Scanning and Skimming
One of the most efficient techniques to read fast is skimming and scanning. The aim of skimming and scanning is to make predictions and guesses when reading a text. Previewing a text, document or book allows you to grasp the broader picture, get the author’s main idea and sketch important concepts. This technique is a big time saver: think of all the books on your list and imagine to be able to extract the key information without having to read the whole book. Previewing is easy to learn and can be combined with other speed reading techniques.
1. Scanning
Scanning is a technique to trigger and extract key information and ideas such as names, numbers, specific facts. Scanning involves moving your eyes quickly down the page identifying specific words and phrases to either find a particular answer or grasping the basic main idea. You can also use it to determine whether a new resource will answer your questions or not. This activity probably takes about 5-10 minutes.
Scanning allows you to locate precise information. You might identify a key terms or expressions which will alert you to where your subject is being addressed. You could then run your eyes over a text looking for these.
Scanning through the text is a reading strategy that is used for getting some specific points by looking at the whole text. For highlighting the important points of a book the readers can skim through the summary or the preface or the beginning and end chapters of that book.
Scan the text quickly to find:
- specific information
- particular details or knowledge from the text.
How to scan:
- Look for key words, phrases or names. Look for capital letters and numbers.
- Move your eyes quickly and systematically over the page.
Because comprehension depends a lot on your ability to understand the meaning of words and phrases within their context, you may benefit from skimming the text before you actually start to read. This technique will help you to understand the author’s main idea quickly.
Skimming will help you grasp the general idea or gist of a text. You might quickly read the table of contents, the headings or the abstract. You could also read the first and last paragraphs and the first and last sentence of each paragraph in a relevant section.
Skimming will focus on understanding the main idea and concept. It works best with non-fiction material. You won’t read anything. You read only what is important to you. You may stop for interesting facts but then quickly continue to skim the book.
Skimming is like browsing a new travel book or moving your finger over a map of a city you wish to travel to. At first, you may spot pictures, read selected snippets of information or identify general areas, landmarks, or highlights. You want to know the bigger picture first before exploring a location in detail. These practices will teach your brain to understand, comprehend and remember a lot faster.
This reading technique is used for getting the gist of the whole text lead. We generally use this technique at the time of reading a newspaper or magazine. Under this technique, we read quickly to get the main points and skip over the detail. It is useful in getting a preview of a passage before reading it in detail or reviving understandings of a passage after reading it in detail.
Skim (look over) the whole text and read quickly to find:
- the general idea
- the focus of the content.
How to skim:
- Read the title, the abstract or summary, or the cover blurb or the table of contents (if a book). Identify information that tells the reader what the text is about. Note the main points.
- Read the introduction and conclusion. Focus on an overview and/or summary of the main points.
- Read any headings, subheadings and words in bold or italics, illustrations. Note key words.
- Read the topic sentence of each paragraph (usually the first sentence), and noting the main idea of each paragraph.
- Look for linking words that show the connections between ideas, e.g. in addition, because, however.
If the information will be tested later, use this reading technique. This technique offers a more efficient and active approach to reading textbook material. It is designed to help process and increase retention of written information. It consists of the following five steps: Survey, Question, Read, Recite, and Review.
1. Survey the reading (chapter, article).
Reading and understanding will be easier if you know what you have a purpose for reading and know what you are reading about.
- Look at and read all the headings and subheadings in the chapter. Look for large titles, boldfaced print, titles in the same fonts and font sizes, words/titles in italics.
- Look for and read the objectives.
- Look for and read the study questions.
- Look for and read the summary.
2. Question as you read.
- Ask yourself, “Why am I reading this? What questions should I be able to answer about this reading?”
- Remind yourself of the study questions.
3. Read and mark.
- Break the reading (chapter, article) into smaller segments, according to the headings/subheadings you identified in the survey.
- Read one section at a time.
- As you read, highlight (underline) thesis statements (one per section), topic sentences (main idea of each paragraph). Highlight important (key) words or phrases.
- Make outlines in the margin for a series of items: first (1), another … (2), third (3), etc.
4. Recite.
- Ask yourself the main idea of each section. Formulate it in your own words in one sentence.
- Write a brief summary in the margin (= annotating) or take notes on a separate sheet of paper.
5. Review.
- Reread your annotations for each section.
