Processing Literary Information
How many different ways can you read? Some will claim there is only one way to read, but taking in literary information requires us to change the way we are processing it. There are five basic types of modes of reading. You may not realize that most readers or students have used most or all of these modes. The first two modes of reading require critical thinking or active thinking. The main difference between personal and general modes of reading and the analytical reading mode is that it is usually used for light, enjoyable reading, and the other is used for more technical reading, respectively.
Personal/General Reading Mode - Pleasure and practice
This mode contains two words because it has two missions. The first being the ability to read, understand, and lightly analyze articles, papers, or books. The second goal of this mode is how the student reading the text takes the information and applies it to their own life experiences. Personal reading is generally applied to reading that the student is interested in, a book or text read mostly for enjoyment. During the first phase of this mode, fundamental ideas and essential details are assimilated and processed, including enough deep understanding to ask questions and make conclusions based on the context. This allows the reader to gear up to the next step in the mode: applying it to the student's personal life's experiences, and exposure to predicament and situations not otherwise acquired in real life.
This exposure to new life plights and difficulties can help students gain insight and knowledge about how they themselves would engage with a particular type of issue. In turn, this develops their own schema, ideas, and cognitive understanding about dealing with life's dilemmas. In Readicide, author Kelly Gallagher refers to this reading mode as a type of rehearsal, challenging the brain to use its knowledge with problem-solving to contend with new predicaments. Reading and thinking about these concepts allow a student to practice or rehearse what problem-solving might be needed when they come face to face with an obstacle.
Analytical Reading Mode - Academic and cognitive development
The analytical reading mode is the mode where active thinking occurs. Critical analysis is a key component during this mode, and we may stop, consider review, and question information. New ideas are born, and novel connections are made. This mode is similar to the personal/general reading mode, but it is generally used when reading higher-level academic papers, articles, reports, legal paperwork, or complex books.
In the analytical reading mode, students are reading subtexts, fine print, and taking care to underline and highlight critical information, no matter how minute. Inferences are made concerning the author's style, clarity, and logical progression. In this mode, a reader may pause and stop to consider a portion of the text. Concepts are pondered, questions are asked, and rational connections are linked. Rereading or reviewing is also expected and an essential piece. This reading mode also encourages the reader to gather other relevant information or more content by the same author.
Skimming Mode and Scanning Mode - Overview and searching
These two modes seem very similar but have different purposes. Skimming and scanning are often used interchangeably, but what's important to note about these two is skimming is used for attaining information. Scanning is used to search for particular information.
When you skim an article or paper, you are seeking to gain a general sense of the essential points of the text. When skimming, you are highlighting on titles, short descriptive subtitles, introductory phrases, and summarizing conclusions. Skimming allows a student to have a basic understanding of the paper, but not necessarily a deep enough comprehension to assist in analyzing important topics or applying it to their schema related to that topic. Skimming can be used as a precursor to personal or analytical reading to get a better understanding of how an article or piece of reading is formatted, organized, and presented.
In the event that you are scanning text, you are searching for a particular piece of information. When you are scanning the newspaper for the job listings, you are specifically seeking information you know you need. In this mode, you are completely ignoring any text that does not have any relation to the job listings. This mode can also be used when studying. For example, if you know which topics are covered on an exam, you might prepare by scanning your chapters for the answers to particular questions. Scanning might also be utilized when using a search online when a student is looking for a specific reference when given a large pool of results.
Study Reading Mode - Connecting the dots
The scanning mode can quickly change into studying mode, the next mode we will focus on. Studying can use scanning components but requires that one has already engaged in analytical or personal/general reading mode. Studying mode not only requires review of content but involves activities that may require making notes, creating visual representations of cognitive thought process, mind-mapping, and outlining. Reviewing and rereading text is a large portion of the study reading mode. These activities are not possible without more profound thought into the text that could be attained through the analytical reading mode. Visuals represent a student's understanding of what they have read, understood, and analyzed deeply. In this mode, information is stored for later recall, such as during an exam.
The next time you are reading something interesting or working on an academic project, see if you can detect which reading mode you are using at the moment. You may be surprised to find you may end up using all modes within one activity! Being aware of which mode you are currently in can make for a better student and a more comprehensive and deeper understanding of the text.
