Setting a reading intention
Setting a reading intention consists in having a goal and knowing why one reads a text. Several reasons are possible (Bertrand and Azrour, 2004): the desire to inform yourself, to have access to specific knowledge, to know how others think in order to enrich your own thinking, to be entertained, etc. Pay attention to your professor's comments when he presents a reading, a term paper or an assignment. The details can often be used to establish your reading intention for a particular text.
As a first step, it is necessary to consider the nature and scope of the task: What is the purpose of reading such a text? To give an oral presentation? To write a one-paragraph summary? A presentation requires the search for detailed information, while writing a short paragraph requires a synthetic approach. Establishing a reading intention will allow you to consider the amount of data required to achieve your goal as well as the type of text you need to consult.
Your reading intention should be flexible, as it may change along the way.
Advantages
Having a reading intention promotes active and strategic reading. It also allows you to know where to focus your attention when reading and to determine a way of reading according to your needs (diagonal reading, active reading, etc.). Setting a reading intention will greatly influence how you seek out information and what you get out of your reading. For example, you will not pay as much attention if you are reading for entertainment as if you are reading to reinforce an argumentative piece of writing. Your reading intention will also help you choose the appropriate type of reading (traditional, selective, diagonal, active or analytical), depending on the nature of the task.
By having a clear and flexible reading intention, you will avoid returning several times on the same information.
Questions to ask yourself :
- quickly get to know the content of the text?
- to make a summary?
- to prepare for a lesson?
- to find out the main themes of the text, etc.?
- to understand a text in depth?
- to extract the structure of a text?
- to complete a term paper?
- to prepare for an exam?
To get started
- If you are searching for documentation, do a selective reading of the documents you find.
- If the text seems relevant, read it diagonally.
- If the book or text interests you, do a basic (or traditional) reading.
- Then do an active reading.
- If the text is important for a written assignment, make reading cards.
- If a section is essential to your work or research, read it analytically (for example, by annotating the text).
The following types of reading are to be preferred depending on the results you expect from your reading:
Traditional reading : This is a passive, linear type of reading, applied to a novel or poem, and is therefore not very relevant to the study of complex school textbook chapters, nor is it very efficient, as it does not help to analyse the structure of a text, to use the reader's knowledge and skills, or to memorise new information.
Indicative (or selective) reading : applies to any text; it is selective and synthetic in nature, and allows for initial contact with the text in order to identify the author, grasp the general idea and the main lines of the content. It has five objectives.
- Know the nature of the text;
- Identify the author, subject and central message;
- Make an initial assessment of the text;
- Identify the essential elements that can help to achieve the reading intention;
- Select texts in relation to the set objectives.
When you don't do indicative reading, you condemn yourself to reading little or irrelevant reading material.
Diagonal reading : selective and synthetic reading, "which consists of quickly scanning all the lines of the text and skimming its content to detect the main themes, important passages, key concepts and linking words [...]" (Bertrand and Azrour, 2004, p. 481). This type of reading complements the indicative reading, but does not lead to an in-depth understanding of the text. Diagonal reading has two purposes:
- Identifying the type of text (argumentative, narrative, informative);
- Quick and efficient selection of important passages on which emphasis is placed during active reading.
Reading diagonally does not allow you to grasp the whole text. Sometimes it can lead to misperceptions. It is a step in a general process, a crucial preparation for reading. Diagonal reading is easy if the text is well structured.
Active reading : This type of analytical reading consists of actively dissecting a text by spending the necessary time on it. Active reading takes into account the framework provided by indicative reading and is based on passages pre-selected by diagonal reading. It has two objectives:
- Get to know the message of the text and its ideas;
- Identify what can be retained and transferred to long-term memory.
In-depth reading is the culmination of the whole reading process.
Analytical reading : This type of reading goes a little further than active reading, as it allows the extraction of the plan of an argumentative text, which is in a way conceived as a pyramid of ideas.
