STUDY AND WRITING SKILLS
64
6.5
STUDY SKILLS
READING STRATEGIES
1
There are two common techniques you can use when
getting information from a text:
skimming
and
scanning
.
Read the definitions, then answer the questions.
Skimming
You use skimming to get a general idea of a text. For
example, you look through a text quickly to find out
what the topic is and its main idea.
Scanning
You use scanning to find key words or specific points
in a text. In most cases, you know what you are looking
for, so you’re focusing on finding a particular answer.
Which technique would you use to find:
1
the general opinion of a hotel from several online
guest reviews?
2
a writer’s opinion in a report on the future of
distance learning?
3
a version of a popular song on YouTube by a singer
you like?
4
an article in a magazine which was interesting and
worth reading?
5
the score of your favourite team in a list of
football results?
6
the cheapest price of a book from a range of prices
in an online bookstore?
2
Predicting
Before you read a text, it is helpful to use
your knowledge to anticipate what the text is about. This
is called predicting. It will improve your reading ability
because you can check your predictions during your
reading. Work with a partner to discuss the following.
1
What do you know about blended learning?
2
Are you for or against this method of learning?
3
What do you want to learn about the topic from the text?
3
a
Skimming
Skim the text and answer the questions.
1
What is the main idea of the text?
2
Do you think that the text is interesting?
3
b
Scanning
Now scan the text and find the following.
1
the two ways the writer uses to solve the problems
mentioned in paragraph 1
2
where his students obtain lectures for additional reading
3
how he uses the real classroom space
3
c
Inferring
When you read a text, you can form an
opinion about the writer’s meaning or attitude. For
example, you infer why the writer wrote the text (the
writer’s purpose) or you may wish to infer the writer’s
attitude to what he or she is writing about. In small
groups, discuss the following.
1
What do you think is the writer’s purpose
2
What is the writer’s opinion about distance learning?
3
What can you infer from the
highlighted
sentences?
Alejandro Hernandez is the Director of
Studies at the Horton Institute in San
Diego, USA.
Critics of blended learning suggest a number of
reasons to avoid it.They may claim that the cost
of technology can be an obstacle for many low-
income students, or that many teachers lack the
training required to make good use of it. In fact,
some people even believe that students can only
learn by talking with their teacher face-to-face.
In my opinion, however, many of these issues can
be overcome if teachers are willing to prepare their
resources and train with technology before the
course begins. Blended learning is a very important
part of my classes and I’m delighted to say that we
rarely use paper materials in the classroom.
I often find useful lectures at the OER Commons
and then provide links to my students that support
the work we are doing. Last week, for example,
my students watched Dr Russell Bernard’s
introduction to modern languages, which brought
a valuable learning experience from Stanford
University to our study programme. And it was all
absolutely free!
We usually use video conferencing for class
discussions and when we invite a guest speaker
to talk to the class from anywhere in world. Many
of our study groups work together and share
documents online using collaboration tools. Our
latest course blog, ‘Advanced Intonation’ is a
fabulous space for research and writing, and I can
easily upload videos, presentations and a wide
range of other documents.
Most of my students complete their coursework
outside the class, which means that we can spend
our time together in the classroom discussing and
exchanging ideas. In fact, the work that we are
doing is going so well that we find other student
groups are also using our resources from the
comfort of their own homes.
Blended learning is an exciting opportunity for
education. Imagine if blended learning was used in
every classroom.
The Perfect Blend
