Strategies for Developing Reading Skills
Using Reading Strategies
Language instructors are often frustrated by the fact that
students do not automatically transfer the strategies they use when
reading in their native language to reading in a language they are
learning. Instead, they seem to think reading means starting at the
beginning and going word by word, stopping to look up every unknown
vocabulary item, until they reach the end. When they do this, students
are relying exclusively on their linguistic knowledge, a bottom-up
strategy. One of the most important functions of the language
instructor, then, is to help students move past this idea and use
top-down strategies as they do in their native language.
Effective language instructors show students how they can
adjust their reading behavior to deal with a variety of situations,
types of input, and reading purposes. They help students develop a set
of reading strategies and match appropriate strategies to each reading
situation.
Strategies that can help students read more quickly and effectively include
- Previewing: reviewing titles, section headings, and photo
captions to get a sense of the structure and content of a reading
selection
- Predicting: using knowledge of the subject matter to make
predictions about content and vocabulary and check comprehension; using
knowledge of the text type and purpose to make predictions about
discourse structure; using knowledge about the author to make
predictions about writing style, vocabulary, and content
- Skimming and scanning: using a quick survey of the text to
get the main idea, identify text structure, confirm or question
predictions
- Guessing from context: using prior knowledge of the subject
and the ideas in the text as clues to the meanings of unknown words,
instead of stopping to look them up
- Paraphrasing: stopping at the end of a section to check comprehension by restating the information and ideas in the text
Instructors can help students learn when and how to use reading strategies in several ways.
- By modeling the strategies aloud, talking through the
processes of previewing, predicting, skimming and scanning, and
paraphrasing. This shows students how the strategies work and how much
they can know about a text before they begin to read word by word.
- By allowing time in class for group and individual
previewing and predicting activities as preparation for in-class or
out-of-class reading. Allocating class time to these activities
indicates their importance and value.
- By using cloze (fill in the blank) exercises to review
vocabulary items. This helps students learn to guess meaning from
context.
- By encouraging students to talk about what strategies they
think will help them approach a reading assignment, and then talking
after reading about what strategies they actually used. This helps
students develop flexibility in their choice of strategies.
When language learners use reading strategies, they find that
they can control the reading experience, and they gain confidence in
their ability to read the language.
Reading to Learn
Reading is an essential part of language instruction at every level because it supports learning in multiple ways.
- Reading to learn the language: Reading material is language
input. By giving students a variety of materials to read, instructors
provide multiple opportunities for students to absorb vocabulary,
grammar, sentence structure, and discourse structure as they occur in
authentic contexts. Students thus gain a more complete picture of the
ways in which the elements of the language work together to convey
meaning.
- Reading for content information: Students' purpose for
reading in their native language is often to obtain information about a
subject they are studying, and this purpose can be useful in the
language learning classroom as well. Reading for content information in
the language classroom gives students both authentic reading material
and an authentic purpose for reading.
- Reading for cultural knowledge and awareness: Reading
everyday materials that are designed for native speakers can give
students insight into the lifestyles and worldviews of the people whose
language they are studying. When students have access to newspapers,
magazines, and Web sites, they are exposed to culture in all its
variety, and monolithic cultural stereotypes begin to break down.
When reading to learn, students need to follow four basic steps:
-
Figure out the purpose for reading. Activate background
knowledge of the topic in order to predict or anticipate content and
identify appropriate reading strategies.
-
Attend to the parts of the text that are relevant to the
identified purpose and ignore the rest. This selectivity enables
students to focus on specific items in the input and reduces the amount
of information they have to hold in short-term memory.
-
Select strategies that are appropriate to the reading task
and use them flexibly and interactively. Students' comprehension
improves and their confidence increases when they use top-down and
bottom-up skills simultaneously to construct meaning.
-
Check comprehension while reading and when the reading task
is completed. Monitoring comprehension helps students detect
inconsistencies and comprehension failures, helping them learn to use
alternate strategies.
In the modern age of information, reading truly is a fundamental
survival skill. Here are ten tips that anyone can use to improve their
reading skills:
1. You don't have to be a great reader to get the point.
Some people read fast and remember everything. Others read slowly and
take a couple of times to get all the information. It doesn't matter,
really, so long as when you read, you get the information you're
seeking.
2. Know WHY you're reading.
Are you reading for entertainment or to learn something? Decide why
you're reading before you start and you'll greatly improve your
comprehension and your enjoyment.
3. You don't need to read everything.
Not every magazine, letter, and email you receive contains
information you need. In fact, most of it is simply junk. Throw it away,
hit the delete key! Just doing this will double the amount of time you
have available to read.
4. You don't need to read all of what you DO read.
Do you read every article of every magazine, every chapter of every
book? If so, you're probably spending a lot of time reading stuff you
don't need.
Be choosy: select the chapters and articles that are important. Ignore the rest.
5. Scan before you read.
Look at the table of contents, index, topic headers, photo captions,
etc. These will help you determine if, a) you have a real interest in
this reading, and b) what information you're likely to get from it.
6. Prioritize your reading.
You can't read everything all at once (and wouldn't want to). If it's important, read it now. If it's not, let it wait.
7. Optimize your reading environment.
You'll read faster and comprehend more if you read in an environment that's comfortable for you.
8. Once you start, don't stop!
Read each item straight through. If you finish and have questions, go
back and re-read the pertinent sections. If you don't have questions,
you got what you needed and are ready to move on.
9. Focus.
Remember, you're reading with a purpose, so focus on that purpose and
the material. If you lose interest or keep losing your place, take a
break or read something else. You can keep track of where you are by
following along with your hand. This simple technique helps you focus
and increase your concentration.
10. Practice!
The more you read, the better reader you'll become (and smarter, too)! So, feed your mind: read!