Drawing on prior knowledge
Recalling prior knowledge is an effective way of classifying and encoding new information. In order to make learning more meaningful, this method can be applied at the beginning of a course, a job or a reading, by "recalling" to the memory what you already know about the subject in question. This exercise only takes a few minutes and should be done before each reading, each lesson or before starting a new job.
This recall of existing knowledge allows the reader to graft the new information onto what he already knows in order to better store it in the memory. By associating this information with what they know, lasting learning will be built up.
For example, you are enrolled in a developmental psychology course in the current session. In the fourth course, the theme is "The child and play". You ask yourself "what do I know about this subject?" and then think about the different types of play (educational, social, competitive, solitary, etc.) and their functions (relaxing, socialising, learning). In this example, the knowledge the student has will be used to understand the new material to be covered in the course.
Advantages
Recalling prior knowledge enhances the interaction between the reader and the text, which contributes to a better understanding by the reader, as he is able to make predictions and inferences. Thus, this strategy allows new information to be grafted onto existing information and to be better stored in your memory.
Questions to ask yourself :
Before I start reading, I have to 'remember' what I know about the text:
- What do I know about the subject?
Pour amorcer votre démarche
By going through the text to be read, looking at the headings, sub-headings and figures (if any):
- Identify the theme or content;
- Think about what you already know about the subject (your past experiences, images, concepts, etc.);
- Repeat two more times this exercise in the following days, trying to do it better and a little faster.
Repeat this exercise once a day for the following three weeks, with the objective of doing it well and speeding up your pace, where possible. Apply this strategy to all your reading. For example, when you come to class, start a new assignment or reading, identify the subjects and ask yourself: what do I already know about the subject?
Overview of the text
A skim reading is a simple strategy that reviews the material to be studied. It provides a quick overview of the text, its level of difficulty, richness and complexity (Ruph, 2010). It also helps to identify other features, such as its length and organisation.
It is also possible to gain a more detailed insight into a work or text through selective (or indicative) reading. This is an important step in the documentation work to establish an first contact with a document and to see whether it is relevant to one's needs or intentions (Bertrand and Azrour, 2004). It is often by paying attention to the title and subtitles that a person will decide whether to read a text or not.
Advantages
By getting an overview of the text before reading, it allows:
- to quickly identify texts relevant to your intention;
- to adjust your reading intention, if necessary (e.g. if a text turns out to be more complex than you thought, you will be given more time to read it);
- to activate prior knowledge and make predictions. This action is effective for difficult texts, as it facilitates comprehension.
Questions to ask yourself :
- What is the type of structure of the text (argumentative, informative, narrative, etc.)?
- Can I identify the main ideas in the text?
- What words are in the text (known or unknown words)?
- Are the key words identified?
- How are the sentences arranged?
- How are the paragraphs organised?
- Are there any illustrations or tables?
The structure informs the reader about the type of text :
- Argumentative : which includes arguments, thesis, refutation, counter-refutation and conclusion;
- Narrative : a story that includes an initial situation, a trigger and a final situation;
- Informative : a preface, a chapter of a book, an extract from an article, a summary of a lecture, a conclusion of a book, etc.
To get started
About the texts : By looking at the titles and subtitles, it is important to see its length, the way it is organised, its level of difficulty, its richness, etc.
About the books : skimming can be applied in all circumstances (library, bookshop, between two courses...) and is relevant given the large amount of information. It can take between 10 and 15 minutes in order to get an overview of the book, i.e. the subject and the themes.
If you want to put selective or indicative reading into practice, you should know the following elements:
- Cover page:author, title and publisher;
- Presentation of the book (back cover) or the summary of the article;
- Publishing date (first and subsequent editions, if applicable) and the original language of the book. Information available on the first inside page of the book;
- Table of contents: either at the beginning (American method) or at the end of the book (French method). Pay attention to the titles and subtitles, to see the subjects covered);
- Index: see the words with a large number of occurrences (keywords of the book). See also the bibliography.
- Introduction and conclusion of the book and chapters.
- See also the figures and tables.
