Metacognition: Thinking about Thinking
Many of the strategies shared on this guide encourage readers to be more active in the ways they notice and engage with their thought processes. Approaching reading with a metacognitive lens, or in a way that encourages awareness of the thought processes that go into reading, can help develop understanding around what we're actually doing while reading, leading more efficient, effective, and enjoyable outcomes.
For many college students, adapting to the reading load they are expected to manage can be a challenge! This guide offers some critical approaches to reading, offering strategies that can increase efficiency, comprehension, and recall for material read across disciplines.
Before selecting reading strategies you must answer one question:
Why am I reading?
Understanding what you hope to get out of each piece you read is essential to crafting an effective strategy. Are you preparing for a class discussion? An exam? Reading a novel to uncover detail? Reading the news so you can stay up to date? Once you've arrived on an answer you can decide which strategies are the best suited to your needs.
