Reading Promotion Programme

Active Reader

A text needs a reader. It does not read for itself. A reader can be a computer or a person. The active reader concept is based on the interaction between a text and a human reader. We are active readers when we read for understanding and meaning. Rote readers are not active readers. Rote readers read to memorise and repeat. They do not seek to understand what is written.

We say that a person is reading actively as part of the meaning of the text depends on the reader's input. Emphasis is more on the reading than the text and it is the reader who makes the difference.

We all make sense of the world we live in through our knowledge of it. So if we had a wider vocabulary to describe objects, people and situations, our interpretation of what we read is different compared to someone with a more limited vocabulary.

We make sense of the world by drawing on our language proficiency and our knowledge of the world. If we are not familiar with a situation, we will not be able to make much sense of it. Normally, we try to understand a new situation by reflecting on our past experiences. We draw on our past experiences to make sense of the present. If the situation is similar to our past experiences, we think we know what it is about. We make inferences.

EXAMPLE 1

• You must read with interest and a desire for understanding. Think about what you are reading. Evoke the images that the writer has drawn. Try to imagine yourself in the scene.
• You must read critically. Evaluate what you are reading. If it is a fictional text, can you relate to it? Is the story convincing? Does the writer tell the story well? Who is the writer? Why does the writer choose to tell the story? Can you tell the same story? Why not? Can you tell a similar story? What would be your story?If writing is based on facts, how accurate are the descriptions? Is the writer objective? If not, what are the biases? Is the writer well acquainted with the facts? For example, if you are reading a biography, what is the relationship between the writer and his or her subject?

Here is a story that we can practice on to be an active reader. The story is for you to enjoy. There will not be a test. If you wish to go further and have a little practise of how to be an active reader, click the book title below.