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EFFICIENT AND INEFFICIENT READING
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Efficient
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Inefficient
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1. Language
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The language of the text is comprehensible to the learners. |
The language of the text is too difficult. |
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2. Content
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The content of the text is accessible to the learners; they know enough about it to be able to apply their own background knowledge. |
The text is too difficult in the sense that the content is too far removed from the knowledge and experience of the learners. |
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3. Speed
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The reading progresses fairly fast: mainly because the reader has 'automatized' recognition of common combinations, and does not waste time working out each word or group of words anew. |
The reading is slow: the reader does not have a large “vocabulary” of automatically recognized items.
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4. Attention
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The reader concentrates on the significant bits, and skims the rest; may even skip parts he or she knows to be insignificant. |
The reader pays the same amount of attention to all parts of the text.
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5. Incomprehensible vocabulary
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The reader takes incomprehensible vocabulary in his or her stride: guesses its meaning from the surrounding text, or ignores it and manages without; uses a dictionary only when these strategies are insufficient. |
The reader cannot tolerate incomprehensible vocabulary items: stops to look every one up in a dictionary, and/or feels discouraged from trying to comprehend the text as a whole.
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6. Prediction
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The reader thinks ahead, hypothesizes, predicts. |
The reader does not think ahead, deals with the text as it comes.
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7. Background Information
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The reader has and uses background information to help understand the text. |
The reader does not have or use background information.
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8. Motivation
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The reader is motivated to read: by interesting content or a challenging task. |
The reader has no particular interest in reading.
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9. Purpose
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The reader is aware of a clear purpose in reading: for example, to find out something, to get pleasure. |
The reader has no clear purpose other than to obey the teacher's instruction.
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10. Strategies
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The reader uses different strategies for different kinds of reading.
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The reader uses the same strategy for all texts.
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© Cambridge University Press 1996 taken from: Penny Ur: A course in language teaching 1996 |
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