Reading Strategies: Tips for Reading More Effectively and Efficiently

By -
Reading Strategies
Tips for Reading More Effectively and Efficiently

Directions
Here are a few tips to help you get through your reading assignment. Please read the suggestions carefully and employ the strategies when you read.

Before You Read
1.   Look through the material you are being asked to read carefully. This could be an entire book, 
      pages or just one paragraph. Scan (look over quickly and not in detail) the material looking for:

a. headings and subheadings;
b. words or phrases that are highlighted in boldface or in italics;
c. or pictures, charts, or figures that will help you think about the topic. Read what your language instructor will want you to do with this reading afterward. For example, your instructor may ask you to write a brief response to an essay or an article you read and discussed in class.  

As You Read
1.  Do not use a dictionary: Do not try to understand every word. Maybe the bolded or italicized 
     words are words you want to check in your English-English dictionary after you are done reading.    
     Basically, a dictionary will:

a. Slow you down
b. Dictionary definitions might not always reflect the meaning of the word in the    context you are reading. That is, sometimes these definitions are too general. Be ready to read the selection more than once. Keep in mind the following:

a. For the first reading read simply to see the words for basic understanding.
b. Underline words you don’t know now. Avoid the desire to look in that dictionary!

Ask yourself questions about what you read, or read the questions that you have been asked beforehand.

a.  As you read each paragraph, ask yourself what the main idea or purpose of the    
  paragraph is.
b. Ask yourself: “How do these ideas relate to the ideas in the paragraph before?”
c. Note any questions you have about the content by annotating as you read. To
annotate means to make notes along the margin of the reading as you read. Yes, write
on that reading. Interact with it!

After You Read
§  Think about what you have read and learned.
§  Think about what you have read in relation to what your professor is asking you to do.
§  Make preliminary notes that answer the questions your professor has asked you to focus on.
§  Think about new language you have seen used, and decide how you can practice using them.

Implications for Your Learning
Reading is another way to expose yourself to new language and ideas. The case reading you are about to do will be a jump off point for the application of business concepts we have been studying over the last two lessons. This is a good way for you to show your professors your ability to integrate key business concepts and use English. This is a more advanced skill that is required for any academic  setting as it goes beyond the simple comprehension of what you hear or read. Now you are taking your learning one step further by analyzing and forming your own opinions in English. Good luck with the upcoming assignments!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Schumann’s Acculturation Model

By -
Image
Schumann's Acculturation Model Consider how these social and psychological factors affect the extent of the learner’s capacity to learn his or her second language (L2).   Schumann asserts that the more distance created between the L2 learner and his or her target language (TL) culture by such factors, the less contact s/he will have with the TL culture and thus the lower will his or her expected L2 proficiency be. Furthermore, he considers the social factors to be the prime influences; the psychological factors come into play and become the deciding factors only in situations where the combined social factors create neither positive nor negative circumstances for the learner.   Which outcomes of each of these factors make for a bad learning situation and which ones for a good learning situation? Consider as many as apply to your group’s learner testimonial. Social Distance Factors Social dominance : Is the learner’s native group dominant to, equal to, or subor...
Keep reading

English Pronunciation for Turkish Speakers

By -
Image
Areas of Difficulty for Turkish Speakers Consonants: I.    /t/ & /d/: When Turkish speakers of English pronounce these alveolar consonants, they touch the back of their upper teeth with the tip of their tongue. Instead, try to form a constriction by touching your alveolar ridge (the area behind your upper teeth) with the tip of your tongue. Pronounce these sounds in different phonological environments such as word-initial, medial, and final position and in consonant clusters. tiresome      little      brat       staple    burst     crest                  totalitarianism automatic    trickster            cattle     dental    tirade    tardy     training technique    tangle...
Keep reading

Knowing a Word

By -
Image
Knowing a Word   Fluent native speakers intuitively know how to use a lexical item in the appropriate context. They can even determine meaning of an unfamiliar word when it is written or spoken. However, second language learners may not understand what constitutes knowledge of vocabulary. This post delineates the various strands of vocabulary non-native speakers need to acquire to become highly proficient in writing and speaking in their second language.  1. Word meaning:  Knowing a word entails understanding it when it is written and/or spoken by      others in formal contexts. Native speakers do this readily without asking for clarification, but      second language learners need to acquire this tacit knowledge of vocabulary.  2. Recall: A fluent speaker of a language can recall a word when it is needed in writing or in speech.     S/he can incorporate the needed word while speaking without looking it up...
Keep reading