Skimming
One you have scanned a resource and decided that it is suitable for your purpose; you may then want skim read for further information. This is used for getting the ‘gist’ of a text without painstakingly reading word for word with an internal monologue. The act of reading changes so that you read 3 – 4 words at a time. A useful way to think about this is to consider individual letters in a word – you don’t read each letter but see the whole word. The same applies to skim reading – you don’t read each word but see clusters of information.
Tips:
• Use organisational features of the texts (i.e. start/end of paragraphs; conclusions, etc).
• Read further away from the text than what you would normally do
(creating a larger space between your eyes and the written word).
• Don’t let your eyes move from left to right as this encourages word for word reading. Instead, try to keep your eyes still with a loose focus down the middle of the text.
• Practice, practice, practice!!!! You will only develop these skills if
you practice them. It may be easier to start off with light reading at first.