Reading passively can cause us to miss important details and information. Are you reading passively? Do you:
- Read simply to get through the assigned pages?
- Pay little attention to identifying and remembering the main ideas?
- Feel little engagement with the reading?
- Avoid rereading sections or asking questions?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these you could be missing an important chance to learn the material.
Active reading is more like a discussion between you and the material, and therefore involves repeated questioning, critiquing, re-examination and re-reading to develop ideas about what you're reading. The benefits of active reading include:
- more efficient reading and studying time
- greater concentration and focus while you read
- improved understanding of key information
Characteristics of reading passively include:
- rushing through reading just to get it done
- forgetting the material immediately after reading
- falling asleep while reading
- texting, emailing or watching TV while reading
- overzealous highlighting of a text
Characteristics of reading actively include:
- asking questions to uncover the purpose and meaning of the text
- frequently noting the main points and restating them in your own words
- reflecting on the relationship between the readings and your topic
- making connections between the readings and themes discussed in class
