Expand your knowledge by reading essays, novels and other pieces of literature that are outside of your comfort zone. For example, if you are accustomed to reading science-fiction novels, choose a biography of a famous historical figure unrelated to science. This will ensure that you are thinking about what you are reading, making connections to things you have a better understanding of and that the reading you are doing is challenging.
Record notes in the margins as you read through a text. Mark passages that you find interesting, confusing or exciting. Write questions in the margins and speak with a professor or peer about your questions to try to find solutions and gain understanding about the piece you are reading. Highlight sentences that you find inspiring and share them with others. Reading actively, by taking notes, will help you retain information from the piece you read and will give you something to think about and discuss later.
Develop reflections about each piece that you read. It can be easy to read through the words on a page and completely forget to think about what you are reading. Although reading this way may help you recognize new words, it will not help your reading comprehension or your critical thinking skills. Challenge yourself by developing an opinion or reflection about each piece you read. Write down your reflections to help you organize your thoughts.
Communicate with other people about pieces that you read. Work in groups of your peers to discuss an article, journal entry or essay that you have all read. Consider the opinions and analyses of everyone in your group. Think about how your peers have read and processed the piece in order to give yourself new ways of thinking about the piece. Don't be afraid to defend your opinion, as this will help build your critical thinking and reasoning skills.