Skim reading ( lecture )

Skim reading is a really useful tool for a student, it basically means a technique of reading in such a way that you skim over the text picking out the key words so that you get the gist of the text without getting bogged down in all the language. It is of course important to do it correctly so that you so not mis-interpret the text and get the right “gist”! It is interesting to note that studies show ( see skim reading for dummies series) that people can skim read written text much faster in book format than on a computer screen. It is important to read the opening and closing or concluding paragraphs carefully though to make sure that what you are skimming off the text is the right stuff! Ti takes some practise but without realising it we all skim read a lot of the time anyway, modern journalism with its sound bites is made for skimming, you can jump from bite to bite and really get the nub of the argument or point of view. I find that it is useful to read the important intro and conclusion paragraphs and then scan through the document for key words used in those, and then to skim read to see if you can glean the gist, much faster than reading the text word for word, and practise – which I need – makes this an easier thing to achieve, important for those like me who are a bit daunted by a huge text.