Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ PhotoReading, Memory Optimizer Some questions-about reading on textbooks!

Thanks for comments.
Alex, I understand your point. Do you think the following would be a good purpose for a textbook about cancer?:
"to find out the key features of cancer, biology of cancer and therapeutic mechanisms"
I think it is too general, is it fine? Of course as I postview, I will state many detailed questions. However I think rachel purpose is also too general for his own field of study!?
By the way, I sometimes forget some of my questions because they are usually too many. Is it fine to have lots of questions?
One last question alex, is it OK to set the timer for 30 minutes for a 200 pages book? I think it would distract me and making me hurry which is not good for my concentration?!

Could "In order to pass the exam" be a suitable purpose ?
Because sometimes in some stages we could not know how can we use the knowledge to our life. Sometimes we just want to pass the exam in school. For example: literature, even math for some people.(Maybe some topics are useful for our life. But some don't: sin cos tan...probability...etc ). But still we have to read it and pass it. So the only purpose is " Pass the exam"

How can I cheat myself that in some day I will use the knowledge of "sin" in math?

So, if we are not sure that we could use it for somewhere or not, but we need to read it. Than how to deal with it?

RachelVng when you say "to be able to represent" Am I correct in understanding that your intention something along the lines of is to use what you learn in order to teach others? Because what that means to you is what makes it a powerful purpose. I don't really need to understand it.

Dreamer

As you indicate it's possibly too general. Perhaps it would help if I ask.

Why do you want to learn about this?

Answer the question with these 4 words

So that I can....[finish the sentence] There in lies your purpose.

LiverTom, That works for some but not most. Why do you want to pass the exam. Passing exams

Generally the purpose is, I want to learn what I need to know about XYZ, to pass the exam, So that I can...

Find that and you'll have found a motivator that helps you with your schooling not just reading one book.

So if the exam happens to be on dog anatomy, in your veterinary science course. You want to learn what you need to know in order to pass the exam. So that you can continue to the next level toward your a career as a vet specialising in horses.

Alex

No, I meant to represent graphically or schematically using the on-line poster tool.
I'd just like to point out that I've found the photoreading technique very helpful in this course. All of the articles were on-line so for a start, I saved lots of paper/ink by photoreading the pdfs/articles. I printed out the first page as a reference and used the back of it to write down my purpose, trigger words and questions.
Then, I drew up a concept map for each set of articles, in order to relate them.
All in all, it was a much more streamlined and focused way to deal with the information rather than the traditional reading and note-taking. The best is (as Paul pointed out), I can now look at my maps and words and they make much more sense to me than my notes ever did!!

So there is a greater purpose?

Put another way, why are you studying what you are studying?

I'm asking because i believe you can best help me demonstrate the power of a real purpose.

Alex

Okay, well,I definitely have a greater purpose. Let's see if I can state it clearly for you: I am shifting my career focus and so my greater purpose for photoreading this and related materials is:
--> to learn about instructional design and elearning theory and techniques so I can talk about this subject area knowledgeably and apply it to my work.
Have I gone too general now with my purpose? :-)

Purpose is excellent. The clear intent is there. "Will apply it to my work. " This would probably even create mental images where you see yourself applying it.

Alex

I have recently returned to the field of medical (radiation) physics after an absence of 27 years, so my current challenge is to learn what amounts to an entire Honours science course as fast as possible - while volunteering in a hospital to learn the practical side. I PR'd the main textbook once before starting - and having read the above posts, I will now PR it again every day for a week, then tackle one chapter at a time. Because every detail seems essential knowledge, I'm finding it really hard not to study it all as I try to activate.

re syntopic reading: Thanks, Rachel, for the idea of printing the first page of an electronic article and using that for notes and mind-mapping etc - an excellent system! (It also please my 'green heart', which objects to the environmental effects of too much printing.)

Alex, you comment that there are many previous posts (or threads) on this topic - but how does one find them? The search function at the top doesn't seem to work (for me today, anyway). I then found 'Search the Forum', searched for 'Textbooks' and got a long string of results - which all (at least the first few dozen) seem to point to this thread. Is there a more efficient way? Thanks very much!

Ah - OK: I see that if I jump a few pages further (in my list of search results) I'll get the other threads on the topic.

Glad the tip was helpful, Carol!
About your comment on studying - activating. Maybe it's a question of realizing that activating IS studying? A more active was of working with the material than looking at notes? In any case, there was a thread from someone who was studying veterinarian textbooks some months ago. Maybe if you could find that, it would help you to structure your study time since the both are medical science related fields. Best of luck with your new (old) career!