A conversation on active reading skills for college success with Gail Malone, Ph.D., Director of the Teaching & Learning Center at South Plains College.

1. active reading skills for college success
Gail Malone, Ph.D.
Director, Teaching & Learning Center
South Plains College
(806) 716-2240
gmalone@southplainscollege.edu
Troy Anderson
Market Development Manager
Cengage Learning
(248) 207-6649
troy.anderson@cengage.com

2. “Reading is a basic tool
in the living of a good life.”
- Mortimer J. Adler
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mortimer_Adler,_1988.jpg

4. In grades k – 3, a student learns
to read; in all the other grades, the
student reads to learn.
http://delightfulchildrensbooks.com/2012/05/14/learn-to-read/

5. http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2010/10/george-clooney-to-nbcs-ann-curry-about-sudan.html

6. What was the age of the youngest
person you have known to learn to read?
What was the oldest?
HAVE YOU HAD NONREADERS IN
YOUR COLLEGE CLASSES?

8. A student must be able to
read correctly approximately
95% of the words in text
in order to comprehend what is read.

9. Table 3
Independent
Reading Words Read Per
Minutes Per Day Year
65.0 4,358,000
21.1 1,823,000
14.2 1,146,000
9.6 622,000
6.5 432,000
4.6 282,000
3.3 200,000
1.3 106,000
0.7 21,000
0.1 8,000
0.0 0
Variation in Amount of Independent Reading
Cunningham & Stanovich (1999)

10. The average child from a low-income
family hears about 3 million words a
year compared to 11 million from a
middle-class professional family (Hart &
Risley, 1995).
HTTP://WWW.VIRTUALSALT.COM/VOCABLST.HTM
College students need about 11000 to
14000 root words (meter in thermometer
or centimeter).

11. the POWER of the spoken word . . .
Kindle Study @ South Plains College

12. Academic reading is an
exercise that requires the
reader to be able to interact
with text in ways that will
aid retention and
understanding of the
material.

13. SQ3R (A System)
• Survey
• Question
• Read
• Recite
– Organize
– Test
• Review

14. SQ3R (A System)
• Survey
• Question
• Read
• Recite
– Organize
– Test
• Review

15. Interaction: Questioning for
Deep Learning
Elaboration: How is this concept
related to other concepts?
Distinction: How is this concept
different from other concepts?
Personalization: How can I relate
this to my own life?
Retrieval and Application: How
am I expected to use or apply
this concept?

17. Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset
Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., is one of the
world’s leading researchers in the field of
motivation and is the Lewis and Virginia
Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford
University
http://mindsetonline.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICILzbB1Obg

18. Growth Fixed
• Nothing ventured, • Nothing
nothing gained. ventured, nothing
• If at first you don’t lost.
succeed, try, try • If at first you don’t
again. succeed, you
• Rome wasn’t built in probably don’t have
a day. the ability.
• If Rome wasn’t built
in a day, maybe it
wasn’t meant to be.

19. The Fixed Mindset
• Will I succeed or fail?
• Will I look smart or dumb?
• Will I be accepted or rejected?
• Will I feel like a winner or a loser?

20. The Growth Mindset
• Based on the belief that your basic qualities
are things you can cultivate through your
efforts.
• Everyone can change and grow though
application and experience.

21. The Fixed Mindset
• I’m a loser. • The fixed mindset gives
everything a strong
• I am better than evaluation.
he is. • Good things lead to a
very strong positive
• I am a bad wife. label and bad things
lead to a very strong
• My partner is negative label.
selfish.

22. The Growth Mindset
• What can I learn • The growth mindset
from this? does not evaluate or
judge.
• How can I improve? • People with the growth
• How can I do mindset are attuned to
better? implications for
• How can I help learning and
constructive action.
someone else do
better?

23. The entire brain is an organ of emotion, and
emotion, reason and memory are all linked
together (Zull, p. 65).
Feelings affect reasoning and memory.
Feelings can help us remember and forget.
They are essential for reasoning and they can
hinder reasoning.
Learning depends on the feelings of
learners.

24. Beliefs are the key to
happiness (or misery).
Basis of cognitive therapy

25. ACTIVE LEARNING REQUIRES
METACOGNITION
(Bransford, et al, National Academies, 2000)
Active Learning means helping students
take control of their own learning
(p. 12)

26. SQ3R (A System)
• Survey
• Question
• Read
• Recite
– Organize
– Test
• Review

27. Recite
Stop frequently in the chapter to review.
Talk aloud about what you have read and
how the ideas relate to each other.
Consider how the information relates to
your own personal experience.

28. Organize/Conceptualize
Record important information:
use margin notes, an
outline, flash cards, concept
map, notes – whatever works for
you and the particular textbook
you are reading. You may need
to use more than one method of
recording to get the information
organized.

29. Concept Maps
SQ3R
Survey Question Read Recite Review
Look things over, What do you know
Read as necessary, As necessary, only
pictures, tables, and what do you Talk aloud,
taking notes. if you can’t recite.
etc. need to know?
When you read,
Pay attention to Use active learning
look for answers to
bullets strategies.
questions.

30. Concept Maps
SQ3R
Survey Question Read Recite Review
What do you know and
As necessary, only if
Look things over, what do you need to Read as necessary,
Talk aloud, you can’t recite the
pictures, tables, etc. know? 4 active learning taking notes.
answers.
questions.
When you read, look
Answer the four active
Pay attention to bullets for answers to
learning questions.
questions.
Refer to 4 active learning
questions.

31. Reading Truths
1. You don’t have to read every single
word to understand the meaning.
2. Sometimes you have to read a
sentence more than once.
3. Sometimes you need to read aloud.
4. Sometimes you need to do
something: Stand Up!

32. Reading Truths
5. Sometimes you can skip around a
page or a chapter.
6. Don’t worry about speed.
7. Be sure you’ve had your vision
checked and you can see the print
clearly.
8. Watch TV with the sound muted and
the closed-captioning feature turned
on.

34. DEAR BOARD OF EDUCATION,
SO ARE WE.
SINCERELY, STUDENTS

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delivers personalized learning focused on improving educational
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37. For more information:
Contact Gail Malone, Ph.D.
South Plains College,
Library 310
Levelland, TX 79336
(806) 716-2240
gmalone@southplainscollege.edu
© 2012

38. mindtap@cengage.com

39. References
Academic Skills Center. (2001. Dartmouth College available at
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/docs/using_your_textbook.doc
Chew, Stephen. (2012). How to get the most out of studying [Available at
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL85708E6EA236E3DB].
Davis, Stephen. (2007). Brain-based pedagogy. (available at
http://www.hocking.edu/~aaffairs/FacDev_files/brain_based_pedagogy.htm
)
Dweck, C. (2011). Mindsets [available at http://mindsetonline.com/].
National Research Council (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience
and school. Washington, DC: NRC. [Often referred to as Bransford, et al.]
Pelley, J. (2012). Success types [available at
http://www.ttuhsc.edu/som/success/].
Smilkstein, Rita. (2007). Promising practices in education, Starlink telecast,
March 27, 2007
(for more information, see http://www.starlinktraining.org).
Willis, J. (2006). Research based strategies to ignite student learning.
Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Zull, J. (2002). The art of changing the brain: Enriching the practice of teaching
by exploring the biology of learning. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.