Active Reading

  As is often with reading any academic paper, I was most certainly not thrilled to be reading it. When reading it, it is considerably clear that I am not the target audience. The text is directed towards educators and teachers of secondary and primary school teaching. I, however, am a student without a preconceived interest in the matter.

When reading this text, I used the suggested questions when reading as a point of reference for what I was looking for when reading. I took a brief overlook of the entire paper, taking into account the length and formatting. When I was ready to read it thoroughly, I highlighted points of interest as well as having made notes of opinions I may have had while reading.

Upon reading, I was wary of the fact that it was published in February 1984 and written by Ernest Balajthy - less so by the author and more so the year of publication. As of the present day, the paper is 37 years old. I was of the opinion upon learning this information that the paper may hold somewhat outdated details that, while not drastically different, were at the very least updated and improved for the current day. Having read it, however, much of the information set out in this text can still be seen in classrooms today. 

It brings a handful, if not numerous, questions to the modern reader; How did educators teach and encourage students to read before? How was this paper received by the public when it was released? I am sure that I would find answers to these questions by looking at other papers on the subject at that time. 

The first two reading tasks line up similarly with the points laid out by the paper. Such as the inclusion of the questions, "Who? What? Where? When?" and the acronym study technique SQ3R. However, the reading tasks are written and adapted for a different target audience; Third Level Students. As such, the information provided is then framed as tips that students can learn to follow even without the aid of others. The paper provides more information to engage students in a classroom setting, often pairing students into groups to encourage questions from each other. 

Overall the text is comprehensible, and the use of examples at the end provided insight into how the author wanted it to be applied. These examples of activities can be used directly as stated or be a stepping ground in thinking of other activities with a similar goal. By putting the activities into a bullet point list, it allows for the reader to easily set apart the different activities. As well it can easily be found again should you need it.