Study Skills – Reading difficult texts

Studying. It can feel like you’re in an ocean, lost in a sea of books and resources. And when you finally find the right one, reading it is mysterious. It’s full of new things. It’s intimidating. You need a map. You need to know why you’re reading. And you need to read in different ways: quickly and slowly, for different purposes. What’s your purpose? Maybe you’re just looking for information on one specific thing. For example: pirates! Are you reading for an exam? If so, check which bits of the course are being tested. Or for an assignment? Look at the question, so you can focus your reading. With your purpose in mind, you need an efficient reading strategy. First, use these tips to get a quick idea of the text: Have a quick look at the contents page. Found what you’re looking for? Great. Now, here’s a good tip: read the conclusions first. It’s not cheating. Time is precious. Look at headings, images and summaries. And learn to skim and scan. Skimming is just reading quickly. If you see a word or phrase that looks important, you can slow down and read in more detail. Scanning means looking for specific words, phrases, acronyms and numbers in the text. Now you’ve got a better idea of the text, take your time to read relevant sections. This time, take notes as you go. Try to really understand what you’re reading. Think about it: do you agree with it? Does it raise more questions? Keep a dictionary or glossary beside you, to look up key terms. And don’t give up. Remember, reading difficult texts can be intimidating, but with practice, you’ll get better. And if you keep going, you’ll find treasure buried in the text. Even if it isn’t a chest full of gold coins.