Thoughts — Stages of (Academic) Reading
Introduction
Throughout my college years, I have come to realize that I should approach each reading in a different manner. Because reading every academic work with the same approach hindered my comprehensive understanding of them. It is, thus, truly crucial to be conscious of one’s reading method. Now, every time before reading I would always ask myself “Which of the stages am I at and how can I utilize my reading time spent on this work to the fullest with the appropriate methods?” I would like to share the reading stages one has to be aware of when reading academic works.
Stage #1: Perceptive Reading
This is a type of reading where you would approach a text as an input. In this type of reading practice, one must stay as perceptive as possible by shutting down the internal monologue, refrain from forming opinions, and really listen to understand what the author is saying. The more beginner you are to the text, the more open-minded and focused you must stay while reading. If the reading is compared to a conversation between two people, in this type of reading, you really must remain quiet and listen closely to the author.
Stage #2: Assessment Reading
After receiving the foundational knowledge and information from the perceptive reading stage, one must begin to assess the reading with questions and own’s opinions. In assessment reading, the reader is slowly beginning to form one’s outlook of the text by bringing in their own understanding, comments, and requires. If this reading practice was a conversation, it would be quite similar to the Q&A session between the reader and the author. The reader forms a question and refers back to the text to see what the author has said. However, the questions in this stage are quite trivial.
Stage #3: Crumb-Collecting Type of Reading
This type of reading occurs after the reader has read other texts and refers back to the original reading. This time, the reader would have the knowledge of other written works which will allow the reader to understand the leftover ideas that h/she did not pick up during their perceptive reading. In the perceptive reading stage the reader lefts off many details because h/she did not have a broad knowledge of the topic. I came to understand that you approach the same reading differently every time you reread. In this stage of reading, you are crumb-collecting the fruitful details of the author’s writing that you missed in the first reading.
Stage #4: Critical Reading
This is a sophisticated stage of reading. This time, the reader can now argue with the author and contribute to the conversation of the reading. It is not only the author who has something to say, but you will, also, be the one fully getting into the conversation with the author. You will disagree/agree and, at certain times, realize the author was shamming all along or conclude the author is a literal genius in their field. To reach this stage, it requires hours of studying and reading the works related to the topic. In many cases, you have to go through stages one to three repeatedly to reach the fourth one. You can now finally start asking analytical questions, critically assessing the argument, doing a comparative analysis, etc.
