read a textbook chapter more than once. To be sure, there are students for whom one exposure to an idea in a basic course is enough, but they either have read extensively or have an excellent background or a high degree of interest in the subject. For most students in most subjects, reading once is not enough. However, this is not to imply that an unthinking Pavlovian-like rereading is necessary to understand and retain materials. Many students automatically regress or reread doggedly with a self-punishing attitude. ("I didn't get a thing out of that paragraph the first time, so if I punish myself by rereading it maybe I will this time.") This is the hardest way to do it. Good reading is selective reading. It involves selecting those sections that are relevant to your purpose in reading. Rather than automatically rereading, take a few seconds to quiz yourself on the material you have just read and then review those sections that are still unclear or confusing to you. The most effective way of spending each study hour is to devote as little time as possible to reading and as much time as possible to testing yourself, reviewing, organizing, and relating the concepts and facts, mastering the technical terms, formulas, etc., and thinking of applications of the concepts-in short, spend your time learning ideas, not painfully processing words visually.

MYTH 3: IT IS SINFUL TO SKIP PASSAGES IN READING Many college students feel that it is somehow sinful to skip passages in reading and to read rapidly. We are not sure just how this attitude develops, but some authorities have suggested that it stems from the days when the Bible was the main book read, savored, and reread. Indeed, the educated person was one who could quote long passages from these books from memory. Today proliferation of books and printed matter brought about by the information explosion creates a reading problem for everyone. Furthermore, much of this printed material offers considerably less than Shakespeare or the Bible in meaning or style. You must, of course, make daily decisions as to what is worth spending your time on, what can be glanced at or put aside for future perusal, and what can be relegated to the wastebasket. The idea that you cannot skip but have to read every page is old-fashioned. Children, however, are still taught to feel guilty if they find a novel dull and out it down before finishing it. I once had a student who felt she could not have books in her home unless she had read every one of them from cover to cover. Studies show that this is the reason many people drop Book-of-the-Month Club subscriptions; they begin to collect books, cannot keep up with their reading, and develop guilty feelings about owning books they have not had time to read. The idea that some books are used merely for reference purposes and are nice to have around in case you need them seems to be ignored in our schools. Sir Francis Bacon once said that some books are to be nibbled and tasted, some are to be swallowed whole, and a few

need to be thoroughly chewed and digested no matter how trivial the content. No wonder many people dislike reading.

MYTH 4: MACHINES ARE NECESSARY TO IMPROVE MY READING SPEED Nonsense! The best and most effective way to increase your reading rate is to consciously force yourself to read faster. Machines are useful as motivators, but only because they show you that you can read faster without losing understanding. Remember that they are inflexible, unthinking devices that churn away at the same rate regardless of whether the sentence is trivial or vital, simple or difficult. They are limited too, for if you are practicing skimming, you are looking for main ideas so that you can read more carefully. Since these may not be located in a definite pattern (e.g. one per line) nor be equally spaced so that the machine can conveniently time them, machines may actually slow you down and retard the speed with which you locate the ideas that you need for understanding. If you find yourself in need of a pusher, use a 3x5 card as a pacer, or use your hand, or your finger. However, there is one caution you should observe if you try this. Be sure that your hand or finger or card is used to push, not merely to follow your eyes.

MYTH 5: IF I SKIM OR READ TOO RAPIDLY MY COMPREHENSION WILL DROP Many people refuse to push themselves faster in reading for fear that they will lose comprehension. However, research shows that there is little relationship between rate and comprehension. Some students read rapidly and comprehend well, others read slowly and comprehend poorly. Whether you have good comprehension depends on whether you can extract and retain the important ideas from your reading, not on how fast you read. If you can do this, you can also increase your speed. If you "clutch up" when trying to read fast or skim and worry about your comprehension, it will drop because your mind is occupied with your fears and you are not paying attention to the ideas that you are reading. If you concentrate on your purpose for reading -- e.g. locating main ideas and details, and forcing yourself to stick to the task of finding them quickly -- both your speed and comprehension could increase. Your concern should be not with how fast you can get through a chapter, but with how quickly you can locate the facts and ideas that you need.

MYTH 6: THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT MY EYES THAT KEEPS ME FROM READING FAST This belief is nonsense too, assuming that you have good vision or wear glasses that correct your eye problems. Of course, if you cannot focus your eyes at the reading distance, you will have trouble learning to skim and scan. Furthermore, if you have developed the habit of focusing your eyes too narrowly and looking at word parts, it will be harder for you to learn to sweep down a page of type rapidly. Usually it is your brain, not your eyes, that slows you down in reading. Your eyes are capable of taking in more words than your brain is used to processing. If you sound out words as you read, you will probably read very slowly and have difficulty in skimming and scanning until you break this habit.

