What do you think of when you see the term active reader? Someone running down the street while reading a book at the same time?
That’s not exactly what active reading is. Let’s explain the concept by first looking at the opposite of active reading, passive reading.
Passive Reading
Passive reading happens when you sit down to read your textbook or English book, and that’s all you do. Read.
It sounds pretty relaxing, and it is. Which is why passive reading works great for magazines and that paperback book you might’ve picked up the last time you went to the airport. Passive reading usually doesn’t work too well for researching and homework assignments.
Be an Active Reader
Active reading is for learning and understanding. Which means it might take a little more effort, but the reward will be worth it.
Active reading includes:
- Highlighting key concepts
- Taking notes as you read
- Pausing after a paragraph to think about what you just read
- Making flashcards
- Creating a study guide
Active reading gives your reading more of a purpose. And as a result, you get much more out of the information.
Using some of the active reading techniques (like highlighting and note-taking) might make reading a chapter take longer, but you will learn, understand, and remember so much more of the material.
[…] to dive into the meaning of the text. In a second or third time through the text, she can pay more attention to details and see how the author shapes the story through language. Repeated reading also allows the reader […]