Learn how to sound out words
The reading and writing of this blog post was a unique experience for me this week. I started with my traditional “sigh” and “OK, let’s get through this” as I started on the preface and chapter 1. A few pages into chapter 1 and I ran across this quote explaining the purpose of studying and reading. Rowntree said,
- “You need to understand what you want out of learning and what other people (especially tutors) expect of you.
- You need to develop approaches that will help you acquire the kind of learning that will satisfy your tutors while also getting what you want from the process.
- You need to convincingly demonstrate your learning in both formal and informal assessment situations.”[1]
It’s a great example of “wow’ing them with the basics.” It sounds very nice to see it written out so simply. But if you think about it, what else could you have possibly to answer the question, “what is the goal of learning?” Obviously, it’s those three things! I can even one-up Rowntree and provide an even simpler explanation of the purpose of studying & reading, and even provided an alliteration so that even Jr. highers can remember it.
- Learn well.
- Test well.
- Speak well.
But running into this elementary point from the book was actually a great reminder for me about what we have been learning in previous weeks. So with this “wake-up call” from chapter 1, I said to myself, “well the object is to learn well. And in all honesty, I feel like I have already learned this, and I already know how to study.” Afterall, The goal is not reading, and I am no longer required to give a reading statement on my test “I read ‘x’ amount of this book” like I was in high school & undergrad. So I set out to SQ3R and read only the parts of this book that I needed to learn to be a better student. And as soon as I did this I was wracked with guilt and I thought I was being convicted of my prideful attitude.
But is this prideful? Is it prideful to not going into a book because you feel like you already have most of what it has to offer? I still feel prideful in writing this. And I think perhaps I am only speaking so strongly here on this post because of the safety within this cohort to share intellectual ideas. I also realize that a month ago I would have said that this blog is absolutely prideful.
BUT! Today it seems, if I’m to believe what I wrote in the previous blogs posts I would not have to feel so guilty and prideful. The following are paraphrased quotes from things I have said in my own blog posts in the last month:
- I have been liberated from the author’s requirement for me to read everything they wrote…
- I should not assume the author is smarter than me…
- I should become a ruthless hunter of knowledge…[2]
- I might know more about the book without reading it than someone who has read it…
- Just because you haven’t read the book doesn’t mean you cant talk intellectually about it.[3]
So if I’m going to at least try and believe my past-self, then I would to have say, no it is not prideful in a sinful type of way. And If I’m to believe myself, the best way to challenge myself this week is to practice critical reading. And so I began my attempt of intentional SQR3 & critical/analytical reading.
I started with a basic web search to find some reviews of the book, and some were helpful but often only discussed that the book was good and helpful in general, or maybe it included a few particulars that were helpful to the individual reviewing it. So I jumped into my own Kindle version of the book I started with the table of contents and then picked up the intro’s and chapter 1. I read chapter 1 to make sure I picked up on some of the author’s main core values, and then I went back to scanning the table of contents again to find particular topics that were of particular use to me. And this was a great book to scan because of its thorough table of contents covering the main topics. In fact, this was the first book that I thought was easier on the Kindle version because of it’s many links to the headings within a chapter, and not just the chapter itself.
I found that Chapters 6 & 7 seemed useful and I dug a little more in-depth into these. But as I SQR3’d this book, I realized we pretty much have already read an entire book about just those two chapters and so the knowledge in here became less useful to me. So I scanned even more and stayed a while in chapter 9 since I have never been content with my own personal note taking system. However, I also remember from the intro of this book, that Rowntree calls this book Learn How to Study, and not How to Study, because so much of this is learning what works for you.[4] And so I scanned this chapter for practical ideas but didn’t stay long because I believe what I need for note taking is better implementation, not more ideas. As they say in silicone valley, “ideas are cheap. Implementation is everything.”
After that, I wrote this post.
To be clear, and to help me relieve some personal guilt because I know some of this post does sound prideful, I’m not saying that there was nothing for me to learn from this book. I did think this book did a great job at phrasing something’s with a very nice an understandable rhetoric in a way that helped your mind relax by seeing something that is often vague, explained so articulately. And I’m sure if I read this book cover to cover there would have been some hidden gems in it for me. However, in light of what we are learning in the overall picture of our LGP studies, I felt this book was a prime candidate for me to implement some of our new attitudes and skills towards books.
Bibliography
Chalko, Kyle. “How NOT to Talk about Books You Haven’t Read…” DMINLGPcom. October 13, 2017. Accessed October 19, 2017. http://blogs.georgefox.edu/dminlgp/how-to-not-talk-about-books-you-havent-read/.
Chalko, Kyle. “I Learned How To Read.” DMINLGPcom. October 6, 2017. Accessed October 19, 2017. http://blogs.georgefox.edu/dminlgp/i-learned-how-to-read/.
Rowntree, Derek. Learn How to Study: A Programmed Introduction to Better Study Techniques. London: Macdonald, 1986.
