READING COMPREHENSION 1. NEVER LOOK AT HOW LONG YOUR READING WOULD BE. This generate an idea on the mind that “Ang haba haba naman”, “paano ko ito tatapusin?”, “kailan pa kaya ako matatapos nito?” Putting your mindset like this makes you at risk of a mental block, both in answering and memorizing, plus your comprehension will lessen because you think only of finishing it, rather than starting and understanding it. 2. READ LIKE YOU ARE TALKING. By doing this technique, you will be able to catch up by what you read. How you talk to someone should be applied by reading since you understand what you say more than what you think. But don’t read it too loudly. When we read, we sometimes hear that small voice in our head, you can change its voice by thinking that is how you talk, and then read the sentence with your own voice. 3. READ FAST. Reading faster than your usual speed is very helpful for comprehension because the brain absorbs more information, it creates an impression 4. HIGHLIGHT If reading is a problem, then highlight the words that you are not familiar with, the sentences you can’t understand, because you know you can understand what you read, but fail to comply in that mindset. Adding colors to your reading keeps your mind awake. More often, you get bored of the usual black and white, no energy is given to those types of readings. Instead of falling into unnecessary habits, create a change on what you read. IT”S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS AND THIS. 5. MAKE DICTIONARIES YOUR FRIEND. Whatever word you cannot understand fully, a dictionary is always good. Admit that you can’t comprehend a word, and instead of falling into a hole of self-hatred because you cannot understand, learn the things you think you can’t. A dictionary is always handy whenever a word confuses you. 6. LEARN CONTEXT CLUES. Context clues are types of clues where you try to understand a sentence by knowing it’s message. If you can’t understand a word, find it’s meaning, how it is used in a sentence and apply. This is where you use your open mind in place. e.g. He went where the sun shines. Where does the sun shine? In the East. So the subject “He” went East. e.g. The parade started with a loud bang, I was flabbergasted. What does a loud bang cause you? How would you feel hearing a loud bang? SHOCKED, SURPRISED. That’s what flabbergasted means. 7. MOVE AWAY FROM DISTRACTIONS You can’t focus much when you are distracted. An example of this is reviewing with your friends, and ending up talking and blabbering with each other. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, friends are good, but if you want to improve for yourself, learn to isolate where your mind is at pace. Some might understand things when they’re with others, but make sure that what you do is for academe and learning, because most of the time, we lose our time and end up bagging regret. 8. KNOW YOUR OWN TECHNIQUE IN READING As explained in number 7, you can learn your reading technique by knowing your personality. Do you like your own company? Or do you like it with friends? Understanding this will help you ready your mind for the reading ahead. Listen to music if you want, like instrumentals, soothing music, the sound of rain, or just go where you like. 9. FOCUS ON THE WORDS, NOT THE PARAGRAPH. Focusing too much on long paragraphs will get you nowhere but stress. Instead of looking at lengthy paragraphs over and over, focus on the words instead, how it becomes connected into each sentence giving us a message from just their appearances. 10. BE MINDFUL OF YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS READING How many times have you been intimidated by ‘intelligent people’? How many times have you said that reading is “boring”? How many times have you failed in a quiz because you haven’t read notes you were supposed to read? Reading is power, as said in the theme for last year’s English Olympics. Wanna know why? Because it can either take you to a dream land, or change the way you think. 11. MAKE READING A HABIT Invest a reading time where you are free and your brain works more actively. Making reading a habit won’t hurt you or your brain, but instead will give you loads of information, ideas and insights on different aspects. When your brain experiences difficulty trying to read, you have to exercise it by reading, by feeding it information that can help you grow. Here’s an example of habits for reading: Before you sleep, put your module or book where you usually place your phone, especially if you’ve created a habit of waking up and using your phone first thing in the morning. When you grab a reading first thing in the morning, you are set to start your day and feed your brain its break fast. Saves you from cramming, and doesn’t give you an eye strain. ● ● Always remember that books and reading already have their explanation in it. Don’t hate what you don’t understand, but rather understand what you’re trying to hate.
