Page 145 - Keys To Community College Success

Reading and

Information Literacy

LEARNING FROM PRINT AND ONLINE MATERIALS

What Would You Risk? Gary Montrose

THINK ABOUT THIS SITUATION AS YOU READ, AND CONSIDER WHAT ACTION YOU WOULD TAKE.
THIS CHAPTER FOCUSES ON HOW TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU READ AND RESEARCH, ANALYZE IT
CRITICALLY, DECIDE WHAT IS IMPORTANT, AND USE WHAT IS RELEVANT.

Gary Montrose had no idea why he struggled with reading normal college student’s social life to
in grade school, and neither did his family or teachers. He spend endless hours reading. Knowing
was the first to sit down during spelling bees and the last he was unlikely to complete any read-
to turn in exams, even though his risk-taking rewarded ing assignment, he “unpacked” his text-
him with the title of student body president at Palmdale books by studying the table of contents,
High School. His guidance counselor told him he “wasn’t chapter headings, titles of tables and
college material” and should consider going straight into charts, even footnotes.
a job putting rivets into airplanes at the local Lockheed Despite graduating with high honors and a double
assembly plant. major, Gary still lived with his “big secret,” terrified about
Determined to persevere, Gary risked enrolling at how slowly he read and wrote. Hoping for advice on what
Antelope Valley College in Palmdale, California. After two type of work he could successfully pursue, he went to the
years of hard work, he was able to transfer to the Univer- career center while in graduate school. A series of tests
sity of California at Berkeley, but the confusing struggle showed he was functioning at a seventh grade reading
remained, damaging his self-confidence and forcing him level due to a reading disability called dyslexia, which
to develop survival strategies. For example, he avoided makes it difficult to recognize and understand words. He
courses with in-class timed exams—an absolute terror for began to see why he risked so much extra time and effort
him—and looked for ones featuring papers he could write for the reward of learning.
on his own time. He also risked giving up 90% of a To be continued . . .

GARY’S ABILITY TO MOVE
OUT OF HIS COMFORT
ZONE AND FIND WAYS TO
OVERCOME HIS DYSLEXIA
TURNED LEARNING INTO
AN ADVENTURE THAT HE
CONTINUES AS A WORLD-
WIDE TRAVELER. YOU’LL Working through this chapter will help you to:
LEARN MORE ABOUT
GARY, AND THE REWARD • Improve reading comprehension P. 108
RESULTING FROM HIS • Understand and use the SQ3R reading technique P. 112
ACTIONS, WITHIN THE
CHAPTER. • Choose what is important to remember P. 112
• Effectively highlight and annotate your reading P. 118
• Use targeted reading strategies for specific subjects
and formats P. 123
• Use a basic search strategy for library and electronic research P. 126
• Critically evaluate reading materials P. 130