You Can Learn to Remember: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life pdfdrive com

reading and retaining
T
he advantage of learning from books, journals, reports and so on is that we
can work at our own pace. We have ultimate control over how much material to
present to our brains for retention, and how much time to allow. We can also be
selective, choosing to ignore information if we find it unhelpful. The
disadvantage is that we lose the impact of someone else’s presentation –
animation, verbal em ph asis and visual stimulation. Reading to learn is an effort
because the only stimulation we receive is from the words themselves.
This point highlights the significance of intrinsic interest: the financial
analysis for this year’s AGM might strike a leaden chord. So what can we do to
be sure of retaining whatever we select from our reading, no matter what the
subject matter?
In the absence of any other visual stimulus (there will on occasions be
illustrations) we rely upon our imaginations to create impact. But before
embarking on the challenge, plan your reading. Evaluate the material so that you
do not waste time reading surplus data or opinions. Feeling duty-bound to read
something from cover to cover will only result in a sense of your being burdened
by the pages ahead, and will probably mean that you concentrate more on
notching up pages than on content. Try to read actively, not passively: question
the logic behind every statement. Playing an active role during reading will
greatly enhance your understanding and therefore your memory. Finally, animate

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and review the information by drawing a Mind Map (see pp.
112–13
), or at least
by writing up a list of brief cues in the form of names and topics, of the key
points.
evaluate, assimilate, remember
EXERCISE EIGHTEEN
Retaining information from our reading, especially on subjects that are of
marginal interest, requires an overall strategy.
1. Make a list of 3–5 questions, the answers to which you expect to find in the
text. This will give your reading clear objectives. If, say, you intend to read about
the American War of Independence, you might ask: when did this take place?
How did it start? Who were the major players on both sides? How was the
conflict resolved?
2. Check the contents of the book or journal for clues as to where essential
information lies. Then, scan the index, noting down references to topics that you
need to cover in order to answer your questions. Concentrate only on these page
references.
3. Each paragraph will normally have a “topic sentence” which summarizes its
central point. Pay these sentences particular attention, as well as any crucial
names, terms, dates and formulae. Trace the logic of the argument. Could you
reproduce this logic in a debate?
4. Draw a Mind Map. From the central image, draw lines outward for each
theme. From these draw lines for topic sentences. Keep going until you have an
instant reference chart.