Lessons and Connections
I grew up in a chaotic home. To survive I needed to find coping mechanisms. Mine was escaping into a book. I could get lost in a story that took me to faraway places and adventures where my imagination let loose. Reading all kinds of books continues to bring enjoyment.
As this semester began, I was excited to dig into each book. However, my anticipation turned into panic when I opened the first book and thought, how can I, ever, read all this in a week then write something meaningful? Yet, the class meeting gave the journey a whole new perspective. My first lesson for this semester is not about how to read critically. The first lesson is that jumping to conclusions without all the information does not serve my emotional, spiritual, professional, or educational growth. Professionally I know that. Personally, I needed the reminder.
In elementary school, my teachers instructed students to get to know a book before starting a story. This meant we would look at covers, talk about the author, and read the titles of the chapters. I had no idea at the time that I was learning a basic form of inspectional reading. Some of the methods that Mortimer Adler recommended in How to Read a Book [1]have been part of my routine since those early days when an initial perusal became my norm. Thankfully, Adler did not stop there. This year I am looking forward to practicing syntopical reading and writing. This will be a new skill. My initial impression is that syntopical reading and critical thinking are linked.
Several areas that Paul and Elder discussed in The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking make sense to me. As a CEO of a nonprofit organization, I need to believe that, while I am not personally able to solve every situation brought to me, there are just resolutions within reach. That requires learning, listening, and trusting others while looking at all sides of the problem. I call it thinking strategically, but a correlation to developing critical thinking academically feels logical. In the final pages of this book, the authors discussed modes of thinking.[2] I see another correlation to work and this concept. My organization is committed to core values in service delivery and operations, my thinking needs to be strategic and critical. How will a decision fit the mission? Are we treating employees with more than simply the minimum legal standards but also ethically?
Smart notetaking is the most disconcerting to me. The practice of the slip box[3] that Sonke Ahrens mentions in How To Take Smart Notes, feels clunky. However, the online options of Obsidian and Zotero do not resonate either. I need to pick one and commit to giving it an honest chance.
[1] Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren, How To Read A Book, The Classic Guide To Intelligent Reading (New York, NY: Touchstone, A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2014), 32-34.
[2] Richard Paul and Linda Elder, The Miniature Guide To CRITICAL THINKING: Concepts and Tools (Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc., 2020), 47.
[3] Sonke Ahrens, How To Take Smart Notes: One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning and Thinking (Hamburg, Germany: Sonke Ahrens, 2017) 17-19.
About the Author
Diane Tuttle
9 responses to “Lessons and Connections”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Diane, we used to joke around with my oldest daughter that the house could catch on fire and she would not realize it until the book she was reading caught on fire. Reading is a great form of escape and I am glad that it served that purpose for you. Note taking in general feels clunky. I think if we had a system like they have in the Iron Man movies, where we can project all our notes in front of us wherever we are and organize them, that would make life easier.
Thanks Jeff. I guess since Iron Man isn’t possible we will have to rely on Obsidian. The connection piece can project onto your screen. I am interested to see how that works. However, it means I have to input the connections first.
HI Diane,
Thanks for sharing your journey with us.
I think it’s interesting that you learned to do an inspectional reading as a child. That’s amazing. You have a great foundation to build on.
I appreciate that you have applied critical thinking to your organization. I wish more would do this to think through vision, mission, values and strategies.
I feel the same way about the smart note system but can see the benefit of advancing our thinking rather than recording information. I think you’ll get the hang of it and find something that will serve you well.
What other helpful ways have you learned to take notes? How might that help you in your research?
Thanks Graham. I have been the kind of note taker that writes as much as I could possible get onto the paper. But the purpose was learning content and putting something in writing was using another one of the senses (touch) to drill it into my brain. I am actually excited about doing more critical notetaking. It was the hundreds of slips of paper that would be concerning if they got dropped.
Hi Diane, it’s truly fortunate that you were introduced to inspectional reading during your elementary school years. Reflecting on my own academic journey, during my Bachelor’s degree, I enrolled in a Critical Thinking class where I found great pleasure in analyzing Dr. Bono’s book, “The Six Thinking Hats,” and presenting my insights to the class.
This week’s reading resonated with me as well, particularly Paul and Elder’s discussions in “The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking.” I found “The Elements of Thought” to be particularly engaging and insightful.
Hi Diane,
Oof to the chaotic home. I say that because I resonate and I, too, turned to reading as an escape. What were your favorite books? Back then, because we were in different countries every 5 years, I found the library to be my favorite place. Are you the same way? To this day, I will always say, after getting my city library card, “This is the most important card in my wallet.”
And, you shared a question connected to your work — “How will a decision fit the mission?” — and I wonder how that question can be used for you now in this journey?
✌🏽
Hi Nancy, I rarely recall specific titles, even today. So, books from childhood served their purpose and are simply now part of my being. Each day walking home from school I passed the county library. It became a favorite spot. I loved touching books. Even now, electronic reading is not my first choice.
I am working on the specific questions that will make sense for this current journey. Some of them are: What is the author trying to get across? Why is this important? How can what I am reading help me grow personally and spiritually? I am sure more will come. thx for the question.
Diane, I agree with Shela about the fortune of being introduced to inspectional reading at an early age. You must have developed great habits that serve you well through your educational journey. Is the technical side of Smart Notetaking the biggest challenge, or is it the concept overall? Have you searched for other online training videos on how others use the technology? I found several that helped it click for me, and I’d happily share.
Hi Chad, It isn’t the concept of smart notetaking that is the bother. It was the thought of having a lot of index cards that could easily get mixed up and scattered if dropped or my frisky lab started nosing around. That is why I am looking at an electronic version. I am just starting with Obsidian so the jury is still out on that. I would appreciate any online tutorials that you think might be helpful. thx.