Metacognition is a fancy word for thinking about thinking.
The basic idea is that we need to think about what we are going to think while
we read. Make sense? Well, let me provide a metaphor. It has to do
with Star Trek (quick background: I watched every episode of every series for
the first time in the last 9 months; it is very fresh in my mind.), but stick
with me. After watching the latest installment in the Star Trek movie franchise
recently with my wife, I told her that I finally realized why I disliked almost
every Star Trek movie whereas I loved the television shows. The movies are
mostly action and little contemplation; the television shows are mostly
contemplation and little action. When I expressed this to my friend and fellow
Trek fan, Jordan, he showed me this gem from The Onion, please watch before you
continue:
The Onion is precisely on key in their analysis.
But here is the thing: it is really true (and not in a sarcastic way). Star Trek
was a successful series because of its dialogue, not its action. The
particularities of the show were for the Sci-Fi geeks in all of us, but the
true genius of the show was in the conversations that pervaded the series. The
fact is that the show had a lot of good thinking. No matter the
situation, Spock, Kirk, and McCoy would always engage in some kind of
philosophical banter that pitted logic against faith against passion in true
Karamazov-ian form.
So here is the payload: our society lives on thoughtless
action—a ramshackle approach to living that is demonstrated so clearly in our
media (see the satire in The Onion). What made Star Trek so intriguing to me
was its dedication to thinking before acting. But not just that, it was
dedicated to thinking about thinking-while-acting. I hyphenate all of those words
together because that is what I want us to do as we read. We do not simply need read, we need to think-while-reading. And to figure out how to do that, we need to think about thinking-while-reading. Now does it make sense?
That is what this program is going to be. The fact is that
we often read in ways that are ineffective for comprehension and retention. We
need to be contemplating strategy about how we will approach this task of
thinking-while-reading. This is the first step. So, here is what I want to hear from any of you that
are reading (or thinking-while-reading) this:
1)
How have you approached reading (in general) in the past,
maybe for a literature class or a test? What were the results?
2)
How do you currently approach reading the Bible? What are the
results?
Our goal is to determine, over the next month, how we are
going to approach this reading project. I have my strategies lined up, but I
want you to be thinking as well because you all might influence me in a
different direction. I look forward to hearing from you.
P.S. Look for the schedule of readings in the next few days.
Great article... it got me 'thinking'. =) One thought stands out for me... when I study for a test, I simply try to memorize it and then hope I remember it while taking the test. To me, that is not 'thinking' while reading. Now, I read and think about what I am reading. I sort of imagine a story line in my head while reading. Has it helped me remember the reading? Absolutely, because as I read the test question, I am activily 'thinking' about what I read. Do I make sense? =)
ReplyDeleteMaggie, I think what you are describing is close to something of an organizational strategy. In the case of textbooks that are presenting you with a plethora of historical or factual data, I can imagine that it is quite helpful to arrange it around some sort of self-constructed narrative. Doing this allows you to arrange the data in easily remembered "packets". The key thought behind your approach is: How can I arrange this material in my mind while I am reading? Thus, you are thinking about thinking-while-reading.
DeleteThere is something of this in the strategies I will present. However, because much of the Torah is narrative already, there are other ways that it can be organized for the purpose of retention (e.g., around themes). Hopefully I can help along that path.
Thank you for your comment. Keep them coming.
Derek
When I read I generally go through a very systematic but fairly intuitive process of categorizing and analyzing the structure and content of what I'm reading. In other words, I break what I'm reading down and I summarize it to myself while I'm reading it. I tend to skip details and focus on over-arching meaning, themes, and systems, and I read as if I am going to teach or explain what I am reading to someone else.
ReplyDeleteAs I am doing this I also evaluate what is being said through several filters: For example, what other texts, authors, subjects, themes, experiences, or bodies of knowledge come to mind while I am reading? How do they dialogue with my current text? Do previous formational voices agree, disagree, coincide with, expound on, negate, or give me any greater insight into or understanding about the current piece? What are the ramifications, implications, applications? How important is any given point to the author's overall narrative? To my narrative? I also pay attention to any emotional or gut reactions as I read. Why am I responding the way I am, and what am I responding to? Is it the content? Language? Organization? Voice? By paying attention to all of my reactions I have immediate access to resources on: 1. Personal Bias, 2. Relevance, and 3. Application, among others.
What is my result? I generally take longer to read something, read it more in depth, have more personal interaction with it, and understand it in a systemic way that usually allows me to explain it to others even after only a brief exposure. It also means that I get frustrated when profs want me to plow through something and I usually have to do a lot of skimming when I get behind.
Candidly, however, this process hasn't helped me a WHOLE lot when reading scripture as I tend to gloss over names, places, and allusions. It has helped me make thematic connections, though, and it invites me into a particular kind of personal interaction with the Bible that makes reading it feel more like relational interaction than reading. It's great for remembering ideas but not specifics.
So there is more than you ever wanted to know. But you asked, so you had it coming. :)
When I read I try and find the big picture or plot. It helps me if I can have some frame to help me organize the things I'm reading. When reading the Bible I try and get as familiar as I can with the specific book I'm reading and then that helps me remember where the pieces fit into the whole. This is easier with the Gospels and Acts because they are more narrative in nature then Paul or some of the other NT books. Even with something that is not narrative, like 1 John, it helps me to read it all the way through a number of times and then focus on the more specifics.
ReplyDeleteIf I reading something like a novel, or even the Bible for that matter, I pay attention to the connections and relationships that come to mind as I read. These connections can be to my personal life, people I know, other things I have read...
Currently I have been trying to read larger sections of Scripture at a time, when possible whole books in a sitting. My focus has been to pay attention to the big picture of what is going on in the specific book I'm reading. I also put together a reading plan to read through the NT in a month, about 7-8 chapters a day. I really enjoyed this but have let it slip that last month.
When I read literature that's a bit challenging, I keep a pencil handy so I can jot down notes or themes or connections. I try not to get too bogged down when details don't all fit neatly or make sense right away. (Falkner, anyone?) I just keep reading and trusting that my brain will eventually put the pieces together, assuming that that is what the author had in mind anyway. In regard to Bible reading, I happen to have the benefit of a live-in commentary who lends background info and wisdom (or just lets me vent) when I'm about ready to throw the text out the window or when I'm having a hard time making sense of the narrative.
ReplyDeleteI love the discussions that come after reading a book with a group of people, whether for class or otherwise. It's reassuring to hear that others have been confused by similar ideas or that we've come to some of the same ideas. It also helpful to flesh out thoughts that only seem obvious or important once you say them out loud.