How to approach a new text? How to actively and effectively open a text?
It is essential that all new information is built on top of what you have learned before. That is why it is important to activate your previous knowledge of the subject before starting to read a new text. Prior to this, however, it is necessary to analyse the type of reading required for the assignment.
Phases of reading
Before reading, consider these aspects:
- What actions are required from me?
- What kind of understanding is required? Verbatim recollection, interpretation, conclusions?
- What is the best way to start reading (do I first look at the subtitles, do I check the references, do I read the final conclusions)?
- How do you think it is best to go through with the reading?
- What problems can reading possibly cause (I do not understand everything, I cannot find the main topics, the subject makes me defensive)?
During reading:
Anticipation: Read the title and predict the content based on it
- What is the subject of the text?
- What do I know about it already? Do I know enough to have an opinion?
- Write down your assumptions and compare them with the text after reading. Make a personal view of the subject before reading and consider whether your view changed after reading.
Active reading, commenting on the content of the text and asking questions
- Underline key points
- Write down questions and thoughts that may arise during reading, such as: What are the writer’s intentions? What is the aim of this text? What does a certain section mean? Why has this not been defined in more detail?
- Have an opinion about the text: note the parts where you agree or disagree.
- Pay attention to any images, statistics or tables attached to the text. How do they make the subject clearer?
Drawing a concept map, summary
- Draw a map of the key elements of the text and their relationships. Write the key concepts of the text on the map and draw a circle around them. Mark and name the links between the concepts with directional arrows.
- Write a summary of the text or present it to someone orally. Explaining what you have read to someone is one of the best ways to test whether you have understood the essentials.
After reading, think about the following:
- What was the emphasis of the text?
- Was the text interesting?
- What questions remained unanswered?
Reliability and credibility of the text
A critical reader always places the text in some kind of context. In other words, they perceive how the text relates to other texts. They ask the following questions about the text:
- When was this text written?
- Where was this text published?
- Who wrote this text?
- Why was this text written?
- For whom was this text written?
First of all, it is important to note when the text was written. It is necessary to take a different view of a textbook about didactics, for example, depending on whether it was written in the 1940s or the 1990s. In many areas, progress is so fast that even a work from 5–10 years ago may seem outdated. The place of publication is also important. Articles should be viewed differently according to where they have been published. A scientific journal is usually a more reliable source of information than, for example, a tabloid.
Secondly, it is worth considering what you know about the author of the text. Are they the only expert in the field in Finland? What kind of values are guiding them? What are other experts saying about the subject?
Thirdly, you need to think about the purpose of the text and the target audience. Is it a beginner's textbook or a report written for fellow researchers? It is also good to think about the role of the author in the text. Does the author present things impersonally as an objective truth, or do they refer to themselves and their views at a meta-textual level (e.g. with such expressions as "According to my research", "It is obvious that...", etc.)?
The credibility of the text can be evaluated by analysing the arguments presented by the author. For this purpose, you can use the following questions:
- What are the author's theses? Are they easy to find in the text?
- How does the author justify their theses? Does the author back up their arguments by presenting their own objections?
- How the arguments are supported (e.g. referring to authorities or experience)
All of what was presented above is called contextualisation and cultural literacy. It is a skill that grows with general knowledge. General education refers to a knowledge of history and a broad knowledge of cultural and social phenomena. The more you read, the better your ability to contextualise, i.e. to place new things that you have read in a context. You can only apply and critically evaluate what you have read when you know how to place the text among other texts and see the relationship of the text with other texts.