CRCB- Ch. 4 summary, Managing your Reading Time

In college reading efficiently isn’t just based on time, but rather on time and comprehension. Efficient reading is defined as, “Being able to read and comprehend textbook material in an appropriate amount of time for you.” The “appropriate amount of time” varies from person to person; and it depends on many factors, such as your availability of time to read for each course, the level of difficulty of the reading material, and the grade you seek in the course. Comprehension or understanding of the material should be your main goal. Instead of comparing your reading rate to other students you should compare it against your past reading rates. As most people know it is not helpful when you compare yourself to others. A College student reads an average of about 300 words per minute, when reading for pleasure. Conducting small experiments such as tracking your reading rates for two weeks will help you not only see the rate at which you read at but will also allow you to make any needed adjustments to your reading behavior. Speed reading is when a reader visually groups words together, reading them in chunks instead of separately. Students are sometimes advised in speed reading courses to skip words, not to reread, and not to read out loud. Speed reading is something I would not be good at. I like to reread sometimes and read out loud other times. Speed reading is not a critical reading strategy. Critical reading is completed efficiently, at a far slower pace than speed reading. Reading critically involves lots of thinking and processing of the information. The goal of speed reading is to finish the reading assignment as soon as possible. The two methods are complete opposites of each other. When you skim a chapter you don’t read all the words, you only read some of them. Before reading a chapter in its entirety I usually start out by skimming it. Then when I go back to read the entire chapter I have an idea of what it is about. Reading quickly consists of reading groups of words together. It is okay to use your hand to help keep your pace up, and it is ok to go back and reread the material. When you come across a word you don’t understand reread the sentence. Try using context clues to figure out the meaning, and if you’re still lost use a dictionary to look up the definition. Sub-vocalizing is basically reading out loud. When reading out loud you use both your eyes and your voice to read. It can improve your understanding and help you remember the text better. I read out loud often. Sometimes it can be very helpful hearing myself when I read, but once in a while as the author also notes my voice does distract me and I lose focus. Pacing your reading can improve your reading speed, and can heighten your concentration abilities. The author mentions you can use your fingers or a bookmark to help you pace your reading. When I was in grade school I was taught to use a ruler for pacing purposes. Another strategy to help you read more efficiently is to develop a daily reading plan. A daily reading plan is a list of reading tasks for all your classes on a certain day. It is best if your daily reading plan is incorporated into your general study schedule. Reading efficiently takes practice, time, and patience. Utilizing these skills and tips should help make anyone an efficient reader.