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NCFM Study Skills Guide

Reading

Reading mindfully: select, settle down, make sense, stay focused, draw together

  • If you don’t do so already, read the quality newspapers and jot down the key points in an article. Practise writing only a few key words, rather than writing in sentences or copying.
  • Read books that challenge you, on subjects that inspire or interest you.
  • Have a go at reading faster than you usually would, to see if you can still grasp the gist of what is written.
  • Do background reading for your course. Find something very general or basic to read for each subject area. This will provide an overview that you can add detail to later.

Reading Skills Development

Reading Skills Development

Consolidate your knowledge base by Stella Cottrell

Consolidate your knowledge base | Skills for Study

Canyon with a gap at the top

Knowledge gaps can develop quickly – through missing a class, skipping a chapter that turns out to be important, or being distracted during lectures.

Such gaps make it a struggle to understand new material and identify links between topics.

This saps confidence in your subject expertise, weakens assignments and reduces choice in exams.

Pile of climbing rope

By contrast, a good knowledge base helps you to see more connections so you grasp new material faster.

This enhances the quality of your work, reduces the time it takes to learn material, and boosts your confidence and grades.

Climbing rope clipped to rock face

Reading at University