Steps to Follow in Skimming for the Main Ideas

1. First, read the title of the chapter or selection carefully. Determine what clues it gives you as to what the selection is about. Watch for key words like "causes," "results," "effects," etc., and do not overlook signal words such as those suggesting controversy (e.g. "versus," "pros and cons"), which indicate that the author is planning to present both sides of an argument. 2. Look carefully at the headings and other organizational clues. These tip you off to the main points that the author wants you to learn. You may be accustomed to overlooking boldface headings and titles which are the obvious clues to the most important ideas. If you concentrate on the details and ignore the main ideas, you will have much more difficulty retaining the information you read. Remember that authors of college textbooks want you to recognize the important concepts. They use: a. Major headings and subheadings to convey major points. b. Italicized words and phrases so that crucial new terms and definitions will stand out. c. Lists of points set off by numbers or paragraphs that begin with the phrases such as "The three most important factors . . . " etc. d. Redundancy or repetition. By stating and restating the facts and ideas, the author ensures that you will be exposed in different ways to the concepts she feels are the most crucial for you to understand. She hopes that on at least one of these exposures you will absorb the idea. Therefore, it is vital that you recognize when an important concept is being restated in slightly different words and when you have completely mastered the idea. -Martha Maxwell

Harvard Report
As an experiment, Dr. Perry (psychologist), Director of the Harvard Reading-Study Center gave 1500 first year students a thirty-page chapter from a history book to read, with the explanation that in about twenty minutes they would be stopped and asked to identify the important details and to write an essay on what they had read. The class scored well on a multiple-choice test on detail, but only fifteen students of 1500 were able to write a short statement on what the chapter was all about in terms of its basic theme. Only fifteen of 1500 top first year college students had thought of reading the paragraph marked "Summary", or of skimming down the descriptive flags in the margin. This demonstration of "obedient purposelessness" is evidence of "an enormous amount of wasted effort" in the study skills of first year students. Some regard it almost as cheating to look ahead or skip around. To most students, the way they study expresses "their relationship to the pressures and conventional rituals of safe passage to the next grade". Students must be jarred out of this approach. The exercise of judgment in reading requires self-confidence, even courage, on the part of the student who must decide for himself what to read or skip. Dr. Perry suggested that students ask themselves what it is they want to get out of a reading assignment, then look around for those points. Instructors can help them see the major forms in which expository material is cast. Students should also "talk to themselves" while reading, asking "is this the point I'm looking for?"

3 R's for Academic Survival

Here is a lean and wiry system containing all the essential techniques for mastering textbook assignments. This is an "exam passer". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R1 READ. Read the chapter paragraph by paragraph. Read and re-read until you can answer the question: "What did the author say in this paragraph?" RECORD. Once you are able to describe what is in the paragraph, you will want to retain that learning by underlining, making notes in the margin, or making notes in your notebook. RECITE. Cover up your notes or printed page and recite aloud. Remember! If you can't say it now, you won't be able to say it tomorrow in class, nor write it in a week on an exam; so while you still have a chance, try and try again, until you can say it. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SQ3R Method for Thorough Study Step 1: SURVEY Look over material critically. Skim through the book and read topical and subtopical headings and sentences. Read the summaries at the end of chapters and books. Try to anticipate what the author is going to say. WRITE these notes on paper, in sequence; then look over the jottings to get an overall idea or picture. This will enable you to see where you are going. Step 2: QUESTIONS Instead of reading paragraph headings such as "Basic Concepts of Reading," change to read, "What are the Basic Concepts of Reading?" These questions will become "hooks" on which to hang the reading material. WRITE these questions out; look over the questions to see the emphasis and direction; then attempt to give plausible answers before further reading. Step 3: READ Read with smoothness and alertness to answer the questions. Use all the techniques and principles demonstrated in class. WRITE notes, in your own words, under each question. Take a minimum number of notes-use these notes as a skeleton. Step 4: RECALL** Without looking at your book or notes, mentally visualize and sketch, in your own words, the high points of the material immediately upon completing the reading. a. This forces you to check understanding. b. This channels the material into a natural and usable form. c. This points up what you do not understand. d. This forces you to think.

R2

R3

Step 5: REVIEW -

Look at your questions, answers, notes and book to see how well you did recall. Observe carefully the points stated incorrectly or omitted. Fix carefully in mind the logical sequence of the entire idea, concepts, or problem. Finish up with a mental picture of the WHOLE.

