quote:
Originally posted by SDstudent:
One question: What should I be looking for when I activate the material? Words looking familiar, comprehension of unknown topic? Do I pick up words that jump out at me? If someone can give me the feeling of gelling, maybe I can expedite the achievement of goals. Thanks in advance.
The aim of activation is to comprehend the material. IE to able to understand what the book is about. So having the book gel is simply the feeling that goes with... 'oh I know that', or 'now I get it', or 'ahhh I see'.
What should you look for? Answers to your trigger words.. the words that you listed in the preview. Most of those words came from subhead or headings. If the book didn't have any you would have selected words that appeared frequently... you noticed them because they're there so often.
You turn them into questions. An example from the photoreading book Subheading - Probe your Mind, for trigger words, you might have written probe mind... that enough. Now you could then ask 'What is mind probing?' or 'How does on mind probe?' etc
During your activation session you'd be looking for that answer by superreading and dipping. Because you Photoread the book you'll be surprised how fast you can locate the answer. You should manage to answer 3 to 5 questions per 20 minute session, this way... more as you get better at asking questions and looking for answers.
It also helps if you're familar with the authors style. That why it pays to preview the book read front and back cover, have a general idea of what the book is about, etc.
People with good comprehension skill notice the extreme wording. So practice looking out for them, pay attention when you see the words like - not, never, where, every, always, rarely, only etc. All these words are cues that what was written before them has been changed. Like a rule has just been given and heres the exception.
Good readers notice extreme wording instinctively. However when learning to photoread we often overlook what we knew instinctively and it takes us a few books to fall back into it.
If you don't do mind maps... make notes in the way that you feel comfortable with. This too will immensely help you with activation. In fact this is most probably the most important thing you can do for activation.
(notice extreme wording *most* & *important* 
)
There are plently more ideas for activation. Start with these and see how you go.
Alex
You are looking for the material to make sense Do you know when you are hungry? Do you know when you have to pee? Do you know when you are happy? Do you know when you know?
And even after that it takes some review to retain it.