Reading & Studying Strategies
One of the strategies for generating ideas I demonstrate for my students is mind mapping/concept mapping. However, I find that using this method while studying is also helpful. My typical study strategy as of late follows this process:
1. Have colored highlighters at hand;
2. Have pens at hand (I prefer to take notes with pens rather than pencils. For some reason, writing with pens helps to solidify my thinking process.);
3. Have text(s) to be studied at hand;
4. Have space to plunk stuff down. (Invariably, I need a few other books for cross referencing or simply looking up words.);
5. Have a cup of hot Early Grey tea at hand;
6. Read the text, preferably aloud, a few times. My cat is learning quite a bit about rhetoric lately since he has this pathological need to be near me All. The. Time.
While I’m reading the text, I write along the margins, asking questions of the text–even challenging it. My questions stem from the good ol’ reporter’s trick of asking who, what, why, where, when, and how about/of what I’m reading. I also highlight key ideas and concepts, using specific colors to represent different categories.
After I’ve done that, then I go to writing my notes in my notebook. Basically, I’m transcribing key ideas and translating them into my own words. But my note taking process itself is time consuming because I do it in stages. The first stage (the picture below) is my generating notes–thus you’ll see some concept/mind mapping in my notes. About every three weeks or so, I gather all my notes and begin transcribing them into a bulleted narrative, with different font styles and colors to separate the ideas. I also start classifying my notes by putting them together so the philosophers and rhetoricians I’m studying can visually engage in dialog with each other.
I’ve taken to taking notes on my iPad and typing/classifying/narrating them on my Mac. I use specific softwares for each stage. The notes below were taken using an iPad app called GoodNotes that lets me import PDFs, write on them, and write (and dictate) my own notes. I can also create specific notebooks for all my notes, further helping me to classify and categorize. At a later date, I’ll talk about my note taking process on my MacBook Pro.
Note taking and studying is an incredibly time consuming process but it’s so worth it when you start off with whatever works for you. When it comes time for studying for exams, your notes will make sense to you and, because you’ve been taking and organizing notes along the way, you’ll develop much stronger insight and make deeper connections into what you’re studying.
That’s Mister Ethos to You!
Credibility is ethos. And every good writer and piece of writing needs ethos, preferably good ethos. Cite your sources and make sure they’re credible. Just because Uncle Bob said something is true doesn’t mean whatever he’s said is credible.
First step to credibility? Cite your sources.
‘Tis True
As an aside, this movie is why I went to grad school to study English and not law school, which was my original goal.
Dos Equis Meme + Grammar = Pithiness
The Power of Words
I emphasize to my students how powerful words are pretty much every class day. This video, while an advertisement, beautifully highlights the power of words. And since this is an ad, there’s heavy emotional manipulation. But that’s okay, because it’s still a pretty cool video. And the accents are rad.
Happy Birthday, Victor Hugo!
Blogs I Follow
LBC's English Class Cyber Space 