A Short Presentation on

Skimming & Scanning

Techniques

What is

Skimming & Scanning?

Skimming

• Simple meaning of skimming is fast reading of a material when you know nothing about material.

• This technique is useful when you are seeking specific information rather than reading for comprehension.

• Skimming is done at a speed 3-4 times faster than normal reading.

• It is used when we have lots of material to read in limited amount of time.

How to skim?

(1)Read the title.

(2)Read the introduction.

(3)Read all the subheadings.

(4)Read first and last sentence in every paragraph.

(5)Go through the text looking for clues astocontent and information.

(6)Always read last paragraph.

Scanning

• Scanning is a technique you often use when looking up a word in dictionary.

• Scanning involves moving your eyes quickly down the page seeking specific words and phrases.

• Scanning is also used when you first find a resource to determine whether it will answer your questions.

How to scan?

(1)Remember what it is you are looking for.

(2) Don’t get distracted by other pieces of information.

(3)Anticipate how the information looks.

(4)Run your eyes over several lines at a time.

(5)When you find the information you are looking for,focus your eyes and attention there and read the entire sentence.

Why we Skim and Scan?

• We skim to quickly acess the value of article and determine if it is worth our time and energy to spend any more time with it.

• We scan to find a specific fact or piece of information that you need for something else.

What makes us skim and scan?

• We skim and scan because there is a part of our brain involved in controlling your attention and awareness levels,which is known as “reticular activation system(RAS)” and is activated by goals and purpose.

• Our RAS is so powerful that it can actually block out information you have not made clear you want from text.It does this by controlling our perceptual filters, which help to filter out any information you don’t need