The document discusses reading comprehension, particularly in understanding technical materials, emphasizing the multi-faceted nature of comprehension skills, such as vocabulary knowledge and the ability to draw inferences. It introduces the SQ3R technique—Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review—as a structured approach to enhance understanding of complex texts, particularly in subjects like biology and psychology. The document also highlights challenges in reading technical material, including individual differences and the need for visualization to aid comprehension.

1. Comprehension of
Technical material
By: Asim Zahoor

2. Outline
• What is reading Comprehension?
• Why is reading technical material so hard?
• Reading Comprehension of technical material
SURVEY-QUESTION-READ-RECITE-REVIEW(SQ3R)
• When to use SQ3R technique?
• Visualizing the read information

3. What is reading Comprehension?
• Complex undertaking that involves many levels of processing and grows
gradually over years.
• It is a composite ability of a number of different abilities like
• Knowledge of word meaning
• Organization of thoughts of a passage,
• Answering to questions mentioned in the passage,
• Ability to draw inferences, noting the details from the text etc.

4. Why is reading technical material so hard?

5. • Individual variables
• intelligence, motivation, physiological and psychological traits
• Inflexibility
• tendency to read everything the same way regardless of what it is.
• The level of vocabulary and comprehension

6. Reading Comprehension of technical
material
• SURVEY-QUESTION-READ-RECITE-REVIEW(SQ3R)
1. SURVEY
• State your purpose for reading the material.
• Read the title
• Read the introduction and/or summary
• Notice each boldface heading and sub-headings
• Skim over graphs, tables, charts, etc. to see how they support and explain
the text.
• Take notes

7. 2. Question
• Frame questions
3. Read
• Divide chapter into small sections
• Ask questions before each paragraph or section, and then locate the answers in
the text
• Note down essential points and vocabulary
• Think, interpret, and analyze the first time you read, to avoid unnecessary re-
reading.
4. RECITE
• Make separate notes or outlines and answer questions from memory
• Discuss

8. 5. REVIEW
• Take a few minutes to review the information you just learned
• Re-read any section you did not understand
• Re-read headings, subheadings and boldfaced words
• Memorize if you need

10. When to use SQ3R technique?
• Useful with textbooks that provide a lot of information and require you
to learn the material in depth. Textbooks in many disciplines such as
biology, psychology, and sociology fall into this category.
• SQ3R is probably less useful with textbooks that focus on helping you
solve problems, like with math textbooks

11. Visualizing the read information
• Try to visualize information
• Watch how something is done for example DNA extraction by watching
animations or videos
• Draw yourself
• Concentrate on sequence
• Compare and Contrast