“Reading, like unaided discovery, is learning from an absent teacher. We can only do that successfully if we know how.” How to Read a Book
Reading has the power to shape our thoughts and perceptions. As our brain grows, so do our abilities to transform our lives through reading. But how exactly do we accomplish this?
Reading skills are practical strategies used by proficient readers to make the most of their reading time. Everyone can adopt these skills to enhance their learning from reading.
Moreover, reading skills will help you unlock your academic potential and improve your performance at your school or university.
In this blog, we will incorporate advice and evidence on reading skills by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles van Doren’s timeless guide How to Read a Book.
3 Reasons Why We Read
Adler and Doren argue that books have always been a source of intellectual stimulation for readers for centuries, and they will continue to do so in the future.
We will keep on reading despite the entertainment and informational advances through technology. Here are the main three reasons why we read:
- Entertainment – to relax, hear a story, or “just because” you feel like it.
- Information – to acquire facts (to see more of the world, its history, cultures, people, and more).
- Understanding – to develop insight (to see the world differently and explore perspectives).
The way you read will determine your goals of reading. In other words, if you are reading for understanding, you will read differently than reading for entertainment.
4 Levels Of Academic Reading
While we set out to develop skills in reading, it is important to account for different levels of academic reading.
That is because knowing these levels can guide you in the effective improvement of reading skills. Here are the four levels of reading:
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Elementary Reading
This level is achieved in primary and elementary schools. It is the basic knowledge of how to become literate and read a book through phonics and understanding the sentences.
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Inspectional Reading
The second level of reading is called Inspectional Reading. It is characterized by its special emphasis on time. Other names for this level are skimming, browsing, and superficial reading.
For instance, when readers at this level can complete an assigned reading in the given time, say fifteen minutes. This is usually a form of reading comprehension passages in tests and exams.
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Analytical Reading
Analytical Reading is a more complex and in-depth examination of the reading in an unlimited time. An analytical reader can come up with many questions about what he or she is reading.
Therefore, this level of reading primarily concerns reading for understanding.
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Syntopical Reading
Syntopical Reading is also known as comparative reading. It places heavy demands on the reader for reading and understanding two or more texts.
The reader gets busy comparing views, situations, and analyses of what may not be in the books. Therefore, it is the most active and effortful level of reading.
What Are Active Reading Skills?
To improve your grades, it is important to become an active reader. Active reading skills mean that the reader considers reading to be a “two-way” exchange of ideas.
It can be applied to all kinds of printed material, such as:
- Books
- Newspapers
- Magazines
- Pamphlets
- Articles
- Advertisements
Adler and Doren suggest asking the following four questions to accomplish active reading skills:
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What is the book about as a whole?
Discover the leading theme of the book and how the author develops this theme. You can do so by subdividing the main theme into its sub-topics to make sense of a difficult book.
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What is being said in detail, and how?
Discover the main ideas, assertions, and arguments that the author puts forth.
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Is the book true, in whole or part?
Make up your mind about the message in the book. Do you believe in it? Do you think it isn’t true enough?
When you understand a book, you will have to make up your own mind, and “knowing the author’s mind is not enough” (Adler and Dove)
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What of it?
Ask about the significance of the information provided in the book.
You can think about the significance of the information provided by inquiring why does the author think it is important to know these things? Is it important to you to know them?
Improve Your Academic Performance With Active Reading Techniques
Active reading techniques can benefit your academic performance by enhancing your ability to understand and analyze different authors. Reading can help you in several ways outlined below:
#1 Feel And Think Differently After Reading Books
The cognitive and emotional states of our minds are altered by the stories we read. That is why we begin to feel and think differently after reading books!
The short-term changes in the brain bring out better language skills and comprehension tasks. However, the parts of the brain that show short-term changes are still active the next day after reading.
Ever wondered why we may have a unique perspective on the working class after reading George Orwell’s Down and Out in London and Paris?
The same can be said about our thoughts on slavery in South America after reading The Underground Railroad. Or our perspective on the connection with the wild after reading Jack London’s The Call of the Wild.
Scientists are not sure how long the changes in our brains last – some are transient and some last longer.
However, it has been proven that impressions created by reading a book last at least 5 days after finishing a book.
The ones that last longer are possibly also complemented by situations and decisions in our personal lives.
#2 Develop Better Vocabulary And Expression
Vocabulary improvement with reading texts is a well-known phenomenon and has been given a special name, the Matthew effect. (Stanovich, 1986, 2000)
The Matthew effect builds on the idea that whoever reads more will have a richer vocabulary and whoever reads less will have a less vocabulary.
Therefore, there is a direct correlation between the amount of reading and the rate of vocabulary growth.
#3 Release Stress And Learn Better!
The next surprising benefit of reading a book is an interesting relationship between reading and decreased stress levels.
In 2009, a group of researchers studied the effects of yoga, humor, and reading on the stress levels of students in the USA.
The study found that 30 minutes of reading lowered blood pressure, heart rate, and feelings of psychological distress just as effectively as yoga and humor did.
But how much reading is important to achieve decreased stress levels?
The authors concluded that 30 minutes of reading every day can easily be introduced and practiced every day without impacting any other major activity.
Effective Reading Strategies Vs. Informational Videos
Today, many students prefer watching informational videos. Are you wondering whether effective reading strategies equal watching an informative video?
While, we are almost always online and have access to almost anything we want to know about, watching informational videos still doesn’t equal the complex benefits of reading.
Where To Find The Reading Material?
Are you always looking for what to read? This may sound simple to some but many readers just don’t read because they don’t know what to read.
However, the solution is to practice reading anything that’s available. The decision to choose a specific reading may just linger on, leading you to abandon the idea entirely.
If you want to know where to find the reading material, here are our recommendations:
Join A Book Club
You will not only discover a new passion for books but it will become very easy for you to pick books from the club suggestions.
Visit A Bookshop Often
Dedicate some time to visiting a bookshop that sells all kinds of books at discounted prices.
Over time, you will become very familiar with authors and genres, just by flipping through and reading back covers. This in turn will make it easier for you to choose your next book.
Subscribe To The Email Newsletters
Online sellers frequently send newsletters with the most recent and noteworthy books.
You can make a running list of authors you want to read, so when you go to a store or a library, you will already know what you want to pick.
Get A Library Membership
In Pakistan, you will find some public libraries where you can get free or paid membership plans. You can also check in at your school, college, or university library.
Join Noon Academy’s Social Learning Community
Joining Noon Academy will help you polish your learning skills as well as introduce you to a thriving community of over 12 million students across 5 countries.
You can join Noon for covering the syllabus for matric, FSc, O Level /IGCSE, and A Levels. Also, see our university entrance test preparation groups.
Download the Noon App and keep learning!
FAQs
Is reading really a skill I have to learn?
Yes! Like other life skills, reading is also a skill that can be learned and mastered. Even if you are an avid reader, you can learn how to improve the way you are reading.
Which books should I read?
The answer largely depends on your interests. However, a good mix of fiction and nonfiction can contribute significantly to your learning.
