Answer the following questions depending on the following passage below.
Reading for Study
Reading is a fundamental aspect of academic work. It is likely to be the major way to gather information about the discipline you are studying and it is a very valuable skill to enhance and develop at university or college. One of the routes to develop the ability to think about and describe the world in terms of a particular approach is through reading. Reading will provide an
understanding of the academic discipline being studied. Ultimately it will be one of the keys that unlock the door to a career as a business manager, psychologist, engineer, chemist, teacher, scientist and so on. As well as guiding you through your course, it will be an invaluable learning tool in the world of employment. Reading opens up the possibility of gaining access to and an understanding of the thinking of all the people who have developed models and theories or written about a particular discipline.
One of the principal objectives of reading for study is to gather ideas and information and to assimilate them into your own view of the world, and then to be able to express that view through the assessment program or in seminars. Only by doing this can you understand a subject. During your time at university or college you will need to approach your reading very intelligently and
diligently by putting considerable effort into it.
As a student it is important to recognize that reading may be the most demanding work you do at university or college and that a huge volume of reading will be required to pass a course. Almost certainly reading strategies need to be developed in order to get through the amount of reading to be done. For some people it may be a matter of changing perceptions about reading. For example, on entering a library some students will think ‘Oh no, look at all these books to read!, while others will think ‘Oh wow, look at all these books to read – where shall I start? Let me get going!’.
Over the years authors have identified, described and analyzed the issues relevant to a particular area of study, such as business, philosophy, botany, education and psychology. Within each discipline theorists examine a subject from a number of viewpoints, identifying key themes and issues and embodying certain assumptions. One of the particular advantages of reading is that in many instances it is possible, through books, to read the original works of an author. The written word is still the main way of accessing academic debate in all fields of study. Through reading, it is possible to discover the fundamentals and essential aspects of a subject, its basic assumptions, the facts upon which it is built and how these are examined and approached.
Purposes for reading A student will read for many different reasons, and it is important to remember that the way reading is approached should change depending on the purpose. Glancing through a newspaper to pick out the main news items is quicker than and different from reading for study, and both involve a variety of skills. A newspaper often gives only a cursory coverage of a topic, ignoring the details. A textbook may require detailed study to extract the essential knowledge it contains. When reading, for example, it is possible to:
a) read an instruction book with the intention of immediately applying the information in
order to play a new stereo, use a cooker, repair a car;
b) read an enjoyable, exciting novel for escapism, as quickly as possible, with no need to worry about remembering any of the story afterwards;
c) skim through the pages of a magazine for the latest developments; or
d) scan the pages of a newspaper to absorb the main headlines that day, disregarding the
advertisements altogether.
There are, of course, different ways of tackling reading, which will vary according to both the reading material and the particular task and focus. Reading is, after all, one of the basic tools of work for students. It is crucial that reading skills are developed so that you are able to get the most out of reading and importantly to make the best use of it. There are many techniques that can be used to gain a detailed understanding from a textbook or article, to identify the main themes or issues, or to get a general overview.
The reading skills that you have already developed can be put to good use in academic study. New students may neglect to use abilities which are at their disposal in the repertoire of skills developed in their everyday lives, but that are often taken for granted and overlooked. Reading is a skill which is often taken for granted. It is easy to believe that it no longer requires any thought or effort. However, the fact is that reading is concerned with understanding the meaning that the author is trying to communicate; not just a matter of recognizing words on a page. When studying, it is important to think about why you are reading and to realize your need for a variety of approaches. It can be only too easy to read without thinking about it, because a reading list has been provided by the instructor or you think that reading is a necessary requirement of your course.
Most people tend to feel that the way to read a book, an article or information on a personal computer is to start at the beginning and read through to the end. At first this tends to be the approach that many students adopt with books, opening the textbook and starting to read from chapter one until he or she loses interest, finds it too difficult, falls asleep, or in some cases finishes the book with relief. This method is unlikely to be the approach which brings the most benefit when studying at university.
5. Guess the meanings of the following words and phrases as used in the reading text. First, work
individually, and in groups of three, tell each other what helped you to arrive at those
meanings.
a. keys (paragraph 1)
f. extract (paragraph 5)
b. access (paragraph 1)
g. vary (paragraph 6)
c. perceptions (paragraph 3)
h. themes (paragraph 6)
d. interpreted (paragraph 4)
i. at their disposal (paragraph 7)
e. glancing through (paragraph 5)
j. recognizing (paragraph 8)
a. keys (paragraph 1) - something that is essential for something else to happen or be successful
b. access (paragraph 1) - the ability to enter or use something
c. perceptions (paragraph 3) - the way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted
d. interpreted (paragraph 4) - explained or understood in a particular way
e. glancing through (paragraph 5) - looking quickly through something without reading it in detail
f. extract (paragraph 5) - to take something out or obtain something from something else
g. vary (paragraph 6) - to be different or change in some way
h. themes (paragraph 6) - recurring ideas or subjects in a piece of writing
i. at their disposal (paragraph 7) - available for use
j. recognizing (paragraph 8) - identifying something or someone as previously known or seen