Scanning is a useful tool for speeding up your reading often used when looking up a specific fact or piece of information such as a telephone number, a date, a time, and others without reading everything. For instance you can scan when you are looking for your favorite show listed in the cable guide, for your friend’s phone number in a telephone book, and for the sports scores in the newspaper and other specific information.
The
material you scan is typically arranged in alphabetically, chronologically,
non-alphabetically, by category, or textually. Alphabetical information is
arranged in order from A to Z, while chronological information is arranged in
time or numerical order. Information can be also be arranged in non-
alphabetical order, such as a television listing, or by category, listings of
like items such as an auto parts catalog. Sometimes information is located
within the written paragraphs of text, also known as a textual sense, as in an
encyclopedia entry.
For
scanning to be successful, you need to understand how your material is
structured as well as comprehend what you read so you can locate the specific
information you need. Using your hand or finger is extremely helpful in
focusing your attention and keeping your place while scanning a column of
material. When your hand moves down a list of names, you see not only the
name your finger is pointing to, but also the names above and below. Let your
eyes work for you when searching for information.
