Jordan Gilbert and Dr. Marné Isakson, Counseling and Career Center
Transitioning from high school to college is a challenging task. The rigorous demands of college are far more than most students have met in K-12. College students often find themselves overwhelmed as shown by data from the BYU Counseling and Career Center indicating that among the top stressors are the heavy academic demands. To help students learn to read challenging academic texts well, a course has been created, Student Development 270. But what should students be learning in such a course? The purpose of this ORCA study is to research how accomplished learners study their texts so we can identify and teach these successful strategies to college students.
Professors across many disciplines at Brigham Young University were invited to participate in our study. Thirty agreed and looked at what they did to read the challenging texts in their fields. We discovered many widely used strategies and these were analyzed and categorized into Before, During, and After strategies shown in the taxonomy below. A few of the strategies reported are being used by one or two professors but many of them were used across a variety of disciplines. Many valuable strategies were discovered. Given the constraints for this report, one strategy of each of the three categories is explained. I picked these three strategies based on the most intriguing for me of what professors actually use and based on which strategies I think would most help anyone reading hard academic texts.
Most readers do not realize that setting the stage for reading is one of the most important parts of reading. The mind needs to be prepared before reading in order to get the most information out of a text. Professor 7 of our study says, “Before reading, I read the back cover, the table of contents, and the introduction to see what the main points are going to be. I look for key sentences that link the argument.” Professor 3 said, “I do almost no straight read-through’s when I study chemistry. I skim a lot. I glance over the headings, jump to the conclusions, go back and read details when needed.” To help the reader become engaged in the text, a good preview of the material prepares the mind and gives direction for the information about to be read.
During reading strategies play a huge role in the reading process such as monitoring the level of focus, asking probing questions, generating examples, and reflecting on the evolving meaning. But the During strategy that really caught me off guard is to take a break. Professor 17 said, “When my mind
wanders, I might stand up, take a deep breath, take a short break, read it aloud or mouth the words.” Many students cram, study everything at once, and to do so until 2 o’clock in the morning. Expert readers know better; even they need a break from reading to rejuvenate the mind and help regain focus.
The After reading strategies are critical. This is where a study session can result in new knowledge and ideas or superfluous soon-to-be forgotten material. The After strategy that I think everyone could benefit from is stated well by Professor 3, “I tell others about what I’ve learned. Give explanations at the ‘mother-in-law level,’ that is, at a level that my nonscientist mother-in-law could understand.” Teaching others can solidify a concept. If readers state the meaning for them, they are more likely to understand and remember the material. Professors spend a lifetime studying a topic; it is no wonder they know so much about their field, but they also have the opportunity regularly to teach others what they know which makes the material theirs.