- Try to answer the study questions.
- Summarize the reading (article, chapter) into 4-5 sentences in your own words.
It is important to break down the reading process into the following stages:
Before reading, get an overview of the text:
- skim the table of contents, headings and subheadings
- read the introduction and conclusion
- scan the relevant sections to locate where your topic is discussed
During reading, closely follow the development of the ideas in the text:
- read actively -write in the margins, highlight phrases, take note of important points.
- don't forget to examine diagrams and figures as they are information-dense
- read critically -ask yourself questions; for example, Is the argument logical? Is it biased? Is there enough evidence to support the author's conclusions?
After reading, think over what you have read. Make a brief summary of the main ideas and concepts in the text.
1. Pay attention
Pay attention when you read and read as if it really matters. Most people read in the same way that they watch television, i.e. in an inattentive, passive way. Reading takes effort and you must make the effort.
There are some simple methods that you can use to pay better attention and get more out of your textbook reading time. Different authors call it different things, but many researchers say that you will improve your comprehension if you somehow "preview" the passage before you actually sit down and read every word.
To do a preview you:
- take 30 to 60 seconds.
- look over the title of the chapter.
- look at all the headings, subheadings and marked, italic or dark print.
- look at any pictures or illustrations, charts or graphs.
- quickly skim over the passage, reading the first and last paragraph and glancing at the first sentence of every other paragraph.
- close the book and ask yourself:
- ---What is the main idea?
- ---What kind of writing is it?
- ---What is the author's purpose?
You might not think that you could possibly answer these questions with so little exposure to the material, but if you do the preview correctly, you should have some very good general ideas. If you have a general idea of what the passage is about before you really read it, you will be able to understand and remember the passage better.
When you finally get to the point where you are actually slowly reading the passage, read in a "questioning" manner -as if you were searching for something. It sometimes helps if you take the heading or title of a chapter and turn it into a question.
For example, if the heading of a section in the text is "The Causes of the Civil War", take that title and switch it into a question like: "What are the causes of the Civil War?". Now you have a goal; something to look for; something to find out. When you are goal-oriented, you are more likely to reach the goal. At least you'll remember one thing about the text which you have just read.
2. Stop talking to yourself when you read.
People talk to themselves in 2 ways, by:
- vocalizing, which is the actual moving of your lips as you read, and
- subvocalizing, which is talking to yourself in your head as you silently read.
Both of these will slow you down to the point in which you find that you can't read any faster than you can speak. Speech is a relatively slow activity; for most, the average speed is about 250 WPM (words per minute).
Reading should be an activity which involves only the eyes and the brain. Vocalization ties reading to actual speaking. Try to think of reading as if you were looking at a landscape, a panorama of ideas, rather than looking at the rocks at your feet.
3. Read in thought groups.
Studies have shown that when we read, our eyes must make small stops along the line. Poor readers make many, many more fixations (eyestops) than good readers. Not only does this slow you down, but it inhibits comprehension because meaning is easier to pull from groups of words rather than from individual words or even single letters. Try to read in phrases of three or four words, especially in complete clauses and prepositional phrases. Your mind may internalize them as if the whole phrase is like one big meaning-rich word.
4. Don't keep re-reading the same phrases.
Poor readers habitually read and re-read the same phrase over and over again. This habit of making "regressions" doubles or triples reading time and often does not result in better comprehension. A single careful, attentive reading may not be enough for full comprehension, but is often more effective than constant regressions in the middle of a reading. It is best to work on paying closer attention the first time through. Do a preview first before the careful reading and try the tips I mentioned above. You'll remember better without the rereading.
5. Vary your reading rate
Vary your reading rate to suit the difficulty and type of writing of the text. Poor readers always read at the same slow rate. An efficient reader speeds up for easier material and slows down for the hard. Some things were not meant to be read quickly at all. Legal material and very difficult text should be read slowly. Easier material and magazines and newspapers can be read quickly. Poetry and plays were meant to be performed, and if not acted out, then at least, spoken out loud orally. This obviously will conflict with good speed reading method which forbids vocalization. Religious writings and scripture were originally written to be recited and listened to by an audience which was likely to be intelligent, but illiterate. The "fun" of poetry, plays, or prayer is not really experienced if you "speed read" the text.
