WHAT IS ACTIVE READING?
It is easy to read an entire chapter out of a textbook and think, “I have no clue what I just read.” It takes effort to stay focused and engaged in your reading. You can’t just read. That is a passive behavior. You have to be active. You need to be thinking, questioning, writing, summarizing, reflecting, and talking out loud as you read.
Active Readers:
- Link what they read to existing knowledge from information in the course or a previous course
- Look for relationships and patterns in the reading as a whole
- Use imagery and visualizations to help them remember information
- Act as an interpreter of the text by putting things into their own words
- Ask questions and monitor their comprehension of the material
- Ask questions about material not yet read
- Find out the meaning of words and terms that they don't understand
- Cross-reference their text with their class notes
- Come up with their own examples of concepts
- Reflect on why the information is significant and how it relates to other concepts
Used with permission from Lory-Ann Varela, Director of TILT Learning Programs.
"Reading Tips - Colorado State University." TILT Learning Programs. Accessed November 6, 2015. http://tilt.colostate.edu/learning/studySkills/pdfs/readingTips.pdf