**Note: More time should be spent on recall than on reading.

Getting to Know Your Textbook

1. Examine the title page: e. Who are the authors? f. What is their standing in their fields? (Perhaps you can ask your professor.) g. Do their training and background qualify them to write a book of this type? h. Who are the publishers? i. When was this textbook published? What does that tell you about the book? 2. Examine the preface or introduction: Why is a preface written? What does it tell you about the book? Do the authors introduce any unusual features of your book in the preface and prepare you to be on the lookout for them? 3. Examine the table of contents: What does the table of contents tell? How is this textbook organized? What main divisions has it? Compare the table of contents with that of another book in the same field. Do the two books cover the same topics? Are these the topics you expected to find covered in this text? 4. Examine index, glossary, other material at the back of the book: How does the index differ from the table of contents? How does it resemble the table of contents? What sort of topics should be looked up in the index instead of the table of contents? What are cross references? Is there a glossary in your textbook? Can you use diacritical markings successfully to pronounce a word? Is there an appendix in your book? Why isn't this information included in the body of the book? How would it have affected the organization? What is the literal meaning of "index" according to the dictionary? 5. Examine study questions, guides, and other helps: Does the text provide study aids to help in understanding the text? Are the study aids in the form of questions, exercises, or activities? If questions are used, do they simply require finding the answers or must you do some critical problem-type thinking to arrive at answers? Are there study aids both preceding and following a chapter? Which types of aids help you most? Does the text provide suggestions for other readings or materials designed to help you understand this chapter? 6. Examine chapter headings, sectional headings, and margin guides: Look at the chapter heading and then the section headings that follow. Write them down and see if this gives an overview of the chapter. How do headings help in skimming a chapter for specific information? Do you find different kinds of type in your chapter? Does this help you understand the organization of your textbook better? How? Does the text provide help in identifying material to be found within each paragraph? Is the topic sentence indicated? Does the book use summaries? How do these help? What is the difference between giving the gist of a chapter and summarizing its contents?

7. Examine maps, pictures, charts, diagrams, and tables: Which of these visual aids is used? Do you understand them?

Using Your Textbook

When you purchase a new book, there are several things you should do automatically. I. Look in the front: A. Read and think about the table of contents. 1. This will show you the overall organization of the course and help identify what's important. 2. It will get you interested in the material. B. Glance over any preface or foreword to see what the book is trying to do. C. Consider the title. This is often a significant statement about the book's "slant." Do you know the author? II. Look in the back: A. Glance at the index. This is a listing of subject and pages upon which they can be found. 1. You can tell from the percentage of known and unknown words how difficult the text will be for you. 2. You can see with great precision what the course is concerned with. 3. You can look up specific items of interest. 4. As a review for tests, you can easily look up unknown items since the page number is given. B. Is there a glossary listing unknown words and their definitions? 1. The main concern of many courses is to teach the vocabulary of the subject. This is a vital section, not something to be ignored. 2. Make a page tab out of scotch tape, and undertake to study and learn these words during the term. Use the tab for easy reference during time between classes-time which might otherwise be wasted. C. Determine what other possibly useful materials are in the back-before you need them. You don't have to read them now; just know that they exist . III. Determine how a typical chapter is constructed. (All of the other chapters will be put together the same way. If one chapter has a summary, they all will; if one chapter has questions, they all will.) Use this knowledge when you have a reading assignment. Structure your approach accordingly. IV. Don't be afraid to write in your book-vocabulary words, condensations of ideas, personal reactions, etc. Interact with the book the way you'd interact with a person. Your texts provide a valuable resource during and after your academic career.

The Pivotal Words

No words are as helpful while reading as the prepositions and conjunctions that guide your mind along the pathways of the author's ideas. A word like furthermore says, "Keep going!" However says, "Easy!" Master these words and phrases and you will almost immediately become a better reader, for they will whisper directions in your inner ear. Additive words These say, "Here's more of the same coming up. It's just as important as what we have already said." also further moreover and furthermore too besides in addition Equivalent words They say, "It does what I have just said, but it does this too." as well as at the same time similarly equally important likewise Amplification words The author is saying, "I want to be sure that you understand my idea; so here's a specific instance." for example(e.g.) specifically as for instance such as like Alternative words These point out, "Sometimes there is a choice; other times there isn't." either/or other than neither/nor otherwise Repetitive words They say, "I said it once, but I'm going to say it again in case you missed it the first time." again in other words to repeat that is(i.e.) Contrast and change words "So far I've given you only one side of the story; now let's take a look at the other side." but on the contrary still conversely on the other hand though despite instead of yet however rather than regardless nevertheless even though whereas in spite of notwithstanding Cause and effect words "All this has happened; now I'll tell you why." accordingly since because so consequently hence for this reason

then thus therefore

Qualifying words These say, "Here is what we can expect. These are the conditions we are working under." if although unless

providing

whenever

Concession words They say, "Okay! We agree on this much." accepting the data granted that Emphasizing words They say, "Wake up and take notice!" above all more important

of course

indeed

Order words The author is saying, "You keep your mind on reading: I'll keep the numbers straight." finally second then first next last Time words "Let's keep the record straight on who said what and especially when." afterwards meanwhile now before subsequently presently formerly ultimately previously later Summarizing words These say, "We've said many things so far. Let's stop here and pull them together." for these reasons in brief in conclusion to sum up

