Sex and Skimming Practice
If the title was enough to grab you it will be necessary to dig a little to find inferences to sex, but they are there. Happy reading! I think Jason put this book on our list to give us all practice at skimming. I read or didn’t read, or forgot I read this text wondering how on earth I was going to be able to post anything near the 1000 word requirement on a book that made me want to scratch my eyes out. I struggled and searched to find valuable insights that may help me on this journey of doctoral studies and discovered that according to this text I need to do the following: 1. Keep my place of study well lit and ventilated. 2. It shouldn’t be either too hot or too cold. 3. I’ll need a flat surface like a desk or a table to lay out my books, paper and computer. 4. I’ll need an appropriate chair so I can work at my flat surface. 5. Finally, I’ll need a place where I won’t be disturbed by other people.1
This is a discussion I have with my freshmen students during the 1st week of class and then never address it again. There had to be something else or I would struggle even to get to 250 words. {For the record and to take up more words……I sit at a desk (flat surface except when cluttered) in my bedroom (nice temperature and environment, not even the dog is allowed in my bedroom) so that when I’m studying late at night I’m still near my beloved (sometimes a distraction depending on what she wears to bed). It is below a window (good light & ventilation) and I have a desk lamp (not too bright so I don’t keep her awake….at least by studying) and a strong set of reading glasses (required now because of age and nasty Hebrew study). That little parenthetical sidebar utilized 110 words!}
SQ3R is useful but not revelatory and something I have been teaching and using with undergraduate students for several years. The instruction regarding pursuit of main ideas found in a text was also useful but seemed repetitive and similar in nature to much of the past 2 texts. So, I did Survey (‘S’) the entire text as much as possible on my Kindle for Mac. For ‘Q’ the biggest question I came up with was; “Why am I reading this?” I made an attempt at ‘deep’ reading and found a little more useful material in being reminded to be alert to the main ideas found throughout the text, both large ideas uncovered in a chapter and smaller thoughts evident in individual paragraphs or sections. I guess it’s possible that I could Review and Recall the book if I only remembered having read it.
In the meantime, I will endeavor to straighten my workspace to ensure a flat surface, maintain sufficient lighting and keep my reading glasses handy. I will also try with all my might not to be distracted by the sleeping beauty lying five feet from my desk chair. Not much chance of that though. I am ever hopeful that ‘Visual Ethnography’ will offer greater usable material, at least to complete the upcoming assignment.
Rowntree, Derek. LEARN HOW TO STUDY: Developing the study skills and approaches to learning that will help you succeed in university: A virtual tutorial with Professor Derek Rowntree (Kindle Locations 1466-1469). UNKNOWN. Kindle Edition.
About the Author
Dan Kreiss
Former director of the Youth Ministry program at King University in Bristol, TN and Dean of the School of Missions. I have worked in youth ministry my entire life most of that time in New Zealand before becoming faculty at King. I love helping people recognize themselves as children of God and helping them engage with the world in all its diversity. I am particularly passionate about encouraging the church to reflect the diversity found in their surrounding community in regard to age, gender, ethnicity, education, economic status, etc. I am a husband, father of 4, graduate of Emmanuel Christian Seminary, an avid cyclist and fly-fisherman still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.11 responses to “Sex and Skimming Practice”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Very clever post my friend, and I have to say your title definitely got me to click to read further, and yes I did notice the reference to the sleeping beauty lying five feet from you. 🙂 You, like many of us, struggled to get through this book, but I did appreciate your clear evaluation of your study environment and love the fact that it is also near your sleeping beauty (I’m curious if she knows she and her mysterious sleeping attire made it into this post on the world wide web) Way to make it through my friend, and I hope you can get that grit out of your eyes 🙂
Please don’t tell her! You can just give her a knowing wink when you meet her in person…..that will be enough to get me in trouble, like I need any help with that.
Dan,
Are you saying you have been “distracted from study by such factors” as you mention in your title? You did get attention, but with Kindle word search, no digging required to find the reference!
