THE ACHIEVER- ISSUE 1Key Verse: Study to show thyself approve…. |
God is the first Achiever; His first task was to create the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1); But wait... There seems to be a problem! The earth was without form and void and there was also darkness! What will be the way out! Thank God the Master Builder was well equipped with the necessary strategies to accomplish such a great task (creating the Heavens and the Earth!).
Here you are! A creature of the Creator! You must also achieve something great out of life; and in particular your academics. To Achieve you must Awake, set out plans to work/achieve and be prepared to work. To achieve something worthwhile academically, you must READ, Study and be Examined by your lecturers but never to forget you need the GOD FACTOR (which must always be a constant ‘K’) [Deuteronomy 8:18]. Setting out your plans to read? You need some strategies.
SIX (6) READING STRATEGIES
1.Previewing the text….
2.Skimming
3.Scanning
4.Intensive reading
5.Critical reading
6.Reading to remember: The SQ3R Method
1. Previewing the text to get an overview
What is it? Previewing a text gives you an idea of what it is about without actually reading the main body of the text.
When to use it: to help you decide whether a book or journal is useful for your purpose; to get a general sense of the article structure; to help you locate relevant information; to help you to identify the sections of the text you may need to read and the sections you can omit.
To preview, start by reading:
1.The title and author details.
2.The abstract (if there is one)
3.Then read only the parts that ‘jump out’: main and subheadings, chapter summaries, any highlighted text
4.Examine any illustrations, graphs, tables or diagrams and their captions, as these usually summarize the content of large slabs of text the first sentence in each paragraph.
2. Skimming
What is it? Skimming involves running your eye very quickly over large chunks of text. It is different from previewing because skimming involves the paragraph text. Skimming allows you to pick up some of the main ideas without paying attention to detail. It is a fast process. A single chapter should take only a few minutes
When to use it: to quickly locate relevant sections from a large quantity of written material. Especially useful when there are few headings or graphic elements to help you gain an overview of a text. Skimming adds further information to an overview.
How to skim:
1.Note any bold print and graphics.
2.Start at the beginning of the reading and glide your eyes over the text very quickly.
3.Do not actually read the text in total. You may read a few words of every paragraph, perhaps the first and last sentences.
4.Always familiarize yourself with the material by gaining an overview and skimming before reading in detail.
3. Scanning
What is it? Scanning is sweeping your eyes (like radar) over part of a text to find specific pieces of information.
When to use it: to quickly locate specific information from a large quantity of written material.
To Scan text:
1.After gaining an overview and skimming, identify the section(s) of the text that you probably need to read.
2.Start scanning the text by allowing your eyes (or finger) to move quickly over a page.
3.As soon as your eye catches an important word or phrase, stop reading.
4.When you locate information requiring attention, slow down to read the relevant section more thoroughly.
5.Scanning and skimming are no substitutes for thorough reading and should only be used to locate material quickly.
4. Intensive reading
What is it? Intensive reading is detailed, focused, ‘study’ reading of those important parts, pages or chapters.
When to use it: When you have previewed an article and used the techniques of skimming and scanning to find what you need to concentrate on, then you can slow down and do some intensive reading.
How to read intensively:
1.Start at the beginning. Underline any unfamiliar words or phrases, but do not stop the flow of your reading.
2.If the text is relatively easy, underline, highlight or make brief notes.
3.If the text is difficult, read it through at least once (depending on the level of difficulty) before making notes.
4.Be alert to the main ideas. Each paragraph should have a main idea, usually contained in the topic sentence (usually the first sentence) or that last sentence.
5.When you have finished go back to the unfamiliar vocabulary. Look it up in an ordinary or subject-specific dictionary. If the meaning of a word or passage still evades you, leave it and read on. Perhaps after more reading you will find it more accessible and the meaning will become clear. Speak to your lecturer/tutor if your difficulty continues.
6.Write down the bibliographic information and be sure to record page numbers (more about this in the section on making notes from readings).
Remember, when approaching reading at university you need to make intelligent decisions about what you choose to read, be flexible in the way you read, and think about what you are trying to achieve in undertaking each reading task.
5. Critical Reading
Being critical in an academic context does not mean simply criticising or ‘finding fault’. It means under-standing how ideas have been arrived at, and evaluating their strengths and weaknesses. Here are some of the main features of critical reading.
Recognizing the writer’s purpose and underlying values (social, cultural and historical influences).
1.Recognising patterns of the argument.
2.Linking ideas in the text to other ideas and texts.
3.Exploring alternatives to the stated idea.
4.Recognizing the assumptions and underlying values that you bring to your reading.
Being an ACTIVE reader means being a CRITICAL reader. The purpose of critical reading is to gain a deeper understanding of the material. It involves reading in depth and actively questioning what you read.
6. Reading to Remember: The SQ3R Method
What is it? As reading is one of the core activities of study, you need to be able to understand what you read and to be able to recall the main ideas when you need them. You can use the SQ3R method to help you remember a reading for tutorials, seminars or to revise for exams.
When to use it: When you want to commit important aspects of a reading to memory, when you want to increase your understanding of a reading, when you want to focus on challenging material and concepts.
SQ3R stands for:
SURVEY the text
Skim the text to see if it is suitable for your needs and to get a general idea of what it is about.
QUESTION
Ask yourself why you are reading the text and what you want to get out of it so that you read with a specific focus. Your comprehension improves if your mind is actively searching for answers to questions.
READ
Read carefully, breaking up your reading into small sections, looking for main ideas.
RECALL
Mentally go through the ideas you have just read and pick out the main points. Check that you can answer your initial questions. Check that you have assimilated and gathered the information you need.
REVIEW
Look back to see if the passage has answered everything you wanted. How much can you remember?
Thannks so much
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