Passive vs. Active Reading

Are you reading passively? Do you:

• Read simply to get through the assigned pages?
• Pay little attention to identifying and remembering the main ideas?
• Feel little engagement with the reading?
• Avoid rereading sections or asking questions?

If you’ve answered yes to any of these you may be reading passively and missing opportunities to learn from the material.

Active reading is more like a discussion between you and the material, and therefore involves repeated questioning, critiquing, re-examination and development of ideas. The benefits of active reading include:

• more efficient reading and studying time
• greater concentration and focus while you read
• improved understanding of key information

Click the button below to learn the difference between passive and active reading.