quote:
Originally posted by smartfish:

-the passes are very long-like 30-60 mins

Shorten your passes. I found 20 min activation 10 minute mind mapping works well follow that by a 5 minute break.

Reason. You get bogged down trying to remember everything. If you pull 3 to 5 answers during an activation pass and then record it on a mind map you have a better long term memory of the information. Also as an ironic thing the conscious mind has to forget in order to make room for the next answer so by trying to hold on to information you collected in your conscious mind means after the first 20 you are trying not to forget and not allowing for more information to come in (the 7 plus or minus 2 bits of information rule). By recording it on a mind map after 20 minutes you are actively working with the information sooner. And making it a better long term memory. This allows you to free your conscious mind for the next questions.

quote:
- i think i let mindmapping boggle me down becasue i have to write everything down, or worry there wont be room for other stuff to write down after, if needed.

I suggest Mind Mapping after activation rather than during. This forces you to be more conscise and write your understanding rather than 'copying' from the book.


quote:
I guess my questions are pretty vague. Usually i will say to myself " i am doing this to get a better grade and better understanding of the subject matter."

Do u think it would be better if i asked questions that were more specific to the chapter itself then subject?

It's vague because it is a statement of purpose not a question. Keep the purpose... The question becomes... "What do I need to know about... to meet that purpose."

Asking questions specific to the chapter will help you to hone in on the information in the chapter and by default you'll find activation faster.

quote:
How important is asking questions vital in the activation process.

Activate means to get active with... asking questions is the trigger towards getting active. If you don't ask questions you are falling into the passive mode. The one that goes something like... "I know that there is information here that I need to know and I hope I find it and that I understand it and will remember it when I stumble over it."

For studying asking questions is what gets you to answers and knowledge fastest.

quote:
I might be getting superdipping, rapidreading steps all confused.

Superreading & dipping is when you go to the specific parts of a book to get the answers you seek according to your priority. This can be anywhere in the book text or chapter. You superread like scanning down the list of a phone book dipping when you see what might be the information you desire and dip to verify. If it's not you move back to superreading quickly. You can jump back and forth throughout the book

Rapid Reading is the closest thing to regular reading. You start at the front of the book and work your way to the back. Stuff you already know you read very fast (can even be superreading) and stuff you want to know you slow down for and can be as slow as your regular reading. Rapid reading is best reserved for novels and books you know you want to know more from (after one or 2 activation passes you usually know this.)... or you have the vague feeling you want to know more but haven't formed the question you want to answer. (Don't use that vague feeling as an excuse... see if you can from questions first.) Turning the chapter heading or subheadings into a question is a quick way of forming questions and identifying what you already know about a subject and what you want to know but don't yet.

Alex

[This message has been edited by AlexK (edited July 19, 2003).]