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LEARNING TO LEARN: BECOMING A SELF -GROWER 287
EXPERIENCE 10: READING FOR LEARNING READING
article) have different requirements that determine the form in which the material is presented as well
as its supporting structure.
Step 7—Quick Read
Complete a quick reading by largely skimming the content. As best you can, try to determine the
author’s purpose, the intended audience, and type of writing. These factors influence what is being
said and how it is being said. The intended audience will determine the level of difficulty of the reading
and how formal or informal the writing is. Mark the parts of the reading that seem difficult, complex,
or confusing. Pay special attention to key areas of emphasis (mark or take note of), such as diagrams,
pictures, abstracts, summaries, and conclusions to help you prepare for developing initial questions.
Step 8—Comprehensive Read
Next, reread critically and carefully and try to answer your initial questions. Spend additional time
working to build comprehension. Write to help process what you read.
Writing is a good way to process what you have read and to make it a lasting part of what you know
(rather than something you forget right after a test or quiz). There are a variety of possibilities that are
appropriate for different contexts. For example:
• take notes in a notebook that supports answers to your inquiry questions
• annotate the text by writing comments and notes in the margin of the text
itself
• summarize by condensing and recording the subject matter without
including your own questions and opinions
• summarize what you read but include your own thoughts, questions, and opinions
Summarize and read your responses. This works well when you are reading sources for a research
project. It is also helpful for courses based on class discussions of reading assignments. In these cases,
you will have to represent what your source said as well as offer your own commentary on the source.
Summarize, annotate, and take notes when reading textbook material that you will be tested on later.
In these situations, your personal opinion is usually less relevant than showing that you know the
material. Try using a combination of these options to find out what works best for you.
Step 9—Inquiry Questions
As you read, ask and document questions you would like answered about the material, as well as
ideas that the comprehensive reading triggers. This increases your thinking and focus and keeps you
actively engaged in the reading. Critically engaged reading may mean that at times you are willing to
disagree with or challenge the author. Write down these opinions too. This step elevates your levels of
learning by developing inquiry questions that address difficult issues about applying this knowledge
in difficult situations.
Step 10—Synthesize Information
During the first part of the methodology, you intentionally broke the reading apart and focused on
different aspects of the reading. Now is the time to bring it all back together and consider the reading as
a whole. If the reading was an argumentative essay, for example, the author built a case and presented
evidence for a position. Appreciating the case itself requires seeing the reading holistically. It is also
critical that you synthesize the information into a whole in order to produce the learning you identified
in your learning objectives.