Instructor's Guide

 

Quizzes, Reflective Questions and Activities

Following are the assignments embedded in the Active Reading tutorial:

• Activity 1: Reflective questions - what skills do you use when reading?

• Activity 2: Activity - practice active reading

• Activity 3: Reflective questions - what problems do you have when reading academic assignments?

• Activity 4: Reflective question - what are your current reviewing techniques?

• Activity 5: Quiz - practice active reading

• Activity 6: Quiz - What you have learned about underlining text?

• Activity 7: Quiz - Note-Taking

 

Relationship to Other iStudy Tutorials

This tutorial is related to other istudy tutorials on personal effectiveness, including note taking, time management, stress management, conflict management, and brainstorming. Therefore, it is recommended that instructors introduce this tutorial to students in conjunction with other personal effectiveness tutorials.

 

Suggested In-class Methods of Presentation

Discussion

• Break the students up into small (four-five people) groups. Have students share their active reading techniques in small groups. Instructors may prompt the groups with questions such as "Why do you think that reading text material in the proper context is important? What do you think are some of the advantages and disadvantages of putting material into context before reading?" Instructors may also provide more generic guidance by focusing attention on previewing, contextualization, brainstorming, prediction, and reviewing of text

• Have groups share with the class the techniques they find most useful, as well as the most common problems they have with reading for academic assignments. Instructors can assess students' understanding of active reading techniques by observing how each group presents its findings and responds to questioning

• Summarize active reading concepts. Use the items listed in Key Points section as desired

Note : This is an excellent opportunity to utilize and reinforce the cooperative learning techniques found in the iStudy Cooperative Learning tutorial.

 

Key Points

Instructors may wish to provide an introduction and overview of active reading, starting with the following information:

When you are reading to collect data and retain information in memory, critical thinking skills need to be applied in a systematic way. This differs from reading something which may be strictly for entertainment in an passive mode where the story unfolds like a movie in your mind. However, as you begin to apply active reading skills to entertainment reading, you may find the mind movie becoming more enriched.

Any time you seek information through active reading, you are applying critical thinking skills to collect data and processing the information for retention. In essence, the process used in active reading is similar to conducting an interview. The difference is that you will be conducting the interview with yourself as you interact with the printed materials.

Properly applied active reading skills will enable you to be better able to recall and apply information you read.

 

Ask the students to answer the following questions for themselves about a recently-read class article:

• While reading the material, did you think about what might be on the exam?
• Did you ask yourself any questions while reading the material? If you did, what happened? If you did not ask yourself questions, why not?
• Do you have a method for examining the reading material (i.e., looking at the headings, or the table of contents)?
• Do you use a method for helping you to comprehend the material, such as outlining or note taking?
• How effective do you think your reading techniques are?

 

Conclude a lesson by stating:

• In order to comprehend and retain material you read, you must look for meanings behind the words.

• When reading course materials, can you anticipate what the subject matter of a text might cover? Can you anticipate what might appear on your next exam? Active reading involves specific critical thinking skills that help you examine the meanings behind the words and contextualize concepts. In essence, you engage in an internal interview, an interview with yourself about the material.

 

Assessment Criteria

Through observing both the group's and the individual's activity, the instructor may assess student performance.

 

Assessment Criteria

Where	Domain	Activities	%
iStudy Tutorial	Knowledge	The student can define active reading with its importance.
In-Class	Application	The student can engage in active reading skills by use of previewing, contextualization, brainstorming, prediction, and reviewing of text.
iStudy Tutorial	Synthesis	The student can reflect on his/her own active reading skills and self-assess his/her current use of active reading skills by identifying his/her weaknesses as well as by making plans to eliminate those weaknesses.
			100%

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