Optimizing Reading Strategies in English

GraduateCenter^LMU Workshop for Doctoral Candidates

Scientists contend not only with obtaining significant results, but also with communicating their findings effectively and efficiently. Many question how to determine the author's intended message within these results, and struggle to understand this information. What the reader often fails to understand, is that the reader begins reading a text with certain expectations. If these expectations are not fulfilled, sometimes problems of understanding can develop.

In this workshop, participants will learn how to become an "active" reader of English academic texts. Participants will examine various strategies used by native-speaker scientific writers in order to define what the expected structure should contain. The various contained elements participants are then asked to identify using different texts. In addition, participants will examine the role of the reader within the writing process and why this aspect divides a good paper from an excellent one. During the two-day workshop, professional input from the instructor will alternate with practical reading and written exercises as well as discussions of relevant issues.

Workshop topics:

• Reflecting on the participant's reading strategies
• Examining structural relationships within and between sections of a paper
• Discovering strategic elements featured in native-speaker texts
• Understanding the significance of the reader
• Locating, developing, and maintaining the reader's interest in the topic ("storytelling")
• Recognizing and implementing strategies for reader understanding
• Practicing various reading strategies
• Optimizing reading habits

Requirement: To ensure an optimal workshop experience we recommend that participants have an English language proficiency on the level C1 or higher according to the CEFR scale. For a quick self assessment see Cambridge Assessment English.

Language of workshop: English

Target group: Doctoral candidates of LMU Munich from the Natural Sciences (the number of participants is limited)

Certificate of attendance: Participants will receive a certificate of attendance from the GraduateCenter^LMU.