Christopher,

Here is some information that will help you.

Let me introduce you to some friends of mine.

They are;

Who,What,When,Where,Why and How.

Here are some examples of Questions for you.

What is my purpose for reading this?

You need to know precisely why you are reading something so you will know what you should be looking for.

What do I already know about this topic or subject?

This is a way of warming up. After you read the title and before you begin to read you should quickly and briefly write down what do I know about the topic, what the topic reminds you of and what you would like to know and expect to learn. When you do this it starts the process of generating questions and it makes you aware of what you know and don't know about a topic.

What is the big picture here?

Our mind learns best when we get the whole picture. Our mind does not work well will fragmented, isolated bits of information. To get the big picture of a book read the preface and introduction, go through the table of contents and read chapter summaries. To get the big picture of a chapter read the chapter title, first and last chapters of the chapter, Section Headings, Tables,Graphs,Charts, Pictures and Diagrams. Read the First Sentence of Each Paragraph in the Chapter. If it is a really long chapter read the first and last sentences of each subsection. Read the Chapter Summary.
Write it down it is kind of like having a roadmap and it is a lot easier than having to carry all that information in your head.

What information is important here?

Remember the 80/20 rule.You want to focus on the 20% most important information. The trick is knowing what is important and what is not important. Probably 4 to 15 percent of the book is the most crucial,important information. Here are some clues;
The beginning and the end. The Chapter Summary. The gist of any chart or diagram. Anything emphasized graphically. Anything in bold or italics is being stressed by the author for a reason but you cannot rely solely on authors because what they consider important may not be important for your purposes but you do not want to ignore or disregard their emphasis.

What Questions Does This Information Raise For Me?

This is a way of making the information your own. Get Curious.
Ask Who,What,Where,When, Why and How?

Here are four powerful questions.

So What?

How is this significant? What does it tell us about other things?

Says Who?

Is this a fact or someone's opinion? How can this be verified? Does this depend on a particular point of view?

What If?

What would happen if......? What if I....?

What does this remind me of?

Where have I seen something like this before? What does that suggest about this?

These questions will help you create a dialogue with the text and as you practice it more you will get more skillful in asking the right questions.

All the best to you and that includes good health.

Photoread4me.







Last edited by photoread4me; 11/16/14 10:53 AM.