Vary Your Reading Rate

Good readers are flexible in their reading attack. Unlike the plodder, who reads consistently at 200 words per minute, or the superficial reader, who may read everything rapidly, well-trained readers have the capacity to adjust their speed to the material. Rate adjustment may be overall adjustment to the article as a whole, or it may be internal adjustment within the article.

Overall adjustment is the basic rate at which the total article is read.

Internal adjustment is concerned with the necessary variations in rate that take place as each part of the material is read. To illustrate this, suppose you plan to take a 100-mile trip. Since this is a relatively hard drive, with hills, curves, and a mountain pass, you decide to take three hours for the total trip, averaging about 35 miles per hour. This is your overall speed adjustment. However, in actual driving, you may slow down to no more than 15 miles per hour on some curves and hills, while on relatively straight and level sections you may drive up to 50 miles per hour. This is your internal speed adjustment. in short, there is no set rate which the good reader follows inflexibly in reading a particular selection, even though an over all rate is set for the total job. Base your rate adjustment on: 1. Your purpose. What do you want to get from the material? 2. The nature and difficulty of the material. 3. The amount of previous experience you have had with this subject.

Your reading purpose: Circumstances will determine why you are reading and how much you have to get out of your reading. For example, a chapter may have been assigned in class, or you may be gathering material for a speech, or you may be trying to impress your friends by your knowledge of Shakespeare. You need to be eminently clear not only on such general purposes but also on specific purpose. To "get the gist," read very rapidly. To understand general ideas, read fairly rapidly. To get and retain detailed facts, read at a moderate rate. To locate specific information, skim or scan at a rapid rate. To determine value of material, skim at a very rapid rate. To preread or postread, scan at a fairly rapid rate. To read for enjoyment, read rapidly or slowly, depending on what you want. To build general background, read rapidly.

Nature and difficulty of material: First of all, this involves an overall adjustment in rate to match you thinking ability. Obviously, overall level of difficulty depends on who's doing the reading. While Einstein's theories may be extremely difficult to most laypeople, they may be very simple and clear to a professor of physics. hence, the laypeople and the physics professor must make different overall adjustments in rate of reading the same material. General reading which is difficult for you will require a slower rate; simpler material will permit a faster rate.

Academic Skills Center, Dartmouth College 2001 A few broad suggestions may help you to select your rate(s) within the particular article: Decrease speed when you find the following: 1. an unfamiliar word not made clear by the sentence. Try to understand it from the way it's used; then read on and return to it later. You may wish to underline the word so you can find it again quickly. 2. Long and uninvolved sentence and paragraph structure. Slow down enough to enable you to untangle them and get an accurate idea of what the passage says. 3. Unfamiliar or abstract ideas. Look for applications or examples which will give them meaning. Demand that an idea "make sense." Never give up until you understand, because it will be that much easier the next time. Find someone to help you if necessary. 4. Detailed, technical material. This includes complicated directions, abstract principles, materials on which you have scant background. 5. Material on which you want detailed retention. The key to memory is organization and recitation. Speed should not be a consideration here.

Increase speed when you find the following: 1. Simple material with few ideas new to you. Move rapidly over the familiar; spend most of your time on the few unfamiliar ideas. 2. Unnecessary examples and illustrations. These are included to clarify ideas. If not needed, move over them rapidly. 3. Detailed explanation and elaboration which you do not need. 4. Broad, generalized ideas. These can be rapidly grasped, even with scan techniques.

Skip that material which is not suitable for your purpose. While the author may have thought particular information was relevant, his/her reason for writing was not necessarily the same as your reason for reading. Remember to keep your reading attack flexible. Shift gears from selection to selection. Use low gear when the going is steep; shift into high when you get to the smooth parts. Remember to adjust your rate within a given article according to the type of road you are traveling and to your purposes in traveling it. Most important, remember: Reading this paper hasn't done you and good. Not yet. You must practice these techniques until a flexible reading rate becomes second nature to you.