The reading and writing of this blog post was a unique experience for me this week. I started with my traditional \u201csigh\u201d and \u201cOK, let\u2019s get through this\u201d 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,<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a great example of \u201cwow\u2019ing them with the basics.\u201d 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, \u201cwhat is the goal of learning?\u201d Obviously, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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 \u201cwake-up call\u201d from chapter 1, I said to myself, “well the object is to learn well. \u00a0And 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 \u201cI read \u2018x\u2019 amount of this book\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
BUT! Today it seems, if I\u2019m 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:<\/p>\n
So if I\u2019m 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\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s and chapter 1. I read chapter 1 to make sure I picked up on some of the author\u2019s 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\u2019s many links to the headings within a chapter, and not just the chapter itself.<\/p>\n
I found that Chapters 6 & 7 seemed useful and I dug a little more in-depth into these. But as I SQR3\u2019d 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]<\/a> And so I scanned this chapter for practical ideas but didn\u2019t stay long because I believe what I need for note taking is better implementation, not more ideas. As they say in silicone valley, \u201cideas are cheap. Implementation is everything.\u201d<\/p>\n After that, I wrote this post.<\/p>\n To be clear, and to help me relieve some personal guilt because I know some of this post does sound prideful, I\u2019m 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\u2019s 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\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bibliography<\/span><\/p>\n 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\/.<\/p>\n 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\/.<\/p>\n Rowntree, Derek. Learn How to Study: A Programmed Introduction to Better Study Techniques<\/em>. London: Macdonald, 1986.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Derek Rowntree,\u00a0Learn How to Study: A Programmed Introduction to Better Study Techniques<\/em>\u00a0(London: Macdonald, 1986), loc. 316.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> 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\/.<\/p>\n