Reading to learn - A student's perspective
In order to learn you need to follow the argument as you read. With an important text, you should slow right down and take it bit by bit. Here is a student describing how he tackled a particularly challenging chapter:
This intensive kind of reading is at the opposite end of the scale to skim reading. It plays an important part in getting you to the heart of the subject. This student has some really useful strategies which help him read thoroughly and learn from his reading. For instance, he needs somewhere quiet to read and takes the time to go through the text carefully. He also uses underlining to help highlight the main points in an article or piece of writing.
To find out more about how to use underlining or highlighting to help you learn by active reading go to Choosing your reading speed.