Learning Outcome #3

When I read I need to be in a quiet space with lots of time so I do not feel rushed. I tend to be a slow reader, especially when I am focused on thoroughly understanding what I am reading. I like to find a quiet spot where I then separate myself from all distractions and just focus on what I am reading. I like to use different colors and symbols to make it interesting and as a whole it keeps me engaged. When I then go back to read my annotations or look for quotes the colors help me remember my thought process and makes it easier to follow along. After I read each paragraph for the first time I like to stop and consider what each paragraph is saying and what the main purpose of that paragraph was. I liked when Susan Gilroy mentions the importance of getting into the habit of asking yourself questions in her selection from “Interrogating Texts: 6 Reading Habits to Develop in Your First Year at Harvard.” This is something that I have personally been working on doing. Questioning myself on the significance and meaning of each paragraph as well as how I connect to the paragraph has really helped me understand what I am reading. This is very time consuming so my annotations tend to be really strong towards the beginning of each paragraph and then slowly get more rushed as I do not have as much time to spend on each paragraph. To work on this I think I need to work on my time management skills because in the long run this will save me time and be extremely beneficial to me as it allows me to really understand what I am reading. After I read through a paragraph I will highlight and annotate what stands out to me and what I find important. I try to not highlight too much because then it just takes over the whole page which can be overwhelming and overall no help. When just important things are being noted it is easier when it comes to writing or finding quotes for my paper.