Choose a suitable place to read

Reading texts related to your course requires appropriate conditions and skills that are quite different from reading a newspaper or a novel. Reading for your studies requires active reading and the place you choose is important: it must be quiet, so that you can stay focused. It should also be well ventilated and well lit. If you do not have a work area at home, then the library can be an interesting place to read. Ideally, however, you should have access to a space at home to make reading time management less tedious.

Here are some recommendations regarding location and environment:

  • Lighting: Lighting is an important working condition to consider. Too much or too little light will tire the eyes more quickly and make reading less effective;
  • Position : an upright, comfortable chair is a good choice. A reclining position (e.g. on the couch) or with your head laid back does not facilitate active reading, and your brain will not be stimulated to read actively.

In order to maximise your reading time, the means you use to manage your concentration are also important. Concentration is the discipline of the mind, “the ability to give your attention or thought to a single object or activity” (Merriam-Webster).

Factors that promote concentration are:

  • A suitable environment : the various demands and noise require more effort to concentrate. If this is the case, the duration of concentration will be shorter and tiredness will come faster. For those who like to listen to music while reading, it is better to choose music without words and as little captivating as possible;
  • A quick start: less than a minute is often the ideal time to get started, which increases the sense of satisfaction and motivation;
  • Organisation of work: personal organisation of studies (filing system, note-taking system during lessons or readings) favours immediate action and minimises the expenditure of energy on concentration.

By taking these elements into account in your choices, you will quickly see the benefits they bring.

Advantages

In general, choosing the right place and environment will help you to concentrate and read more efficiently, which in turn will give you satisfaction and increase your motivation.

Questions to ask yourself :

  • Do I have a space to study, to do my reading and my assignment?
  • Where do I do my reading?
  • Are the place and the atmosphere conducive to concentration?
  • Before starting a work session, can I prevent possible disturbances (telephone, television, reduction of noise sources or distractions, such as social media)?
  • What factors do I have control over?
  • How will I exercise this control?

To get started

Plan a place where it is pleasant to work, where it is easy to concentrate and where you have everything you need to study and do your work at hand. Here are some suggestions (Letarte, 1989a):

  • Have a desk lamp (on your left if you are right-handed and vice versa);
  • Have a work table large enough to place your documents (free of unnecessary objects) and close to the tools you need (dictionaries, sheets, pencils, etc.) to limit your movements;
  • Create an inviting work space to make you want to study (don't put up distracting items such as magazines or other accessories that are not related to reading or work).

Sources consulted :

Bégin, C. (2014). Devenir efficace dans ses études, 2e édition. Éditions Chroniques sociales.

Crépeau, N. (2010). Draft Translation of a Didactic Tool for Teaching Academic Reading Strategies. UQAT (non published).

Mc Whorter, K.T. (2013). Academic Reading (Eighth Edition). Pearsons.