[1] Derek Rowntree, Learn How to Study: A Programmed Introduction to Better Study Techniques (London: Macdonald, 1986), loc. 316.
[2] Kyle Chalko, “I Learned How To Read,” DMINLGPcom, October 6, 2017, accessed October 19, 2017, http://blogs.georgefox.edu/dminlgp/i-learned-how-to-read/.
[3] Kyle Chalko, “How NOT to Talk about Books You Haven’t Read…,” DMINLGPcom, October 13, 2017, section goes here, accessed October 19, 2017, http://blogs.georgefox.edu/dminlgp/how-to-not-talk-about-books-you-havent-read/.
[4] Derek Rowntree, Learn How to Study: A Programmed Introduction to Better Study Techniques (London: Macdonald, 1986), loc. 316.
7 responses to “Learn how to sound out words”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I loved how you quoted the esteemed Kyle Chalko in your post and also loved your honest assessment of the book. I too struggled through the book but did somehow find a few helpful tools in the end. Using what we have learned the last couple of weeks was also a clever way to get through the agony. Great work, and tell Mr. Chalko his posts rock!
I love that phrase, “I did somehow find…” 😀
Kyle,
Good job condensing Rowntree’s work to its essence, “Learn, Test, and Speak well.” You got it!
I marvel at reading posts where preachers feel “guilty” about such things like reading books. I’ve heard and read about this guilt on other posts the past few weeks, so you are not alone. We, the Elite8 (now that sounds prideful) must ask, where is that guilt feeling coming from? Is it from the Holy Spirit, who inspired, prepared, and opened the doors to get you and us to get into GFU and LGP8? I think not! The Holy Spirit already knew the material we would cover, convicted, created, issued, and blessed it to Dr. J and the LGP Professors and staff long before we got here. If this course design and materials were not of God, we would have heard about it from LGP6-7 at the Advance. So, where does that guilt really come from?
Nice job using preacher-logic and walking yourself out of the non-reading guilt. When I feel guilt that is not from the Holy Spirit I strive to claim the verse, “…resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
Stand firm,
M. Webb
Good word!
Kyle, I think I am always in fear of showing too much pride or arrogance when I talk about things, especially scripture. However, I study all the time and have a great desire to know more about the Word, so I believe there is a great difference between arrogance or pride and knowledge and wisdom. As scholars, we are all working to further the things we know and understand, but at the same time, there is no shame in recognizing that we have already learned something that an author is speaking about. I believe that has been the frustration we have all had with the books we have been reading; to us, the lessons some repetitive, as well as principles we have already mastered.
However, there seems to be a reason our professors have chosen these particular works and that is the struggle that I keep coming to with each reading; what do they want me to learn here? When I come to my own bible study, I have constantly tried to remind myself of something I noticed in John 13 in the story of Jesus washing the disciples feet. I was studying for the class I was teaching to my adult bible class when I came across a comment made by Christ that I had never really noticed before; He said, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this (John 13:7).” The reason this struck me so hard was because I have personally taught the Gospel of John at least 3 times now, I have taken college courses on the Gospel and one even specifically on John itself, and for the most part, figured I had mastered my understanding of John…especially the meaning behind the “washing of feet.” However, here, in what seems one of the most obvious and clear lessons in Scripture, Christ tells His disciples that they are not going to understand the message until later. I was floored…what if there was a message I had missed too? I had to change my thinking from believing that I had gleaned all that there was to learn, and had to go back to the bible and read it as though I had missed something. Let me just say, I HAD MISSED SOMETHING! Don’t worry, I am not going to ruin it for you, go back and study the story again, but believe me, we can all find something that we missed and still need to learn.
My study lead me to study customs and practices in the Passover feasts; I studied the comments made by Christ and those made by Peter; I even had study to see what was said between the lines that had clouded my own willingness to believe there may just be another lesson hidden inside. The point, we all have this roadblock to learning when we have already decided that we already know the information being discussed. The only way we can continue to learn is to be open to the idea that maybe we all still suffer from a little ignorance. I think this is the reason I actually liked this book more than the others, because it forced me to dig deeper and find what I still had to learn.
Great post!
Thanks Shawn for taking the time share your thoughts. Love it! I too personally have multiple commentaries on just the gospel of John and a few books about just that one Gospel. That’s some of the beauty of the ‘living’ word of God as opposed to the ‘lame’ words of Rowntree.
Kyle,
The process you demonstrate in your own growth through the past several weeks was amazing. It demonstrates a commitment to the disciplines being developed and discussed, even if you have some misgivings. You seem nervous about what you call a ‘prideful’ attitude but it is nothing of the sort. I was really impressed with your personal insight and ability to see through the more mundane material in this text to something of significance. Not only were you able to dig something up for you to use but in your own clear writing style you opened it up for others who read your blog to learn as well. Thanks for you help.