Read

We explain what reading is and how to acquire this habit. Also, what are the different reading techniques and how to read a text.

What is reading?

Reading is an activity that consists of understanding the signs of a text writing and decoding your message that is, attributing meaning to the content.

reading It is a mental and visual process in which the meaning of a text is deduced, its content is interpreted, the message is understood and inferences and questions are made.

Also, read It is an active process since the reader not only receives content, but also reflects on it to construct his or her own meanings.

Not all people understand the same thing when they read a text, since there are different factors that interfere with the construction of its meaning:

• Reader Features . The meaning given to a text varies according to the knowledge, expectations, interests, experiences, objectives and reading competence of each subject.
• The characteristics of the text . The meaning or interpretation is modified depending on the type of text that is read. For example, when reading an expository text, information about the real world is usually acquired, while a literary text is interpreted as fiction.
• Contextual features . The meaning of a text is usually affected by the cultural, historical and social circumstances in which it is read.

You learn to read at a very early age, but it is necessary to deepen reading comprehension techniques so that this activity is not just superficial, but learning. The most important thing is not to read quickly, but to read well. Reading well involves understanding what you read and thus being able to acquire and interpret knowledge.

Reading habits and benefits

It is important to encourage the habit of reading at home and at school. Nowadays, with the impact of new technologies, many people have decreased the amount of time they spend reading.

However, it is considered that both children and adults should read in educational, professional and everyday settings, because this habit brings many benefits, including:

• Improves different cognitive abilities . It allows critical analysis, concentration, reasoning, the ability to compare, the relationship of concepts, memory, imagination, among other skills, to develop.
• Increase vocabulary . It allows new words and uses of language to be incorporated.
• Increase knowledge on specific topics . It allows a person to incorporate knowledge on various topics.
• Improves comprehension ability . It allows not only reading comprehension to be improved, but also oral discourse, which favors the incorporation of ideas and theories that were not known.
• Encourage curiosity . It allows readers to wonder about various phenomena, facts and ideas.
• Improves the spelling and the writing . It allows the correct writing of words to be incorporated and the production of cohesive and coherent texts to be improved.

Reading ability depends on many factors, for example, the complexity of the text, readability, font size, paratext, reader concentration, fatigue, among others.

However, to encourage this habit, it is recommended to arouse interest in the reader, encourage the activity to take place in a quiet place and implement various techniques, for example, regression, which consists of rereading parts of the text when it is considered necessary to be able to read the text. understand it better.

Reading techniques

• Sequential reading . It is the traditional way of reading a text, without repetitions or omissions and trying to understand all its parts.
• Spot reading . It is one that consists of reading only fragments that are of interest to the reader.
• Diagonal reading . It is one in which the special parts of a text are read, such as the titles, the first sentences of the paragraphs, the highlighted or key words and the quotes.
• I scan youcanning . It is a speed reading of the text that consists of reading the words and highlighted fragments, titles and subtitles. It serves to formulate a hypothesis about the themes and concepts of the text.
• Quick reading . It is similar to diagonal reading, but provides greater concentration, since the entire text is read but quickly.
• Intensive reading . It is one that consists of reading the entire text in a deep, reflective and analytical way.

How to read a text?

When you read a text and want to fully understand it, you must:

• Make a reading hypothesis. Taking into account the type of text, the title, the subtitles and the previous information available on the topic and/or the author, a guess must be made about the content being addressed.
• Determine the structure of the text. After analyzing the titles and subtitles, you must determine what information will be found in each part.
• Read the text carefully. You should read the text paying attention to the ideas it raises. If you do not understand a part, it is advisable to reread it to try to understand its meaning. Furthermore, it is advisable to underline what is most relevant and write down the most important concepts, as well as any questions that may arise.

References

• Curipoma Silva, GE, Bermeo Sinchi, JE, Pullaguari Uchuari, BL and Sanmartín González, MR (2023). Didactic application of reading techniques to improve academic performance in basic education students. Latin Science. Multidisciplinary Magazine, 7(2), 10827-10847. https://ciencialatina.org/
• Labastida, J. and Ruiz, R. (Coords.). (2010). Encyclopedia of fundamental knowledge. UNAM-21st Century.
• Merchán Pita, JM and Rivadeneira Barreiro, MP (2021). Intensive reading as a strategy to develop the reading habit in Elementary Basic Education students. Mikarimin. Multidisciplinary Scientific Magazine, 7(2), 75-80.
• Ramírez Leyva, EM (2009). What is reading? What is reading? Library Research, 23(47), 161-188.