Everybody in the civilized world reads but not everyone understands what he reads. Communication and information would be much more efficient if reading comprehension skills are enhanced in individuals. In this day and age when there is a glut of information simultaneously going on around from a wide variety of sources, anyone who has the capacity to fully understand the available information would do well to advance and develop.
It is not enough to be simply informed. Reading comprehension skills lead to being informed correctly. The availability of information is a given, but the difference lies in the use of information for the reader in a way that will benefit him the most. What could otherwise be useful information is practically nothing if the reader of that information does not grasp it. Reading comprehension skills are the most important variable in the process of communication and information sharing.
Information would only be laid to waste if people do not master reading comprehension skills. Without these skills, a person will most likely have poor interest in reading. The low reading interest levels of people will greatly improve if only they know how to comprehend reading materials properly. Most people claim that they cannot piece bits of information together. They get overwhelmed by seemingly disjointed pieces of information. What they do not realize is the fact that these are actually interwoven into general messages and topics.
With reading comprehension skills, a person can glean the themes and messages that are common among threads of information such as health, economy, interaction with people, etc., and how these pieces of information are really interrelated. It is like seeing both the trees and the forest at the same time. Poor analytical thinking will greatly improve with the help of reading comprehension skills. A lot of people fall into the trap of just taking all the information given to them without analyzing the pros and cons inherent in the information. Intelligent people are able to sift through tons of information and analyze which ones are true as opposed to the ones that are fraudulent.
Via National Institute for Literacy
