IMPROVING ACADEMIC READING SKILLS

I Made Sujana

EED, Faculty of Education, The University of Mataram

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WHY ARE YOU CALLED ‘STUDENTS’?

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Academic Reading?

a very sophisticated, multi-layered skill, requiring practice and fine tuning.

Reading an academic text differs in many ways from reading comics, novels and magazines.

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How does the Acad. Reading differ from other types of

reading (novel, comic, etc.)?

What we read? content and style of academic texts

How we read? what readers of academic texts are expected to do.

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What do authors in academic texts do?

(Content and style)

Raise abstract questions and issues

Present facts and evidence to support their claims

Use logic to build their arguments and defend their position

Conform clearly-defined structures

Choose their words carefully to present the arguments

Try to convince us to accept their positions

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When reading academic texts, what are expected from the

readers?

Recognize the authors’ purposes and possible bias

Differentiate between facts and authors’ opinions.

Challenge questionable assumption and unsupported claims.

Integrate information across multiple sources

Identify rival hypothesis, possible contradictions and competing views

Evaluate evidence and draw their conclusion

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Why is Reading Academic Texts Difficult?

They are written originally for native speakers of English, not for non-Native Speakers (NNS)

Sources of Difficulty: Linguistics the store of technical terms of each subject matter

which differs from the other field, the focused syntax and special linguistic features

Rhetoric the organization of the language, the presentation of

the knowledge, and the writer’s assumptions about the readers

Conceptual the knowledge of the subject matter that the reader brings to the text

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WHAT NEED TO BE DEVELOPED IN ACADEMIC READING?

Being an effective reader (related to reading speed, understanding structures of texts, making decision about text)

Being an active reader (retaining information and note-making)

Being a critical reader (related to interaction with texts (questioning the opinions), making judgment/evaluation to opinions)

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Getting Started for being a Critical Reader

Ask yourself:

Can I believe everything I read?

Are experts always right?

What make me take more notice of one academic writer and less to another?

What make research findings weak or strong? What make a scholarly, rigorous piece of research?

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NOTE-MAKING

Good notes require:

Speed

Accuracy

Clarity

Note-making is a two stage process:

The notes that are taken from a piece of writing

The notes are read and used later

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THREE ELEMENTS IN GOOD NOTE-MAKING

WHAT YOU DO HOW YOU DO IT

Reading and planning Accurate analysis of text

Note-making Rapid note writing

Note reading and

developement as

writing/speaking

Accurate and easy read-

back

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REMINDER - IN ACADEMIC READING:

DON’T read only for INFORMATION (Surface Reading Approach)

DO read for UNDESTANDING (Deep Reading Approach)

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Let’s Start the Academic Reading

Choose an article and find out answers to the following questions:

Who is the author’s audience?

What are the central claims of the text?

What is the main evidence?

What assumptions lie behind the evidence or arguments?

Do you think the assumptions are founded on adequate proof?

What methodology was used?

What are weaknesses and strengths of the text?

What do other experts say about this topics/claims?

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References

Reading Academically accessed from http://www.personal.psu.edu/scs15/Reading

Academic Reading accessed from http://telem.openu.ac.il/RoadsToAcademicReading/BarHome?do=homePage&page=academicReading

Academic Reading Strategies accessed from http://writingcenter.unc.edu/esl/resources/academic-reading-strategies/

Sujana, I Made, 2012. Integrating a Mind Mapping Technique and Information Gap Activities in Teaching Academic Reading in English English for Specific Purposes World, ISSN 1682-3257, accessed from http://www.esp-world.info, Issue 36, vol. 12, 2012

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ENJOY YOUR ACADEMIC READING FOR

SUCCESS OF YOUR STUDY

THANK YOU

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