Final answer:
Aiming for back-row comprehension involves active reading strategies, like annotating and asking questions, creating a focused environment, and understanding texts deeply to engage in critical analysis. It enhances comprehension and retention by preventing passive reading and encouraging a more thoughtful engagement with material.
Step-by-step explanation:
"Aim for back-row comprehension" implies that when you are working with complex or unfamiliar texts, your goal should be to understand the content as deeply and thoroughly as possible - enough so that even a listener in the last row of the room can grasp the material. This involves active reading techniques such as looking up unknown terms, taking meaningful notes, asking questions, understanding the text's rhetorical situation, and being prepared to analyze or evaluate the text critically. This process often involves reading at a slower pace, reflecting on the material, annotating as you go, and responding to the text through margin notes or critical responses. Additionally, setting yourself up in an environment conducive to concentration, such as a quiet room with a table and chair, can significantly improve comprehension and retention of material.
To develop context and background knowledge on new subjects, it's important to do your research on terms and concepts you don't understand. You should read with the intention to think alongside the author and take the time to follow up on your questions during the reading process. By doing so, you'll not only understand the text better but also retain the information and be able to articulate your reactions to it. Engaging with the text in this way will help you avoid passive reading and ensure that you are building bridges to other material and deepening your understanding.
Ultimately, close reading prepares you to engage with the text in a meaningful way. It requires you to hold your own interpretations to the same standards as you would the author's arguments - providing reasons for your opinions, supporting them with evidence, and considering possible objections. So when you read, focus on understanding the paper or passage as a whole and respond to it thoughtfully to enhance your learning process and critical thinking skills.