READING ON THE RUN

Continuum Reading Concepts which Help the Busy Leader
Read Selectively to Acquire Information

Dr. J. Robert Clinton Self-Published, 1987, 52 pp. (held by Mashburn
Memorial Library, AZUSA Pacific University, Azusa, CA 91702)

Clinton, professor of leadership at Fuller School of World Mission, was
introduced to in-depth reading through Mortimer J. Adler's book, How to Read
a Book.  Alternatively, he felt the need to develop approaches to obtain
information from books by less intense study.  This book looks like it could
be a course outline.

Reading for pleasure requires word-by-word reading.  "To obtain useful
information does not require that one get lost in word by word reading or
constructing lists of information to be repeated.  Instead, reading for
information requires the ability to overview, extrapolate, draw
implications, move rapidly through material looking for selected ideas, etc.
In short, the purpose of reading should control the reading methodology."
"You have read a book using continuum reading concepts when you have
assessed the level it should be read at and you read only as much as
necessary at that level to obtain useful information from the book."  (45)

The reading continuum:  (5) 1. Scan - overview of contents 2. Ransack - new
ideas, specific ideas 3. Browse - some in-depth contextual analysis 4.
Pre-Read - determine thematic intent, structural intent 5. In-Depth Read -
analysis of thematic content, evaluation analysis 6. Study - repeated work
in the book, comparative analysis

Each level assumes the book has been read at the previous level.

Scan reading involves a review of the contents, introductory information,
dust cover, information on the author, and thumbing through the book to note
any conclusions, summaries, charts, quotes, illustrations, etc., to get a
cursory understanding of what the book is about and how it is organized. (7)

After scan reading one might make notes on the author, the author's
perspective, the book's organization, the author's intent, and an assessment
of the value of further reading.  (10)

"Closed scanning refers to reading while looking only for a pre-selected
topic of interest.  Open scanning refers to reading while looking for new
ideas." (13)

After ransack reading one might make notes on new ideas of helpful
information, a contrasting or differing idea on the pre-selected topic,
something of interest on some other topic, and evaluation of the value of
further reading. (18)

"Browse reading is dipping into certain portions of a book to study in
detail some discussion of a topic in its contextual treatment." "Frequently
I will browse the preface and introduction of a book then browse the
conclusion of it and do whatever other browsing or ransacking needed to fit
the conclusions into the overall context of the book."  (20)

Pre-reading should produce · A statement describing the kind of book · A
statement giving the author's intent and methodology. · A statement
identifying the major subject and how it weaves together the major ideas ·
Statements indicating the intent of each major section and its contribution
· An evaluation of miscellaneous helps available (29)

In-depth reading should produce six evaluation statements: 1. Show where the
author is uninformed (giving examples) 2. Show where the author is
misinformed (giving examples) 3. Show where the author is illogical (giving
examples) 4. Show where the author's analysis is incomplete (giving
examples) 5. Show the author's strengths 6. Show the relevance of the book
to today's needs (33) You should be able to persuade a potential reader as
the value or lack of value in reading it.  (36)

"Studying a book is a special in-depth approach to the reading of a book
which involves pre-reading, reading, and background research on materials
and ideas used in the book." This kind of reading is usually limited to ·
"Essential works which will significantly affect your ministry (basal books
in your field). · Works which are complex in concepts and/or structure and
which usually require more than several read-throughs." (40)

A basal book is one that covers a category thoroughly from a theoretical
perspective and serves as a standard for comparing other books.  (41)

"Effective leaders maintain a learning posture throughout their lives." (45)

"Frequently, God significantly affects a leader through some interaction
with written ideas." (45)