How to be a Good Reader
Are you a good reader?
You might wonder why it is important to think about reading and how you read before you start on a higher level course. After all, you've managed to read perfectly well in your life before now. You've probably read novels, magazines, newspapers and all sorts of correspondence like letters and household bills (unfortunately!). You've probably managed quite well with the reading that you need for your job too. Perhaps you've had to read reports, or invoices, or memos from your boss, or even policy documents and instructions for different jobs.
Reading for higher level study is different than the reading you will have come across in your everyday life so far. Reading articles, course materials and exam questions requires some slightly enhanced skills to make sure you get the most out of your learning. This taster unit is designed to get you thinking about how you read, and some of the skills you might need to develop while you are on your higher level course.
Reading is easy, isn't it?
On any ordinary day without even noticing, you read shop signs, newspaper headlines, TV listings, a magazine, or a chapter of a paperback. So why would a message like this one appear in an online student chat room in the early weeks of a course?
Clearly, reading for higher level study is quite different from everyday reading. To find out more about how academic reading is different and to find out how you can develop some of the skills you will need to read effectively in higher level study go to Get Reading - Active Reading