(3)
Read or skim the whole work (this may be necessary in any case)
because sometimes seeing the whole picture can clarify specific parts of it.
(4)
Read another textbook on the same subject. Sometimes when we make
a mistake we keep making it. By looking at another work we may break the
pattern. Alternatively, if the problem is with the author, then the second
account will probably be free of the first author's deficiency.
(5)
Try to define your problem in writing. This may help to solve it because
you see more clearly what the problem is.
(6)
As a last resort consult a teacher or fellow student. This is the ultimate
remedy because it is important for a student's development to learn to face
difficulties on his or her own.
All of the above discussion of difficulties in reading and their causes has talked
about causes within the text or within the reading of it. It may well be that the
problem lies with you, and reading difficulties are symptomatic of something
else –
for example you are tired, bored, or worried. Needless to say it is
difficult for most of us to work when we are worried or upset. From the
viewpoint of study, two things should be considered. First,
take whatever
steps you can to deal with the worry. This may involve taking some positive
action, or talking it over with a sympathetic friend or counsellor. Second, if for
whatever reason the worry cannot be dealt with immediately, or is going to
persist for some time, then try to develop a frame of mind that enables you to
switch off from the worry and concentrate on study. Admittedly this is
difficult, but it can be done, and a further benefit is that being absorbed in
another task, and doing it successfully, is often a very good antidote to feeling
low and feeling anxious.
If the cause of your misreading is merely boredom or tiredness, then two
possible courses of action are open. One possibility is that you are feeling
tired and bored because you do not want to work, or you are apprehensive for
some reason about study. In these cases it is normally better to double your
efforts and plunge in. On the other hand, if you have been working for a long
time, then tiredness and boredom are inevitable, and in these cases it is better
to take a break. One of the best sorts of breaks is to do something physical
and involving like gardening, exercise or some hobby. In some cases it may be
difficult to decide into which category your tiredness or boredom comes.
There is no simple answer to this, except to say that as you become more
experienced as a student, you should have better awareness of your moods,
and of your working capacity, and you should be able to judge the causes of
your boredom and tiredness, and the best remedy.
Thinking
As you read do some thinking. About every 10 or 20 minutes of reading, more
often if required, pause and think about what you have read. Appraise it, put it
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