Regarding your comments on your struggle to find valuable insights, I think Dr. J is just giving us a little “wax-on wax-off” practice before we go into the dissatorial arena and get our feet knocked out from under us.
I fail in the study environment. I work on a small laptop, and my study area is located wherever I am, which could be in a closet as I was last week, or in an crowded I.T. computer server room this week, or in an airplane at 20,000 feet, or on a small bunk-bed with the Islamic call to prayer echoing off my walls from the loudspeaker over the adjacent wall.
Finally, I empathize with your assessment of Rowntree’s work. I did enjoy the deeper look at the SQ3R process to learning how to study. I could relate his recommendations and principles to my dissertation theme. That alone was worth the time it took to review, write, and comment on his work. In fact, I found the SQ3R application to my spiritual warfare dissertation question quite revealing.
Stand firm,
M. Webb
Mike, your failure at study environment is laudable. I am not sure how you do it with all the distractions. I agree with you that the deeper look at SQ3R was beneficial even though I use it with students regularly. To read it while considering application to my own situation was helpful. Keep pressing on brother, glad for your friendship in this endeavor.
Dan, I am so thankful for South Africa, because I could almost see the grin on your face as I read your post. I would say your wife would be proud, but probably more embarrassed; but hey, that’s what husbands are for. I might suggest that your current study-location may not be as distraction free as necessary.
I appreciate the fact that you could see the benefit of the SQ3R as it pertained to your own students, but how maybe it lost some of its effectiveness in regards to even higher education. I noticed that the direction of Rowntree’s work was more focused on the beginning college student and for the reason may be practically outdated in some areas for those of us working on our doctorate. However, though maybe at times forcing the message, I tried to convert the concepts into a dissertation mode and extrapolate what I could to help motivate and guide me as I search for my own sources; one of those primary messages was on my own personal direction that I hoped to achieve.
I know there has to be value to all of these books, but some definitely take a little more effort to find than others.
Shawn, I know that my sometimes flippant writing has a little more meaning now that we all have some type of relationship. I can’t help myself sometimes and am glad that you all have at least a little understanding of the warped mind that wrote it all. I am hopeful that all of the last 3 texts are providing a foundation for the next several years, it is just a little hard to see that from this far away. Thanks for your thoughts.
I’m surprised I found some one more frustrated at this book than I was. I do the same thing with my freshmen and then move on! I could tell your a youth pastor at heart by your use of the word “sex” to get your audiences attention. And so since I don’t really have anything to add to your harsh and fair critique… here is a joke.
To be a youth pastor you only need to be able to preach about three things… sex, the end times, and will there be sex in the end times?
Hi Greg,
Both you and Kyle are cracking me up!
I am amazed that you have already been knowledgeable about SQ3R because I had never heard of it before Dr. Jason introduced it to us. I was thankful for the review about it with this book, but I can certainly see why it was such a lackluster read for you.
Hi Dan- Just wanted to wish you all the best as you arrange your work space. 🙂
Hi Dan,
I appreciate that your quiet (do I dare say introvert?) personality translates into comical and meaningful writing! I give kudos to your wife who can sleep through your studying/writing with a light on in the same room. Not me! I’d ask Ron to “please go elsewhere”. All that aside, I feel that you are intentional about teaching good study habits and extrapolating important content as needed. So, if you are teaching students how to study at the beginning of the program, how’s it working? Is your approach truly effective? If so, let me in on the secret!
Jean, Thanks for the comments. In regard to teaching study habits it very much depends on the course I am teaching. When I am teaching outside of my subject area much of my teaching is with students who need some remedial work. I give them the ‘basics’ like what I think we got from Rowntree, then attempt to make them apply those new skills throughout the semester. Some start to grasp the concepts, others not so much. Most importantly I work hard to establish relationships with the freshman so they feel they have an advocate and encourager on the faculty.