Reading for academic success

2. Reading for academic success Developing Business Practice – 302LON Week 1

3. Overview of sessions

4. By the end of this session... • Have an understanding of the role of reading in your course of study • Be aware of the different types of reading expected on your • Be able to read effectively • Understand the purpose of note-taking

5. Why do we read? • Read to gain knowledge and obtain information • Significant amount of time at university is spent reading It’s up to you to organise your reading practices

6. For enjoyment! To find out more about a subject that interests you To find further evidence to support your own ideas Background preparation for an assignment or interview To go into more depth about a theory for an assignment To find out more about a topic mentioned in class To prepare for a seminar so that everyone can discuss it

7. So much to read... INFORMATION OVERLOAD ...so little time!

8. Good reading practices Allow you to select the most appropriate materials to read Reduce the time spent on reading it Ensure that you are reading the material critically Ensure that the notes that you take from your reading are usable afterwards

9. ‘Why am I reading?’ Define your purpose Specific piece of information? Getting an overall feel for a piece of work? Background reading? Deeper understand of a topic?

10. What should I read?: Directed reading • Reading your tutor directs you to • Within Moodle, Reading List or Knowledgecast

11. What should I read?: Directed reading Required It is expected that you have read this before coming to class Will be the basis of the discussion in the seminar Recommended You don’t have to read it all, but reading a selection from the recommended list will allow you to have a better understanding of the topic and contribute to the discussion

12. What should I read?: Self-directed reading • Take your lead from the suggested reading • Use bibliographies and the sources that they have mentioned • Do your own searches on our databases and in the Learning Resource Centre • Ask your tutor

13. What types of sources might you be reading? • Textbooks – good for background information • Journal articles – good for applications of models and theories in depth • Newspaper articles – for real life examples and up-to-date information • Websites – but always with caution!

14. Reading critically Facts v. Interpretation To non -critical readers, texts provide facts.  Readers gain knowledge by memorising the statements within a text. To the critical reader, any single text provides but one portrayal of the facts, one individual’s “take” on the subject matter. Critical readers thus recognise not only what a text says, but also how that text portrays the subject matter.  (Kurland 2000)

15. Questions to ask yourself... When/where was it written? How does this information relate to what you already know? What evidence have they used? And are there any gaps? Do you agree with this interpretation of the evidence?

16. Effective reading tips Always keep your reading goal in mind • Use the abstract or executive summary to see if an article or report is relevant • When looking at books, look at the index and contents page to see where in the book to start

17. Effective reading tips • The first paragraph and the last paragraph of a chapter or article should give a good idea of the main topic and argument of the work • Quickly scan for keywords and phrases of interest, and then go back and read more closely.

18. Taking notes

19. Note-taking: Why do we take notes? Ensures that we understand what we have just read Allows us to reproduce information at a later date Remind us of information at a later date Concise way of capturing key information Enables us to organise information and our ideas Ensures active learning

20. Different methods of note-taking Annotating Summarising Visually (Mind maps)

21. Taking notes: Annotating

22. Taking notes: Annotating

23. Taking notes: Summarising Cottrell, S. (2008) The Study Skills Handbook. 3rdedn. London: Palgrave Macmillan Page 7: It is best to prepare properly for university course: ways to prepared include foundation courses, access or short courses from the university or local college. It is also possible to do foundation degree, which is equivalent to two years study – this can be taken part time. There are people who can offer advice, including a mature student adviser, life-long learning – see the university for advice.

24. Taking notes: Visually People to ask: Student adviser Lifelong learning centre Other members of staff Preparation for university course Part time Modes of study Access routes Full time Access and short courses from colleges and universities Foundation degrees Equiv x 2 years ft study

25. Taking notes: Things to remember Take notes on second reading Make it clear in your notes any sections that are copied directly from the text, and note page numbers of diagrams or key points Make use of highlighters, different colours and abbreviations to make your notes clear, concise and easy to read

26. Organising your note taking Paper based? Date your notes, keep them tidy, file them afterwards

27. Organising your note taking Using a computer? • Back up your files, name your files sensibly and keep them organised

28. Organising your note taking Always ensure that you have all the information you need to use this information in your assignments Author, title, date of publication, publisher details, page numbers, web address of any online sources

29. Knowledgecast Summary In this Knowledgecast, we have: • Looked at the role of reading in your studies, including directed and self-directed reading and considered the purpose it serves • Looked different types of reading materials and what to be aware of when reading them • Introduced the idea of reading critically and provided some questions to provide critical thinking framework • Looked at some note-taking techniques that you can start to put into practice.

30. Preparation for the seminar • Bring a copy of the Harvard Business Review article from your reading for International Business Strategy (301LON) ‘Ten ways to create shareholder value’ by Rappaport. • You may find it more useful to print it out. • You will find this through the Reading List link in the 301LON module.

31. Image credits • ‘Bibliography’ by gadlhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/gadl/320300354/sizes/l/in/photostream/ • ‘168th of 2nd 365: A choice. Which translation to continue reading?’ by dumbledadhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/dumbledad/4988915427/sizes/o/in/photostream/ • ‘Questioning’ by Ann Douglas http://www.flickr.com/photos/anndouglas/422362185/sizes/o/in/photostream/ • ‘reading aloud: j reads Harry Potter (2)’ by anna_thttp://www.flickr.com/photos/anna/199723292/sizes/o/in/photostream/ • ‘Notes’ by English 106 http://www.flickr.com/photos/english106/4357529719/sizes/z/in/photostream/ • ‘jour048’ by Guillaume Brialonhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/guillaumebrialon/3288150201/sizes/o/in/photostream/ • ‘MacBook keyboard’ by alcommhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/alcomm/217097889/sizes/l/in/photostream/

32. References • Kurland, D, (2000) What is critical reading? [online] Available from: http://www.criticalreading.com/critical_reading.htm. <6 January 2010>