I’m not so sure if I know
When I first thought of writing this blog post, I didn’t know just how much I didn’t know around the area of reading and taking notes. I consider myself pretty educated and fortunate enough to have grown up in an environment where we were encouraged to pursue education. Before watching the video on taking smart notes and the blog post on how to read a book, I would have laughed if someone questioned my ability to take notes, write essays and read. Then I read the blog post on how to read a book, and it caused me to reflect on the copious amount of reading I have done, cover to cover of some great and not-so-great books, and I would at this point say I know how to read, but I need to get better at it. I thought once you know how to read, you know how. I didn’t know that was a thing, like riding a bike. Then comes notes; ask anyone that knows me, and they will tell you I’m a note taker. I have tons of notebooks full of notes, and now I am filling up digital notebooks full of notes, again this is something I never considered could be improved on, but watching the video about smart note-taking and how simple the process is making me wonder if I have been taking notes wrong my entire educational career.
Our initial assignments give me hope that there are ways I can improve in all three areas, even though I have been doing it for a while now. The one area that I am looking forward to improving is the area of reading, I love to read, but I always feel as if I need to read a book cover to cover. Sometimes that is a good thing, but other times it isn’t such a good thing. I have read a handful of books that were not worth my time. Through the amount of reading of books and material we have for this program, I am sure I will be able to master how to read, but if I can only increase in just one area, I would focus on mastering inspectional reading, which “allows us to look at an authors blueprint and evaluate the merits of a deeper reading experience.”() I will be able to increase my learning exponentially simply by not wasting time on material that does not require a deeper reading experience but merely some form of systematic skimming, superficial reading, or a mashup of the two.
I am excited to learn how to grow in all these areas believing it will serve me well after I complete my doctoral studies. I am also a little apprehensive about learning and growing in these areas while I am “on the job.” I resonate with the author of the blog post on how to read a book when they wrote, “If all of this sounds like hard work, you’re right.” It sounds like hard work but very rewarding if I can get it down.
4 responses to “I’m not so sure if I know”
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Hey Daron,
I can so relate. I am a copious note-taker. I was the go to person in grad school for class notes. I love to read, but was never taught how to be a smart reader. I had one professor in grad school who talked about this approach and it seemed so foreign to me. I am trying to share as much of this with my daughter in college so that she can learn these habits as well. I am sure we will get plenty of practice with smart reading over the next two years. One thing I have tried to do is find wasted or idle time where I can do work. In grad school, I would take books with me and read while waiting for my kids in the carpool lane at school or dancing lessons or basketball practice. Now, I take my iPad and do reading while I am sitting in the doctor’s office. I have been listening to Nelson Mandela’s book on audible while driving. What is one time in your schedule where you can work on inspectional reading that might otherwise be wasted time?
Hey Daron,
As I was reading your blog, I occasionally popped my head up at my home office book shelf. My eye caught several books I have read, but I cannot tell you anything I learned from them. All that to say, I, like you, read lots, write a lot of notes, but not in an effective manner. I am eager to see how you and I grow in this area. Grace and peace to you in this journey! I’ll see you in South Africa!
Daron, I really enjoyed reading your blog post! I, too, thought of myself as an experienced and effective reader, note-taker, and writer and am now seeing room for new skills development. That is a great point that it causes some apprehension knowing that we are going to be honing our skills while “on the job.” Here’s to having a ton of grace with ourselves and encouraging each other along on this journey.
I am so glad to know that I was not the only cover to cover old school reader. As learners we have all taking the challenge to grow. I pray that we all leave this program with different experiences and new expertise. Good luck.