Summary
There are a variety of goals and objectives involved in active reading. They may vary according to discipline or your major study area. You may be concerned with active reading based on how you will be evaluated in the course, and how adept you are at that form of evaluation. For example, some students handle multiple choice and fact-based examinations very well, but are not particularly comfortable with essay formats.
Take a minute to examine the objectives of courses you are taking, or any form of learning in which you may be involved. For example, do you need to be able to recall a lot of definitions or facts? Are you concerned with solving problems? Have you been asked to analyze a text? By thinking about your objectives, and then identifying strategies you might use to accomplish those objectives, you can begin to develop an approach to active reading that suits your personal needs and requirements as well as the requirements of the learning situation.
