How often have you read an article and tried to share what you learned but couldn’t remember the slightest detail? Or after reading the first two chapters of a novel, you realized you’ve read it before. For me, way too many times.
I thought it was just my age (my internal ageism showing) but I found this article “8 Tips to Remember What You Read” written by Dr. Bill Klemm on the SharpBrains website. He points out that people don’t read as much these days and one reason is they don’t know how to read well. He found students had to read an assignment several times before they understood and remembered what they read — which is somehow reassuring for this old guy.
So here are the eight tips. I abbreviated them but hopefully kept their meaning.
1) Read with purpose. Ask yourself, “Why am I reading this?” To be entertained or better understand a current event? Knowing your purpose helps you stay focused, identify the relevant parts, and review what you’re learning as you read.
2) Skim first. This prepares your memory for the later in-depth reading by creating in your mind an overall sense of the document and what’s important. This makes it easier to remember certain details when you read it the second time.
3) Get the mechanics right. While skimming trains eyes to move without discipline, for in-depth reading eyes need to move in a disciplined way. To remember the essence of what you’re reading, the eyes must snap from one set of words to another from left to right. Don’t focus on individual letters or even single words.
4) Be judicious in highlighting and note taking. If you like to highlight the key points of what you’re reading, highlight just a few to act as the basis for mental pictures and reminder cues. And don’t become so preoccupied with highlighting that you don’t pay enough attention to what you are reading.
5) Think in pictures. Create mental pictures to capture the substance of dozens of words. It’s easier to memorize pictures than words.
6) Rehearse as you go along. Read in short segments (a few paragraphs to a few pages) while thinking about and paraphrasing the meaning of what is written. Ask yourself such questions as “How does this information fit what I already know and don’t know? Why did the author say that? Do I understand what this means?
7) Operate within your attention span. Paying attention is central to memorization. (I often read in bed and the only benefit is it helps me fall asleep faster!) Concentrate on what you’re reading which is difficult because most of us have short attention spans.
8) Rehearse soon after your reading is finished. When you finish reading, review what you learned right away without distractions to help consolidate what you learned in your long-term memory. And if you are serious, review what you have read at least twice later that day and again at least once for the next 2–3 days.
Okay, you’ve read the eight tips. Can you remember them? If you can, congratulations. You are now ready to start reading Cosmos by Carl Sagan!
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Brain Tease: Read this Groucho Marx quote that’s written backward. ”.koob a daer dna moor rehto eht otni og I ,tes eht no snrut ydobemos emit yrevE .gnitacude yrev noisivelet dnif I“
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This singer-songwriter who recorded Tapestry, the 1972 Grammy Award winner for album of the year, was Carole King. I received correct answers from Rhonda Spies, Steven Woolpert, Doug Nelson, Margo Dameier, Dave Lutgens, Mike McFarlane, Keith Clymer, Kim Birge, Lana Telfer, Rose Schulz, and Donna Mollett, this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket.
Vacuum tubes in radios were replaced by semiconductor devices which allowed radios to be smaller and portable so we could take our music anywhere we went. For this week’s “Remember When” question, what was this type of portable radio called? Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788, or mail it with a Sony radio that cost $49.95 in the ‘60s or more than $400 today!
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Well, it’s been another week, meandering down the road home. Until we meet again, as Fran Lebowitz reminds us, “Think before you speak. Read before you think.”
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“I took a speed-reading course and read War and Peace in 20 minutes. It involves Russia.” — Woody Allen
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Nutritious home-delivered and in-person meals are available at noon Monday through Friday unless otherwise noted.
Seniors of Mosier Valley (541-980-1157) — Mondays and Wednesdays; Hood River Valley Adult Center (541-386-2060); Sherman County Senior and Community Center (541-565-3191); The Dalles Meals-on-Wheels (541-298-8333)
For meal sites in Washington, call Klickitat County Senior Services — Goldendale office (509-773-3757) or the White Salmon office (509-493-3068); Skamania County Senior Services (509-427-3990).
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