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Reading & Taking Notes

About Active Reading

Do you tend to jump straight into reading without thinking or preparing?

Do you get bored and don't take anything in?

Active reading is about reading with questions in mind and using different reading strategies(skimming, scanning and detailed reading) according to your purpose. It involves making connections between the new information and your existing knowledge and experience.

Question, question and ask more questions

As you read ask lots of questions

  • What is the authors purpose, main idea, point of view, argument, theory or idea?
  • Is it relevant to what I want to know?
  • Are they credible? Biased?
  • Do the back up what they are saying with evidence? Is it valid?
  • Has someone else said something similar or different? Make connections
  • How does this affect what I already know or think? Does it reinforce or contradict it?