Make predictions
Predictions about the content or structure of the text promote better comprehension on the part of the reader; they also allow the reader to establish a reading intention and to validate it. These processes are used by good readers (Bertrand & Azrour, 2004).
"Predictions are assumptions about what will happen next in the text" (Giasson, 1990, p. 138) [Translation]. These assumptions exclude those about words and are mainly about ideas at the text level rather than in the sentence. Titles and subtitles are sources of predictions about the content of a text (Giasson, 2008). It is not important whether the assumptions are right or wrong, as they are intended to help you predict the content of the text. The accuracy of these predictions will be checked as you read.
There are two types of predictions; those related to the content and those related to the structure of the text:
- Content : For example, in a text about the history of colonization in Quebec, the reader can expect to read excerpts about Indigenous people. This prediction is based on the reader's knowledge of the subject, which comes from personal experience, reading, etc.
- Structure : refers to the reader's knowledge of the structure of texts (e.g. for a text on the history of colonisation in Quebec, the reader can expect to find information organised in sequences or episodes.
- Predictions are based on the reader's knowledge of the structures of informative texts with the help of cues (heading, title, introduction, transitions, tables, diagrams, etc.).
Advantages
In general, the predictions or assumptions lead the student to :
- process the information as you go along;
- retain information more easily;
- recall information from memory (prior knowledge)
- get prepared to ask questions;
- construct meaning;
- develop synthetic thinking;
- improve comprehension and become more active during reading.
Questions to ask yourself :
- From a given title, what do you think the text is about?
- What questions come to mind when you read this title?
- What ideas come to mind when you read this title?
To get started
Use the title as a predictive clue:
- Write down a few sub-themes that you think will be covered in the text.
- Then read the text to see if your predictions are correct.
Self-questioning
Students often read a text and are not able to identify what they are learning from it. One reason for this can be attributed to a lack of active participation in one's own learning. The use of self-questioning can help direct the reader's attention to specific content.
So you should ask yourself questions before starting to read the text in order to find answers while reading it. In other words, the reader transforms the pieces of information (e.g. the title and subtitles) to be processed into questions, which are then used as reasons to read the text (Schmitt, 2005).
Here are examples of text or chapter titles that have been changed into questions:
Title : Fundamental principles of communication
Question : What are the principles of communication?
Title : Cognitive development according to Piaget
Question : What is cognitive development according to Piaget? Who is Piaget?
Title : The foundations of modern management
Question : What are the foundations of modern management?
You can also answer the following questions when dealing with a text:
Who?
Who is the author of this text? For whom is the text intended? Who invented this or that theory?
What?
What is the topic or theme? What are the sub-themes?
Where?
In what context was this text written? In what context can I use the knowledge and concepts presented in the text?
When?
In what year was this text written? Is it relevant in the current context?
How?
How is the content organised? Can certain sections and sub-sections be identified with a question that will help you to understand the content?
Why?
What is the author's objective? What is your purpose in reading this text?
Advantages
In general, self-questioning leads the reader to be active in his learning (Barbeau et al., 1997. Also see Moreillon, 2007), helping him to focus his attention and thus select what is relevant.
By generating questions and answers, the reader can further refine his reading intention, seeking answers to his questions (Schmitt, 2005). This method can be useful when the reader has to read texts related to new themes or if the texts are complex.
Exercise
Using a text you have chosen, turn a title into a question.
To get started
Before reading, ask yourself questions based on the titles and sub-titles (formulate them as questions where possible).Refer to this technique each time when a quick overview of the material is necessary.
Every piece of information answers a question. You have to get used to turning into questions the information you have to process.
Cautionary note:
The success of these strategies or actions depends on your seriousness and perseverance. You can partner with colleagues who want to study and revise the material seriously.
The use of self-questioning depends on your ability to make relevant questions that cover the subject.
To begin with, you should use contents that you feel comfortable with.
This method does not apply to all subjects; you must judge the relevance.
Also consulted:
Moreillon, J. (2007). Collaborative strategies for teaching reading comprehension: maximizing your impact. American Library Association