Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ PhotoReading, Memory Optimizer Sceptic looking to be convinced

May be I have been way too conscious about the results. I have a pile of half activated frustratively thrown books.
I have also been failing at dictionary game. Yet to find success in it. Why doesnt this game work I dont understand. And thats why I have become nervous.

I am off to a 30 days- 30 books activation challenge. Will post my experience after a month.

Failing at the dictionary game????

It's just a game.

You have been putting way too much pressure on yourself and that interferes with you learning the system. I see fear and I also see all or nothing thinking. You have an expectation that you have to get it all and you have to get it all on the very first pass. It is an unreasonable expectation. Your expectation if out of whack. Also expecting to get it all on the very first pass is a very passive ineffective technique. You probably don't even get credit or acknowledge when you get a small success.

There is a reason why Paul Scheele designed Photoreading to include the Accelerated Learning state. He knew and understood that stress and fear interfered with learning and become a distraction. Instead of focusing on what you want to get from a book you focus on what you don't want and it takes you away from focusing on getting what you want from a book.

Alex said something that was HUGE and I would listen very carefully to this many photoreaders give up too soon when they are first doing an activation pass and they don't think they are getting anything from the activation pass. The problem is if they would just stick around and not give up they would eventually get more and more on the subsequent activation passes and get the successes they were looking for.

Stress, pressure and fear interfere with learning.

Photoread4me.

The dictionary game? I failed brilliantly at that too. I threw it over my shoulder. It was months before I got it back out of the corner created by two book shelves. When I had the book in my hand again the truth hit me. I succeeded at the dictionary game beyond my wildest dreams.

I kept choosing words that weren't in the dictionary supplied with the home study course. From the moment I decided it was a fluke and I wouldn't be able to pin point words in the dictionary again. To ensure the success of that idea or intent, as my mind chose to apply it. I chose words that weren't in the dictionary. I even remember them, Kingdom, intent, tree, placebo. The game lived up to my expectation.

Let it go, games are designed for losing not winning. That's why it's a game. If you can play it like a game. And with all games we always live up to our expectation.

When you do your 30 book challenge, try to activate for at least 90 minutes to 3 hours on at least 5 of those book.

It takes the average reader 12 to 18 hours to finish a book so be fair, don't give up if you're not done, before 4 hours. Give it four hours. You'll have finished the book in 1/3rd the time or better.

And remember too. If you think at the beginning after PhotoReading a book that it's a [insert your choice of descriptive words for a poor, badly written, uninteresting, useless] book. Notice that feeling. And if you start activating and discover it's not measuring up to your needs, notice that's something you reported to yourself after you PhotoRead the book.

Impossible? Not really. A friend once asked me to by a book, specific title. It wasn't available in Australia and I happened to travel to the US. I PhotoRead the book in the bookshop and thought, actually I think this book is useless for what my friend wants. Even though the title suggested it teaches exactly what he wanted to learn. So I handed him the book while he was learning PhotoReading. His verdict, I suck at PhotoReading I cannot find the specific instructions of what I need to do to put this in practice, even though the book said that he would learn it.

Then I knew exactly what was wrong with the book when I PhotoRead it in the bookshop. I said let me have a look and activated it myself and sure enough. The steps, method were not in the book. Just stories about experience using the skill. It wasn't in the book. It was brilliant that he picked it up that it wasn't in the book in less than 20 minutes. Yet normally he average reader would have had to spend 12 hours with the book to find out, what the book was promising to teach in it's title wasn't in the book.

So don't be so quick to make yourself wrong, not all books live up to their cover. And not all books will live up to your purpose or needs.

Alex

Today is the 14th day of my 30 days -30 books challenge.

Experience so far is not quite satisfying. What irks me is, how to form questions from a paragraph you are not aware about and seek answers from it!?
ex.. I find a term interesting as per my purpose- 'structures' . Now, there I can form a huge number of questions from this single word that suits to my purpose. eg- what kind of structures are mentioned? how are they related to the main argument? what has structures to do with exploitation? The single word has me thinking for so many questions... and this is mere an example.

It becomes very tiresome and time consuming to find answers to all of these questions. Sadly, most of the questions go unanswered. and at the end of the entire activation session, you only have a couple of questions answered and total pages you have progressed is 5 or 6.

So I have been wondering is it necessary to ask so many questions? because When I jumpstart my activation with 4 questions, I get just a little information. With increased number of activation, the information generated in very less. The last book I activated about preparing soil for gardens, took me 21 activation layers and at the end I had to read it from starting to comprehend it as per my purpose.

I am just unable to dig out a lot of information with a few questions even when I spend more time with the books and I seriously need some help to cover a lot of information. I am not happy with the questions- answer technique. Are there other alternatives to question- answer approach for activation? I am in serious need.

thank you.

My guess is you didn't find one. how are they related to the main argument? what has structures to do with exploitation? The single word has me thinking for so many questions... and this is mere an example. [/quote]

Aside from not knowing the title of the book and your purpose. Your questions bear no relationship to each other so they don't make sense to me.


I Keep Six Honest... by Rudyard Kipling
I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.
...

Also known as the precision questions.



Why skip, Where are they mentioned, When are they related to my purpose, Who do they affect. How can I apply structures, when is it even relevant to my purpose?

Actually, have 'I' already identified the main argument? If so my question would be more relevant than using the expression "main argument"



Didn't find it? Then consider using one of the other six, when do structures have anything to do with exploitation? Or Where do structures have anything to do with Exploitation.

What is the last question from I'm inclined to use. What is when looking for specifics; dates, numbers, quotes, short phrases.

What is singular, that means the answer is usually one word. Or brief. If you want more details ask a better question. And I notice you only asked each question in one form.

Reread the PhotoReading book for the authors train of thoughts. There are usually 4 things to look for while reading.

You only need one or two questions to get started more come as you activate with your purpose in mind.

I keep saying if you have 3 questions to start you have enough don't ask more. You block your flexibility in communicating with the author when you created a long list of questions. Stay open. Like I said there are usually 4 things you're looking for when reading. And in case you missed it. Read the section on authors train of thoughts in the PhotoReading book.

Alex

The word and those questions were written just for an example. The questions I prepare to get my activation started are more or less the same because postview doesnt give me enough time to know what I should ask and where should I dip for it.



When I start with 3-4 questions, I saw I miss things. I miss Almost 80 percent of the other things. So I keep on making a huge list with the help of TOC, headings and subheadings because I need them ALL. I just cant skip any. I keep purpose to activate books till the point I can myself write a similar book. SO, to make that happen, I cant skip anything.

I have a question on skittering. How does one make sense of something while moving eyes in some random zigzag pattern or some other? In skittering, we arent supposed to read sentences, are we? I tried this method but it gets me nowhere so far. I am interested in it because it seems faster than dipping. But when I do it, Nothing makes sense!

thanks.

How much time are you spending postviewing? The whole point of postviewing is to discover what is relevant, where you can start activating and what questions you have for the author in relation to what you have seen.



No you haven't, you've seen what you need to activate next. You haven't missed it. It's still there.

Stop Copying TOC. After previewing don't look at the TOC again until you start activating. It's not necessary to see the TOC again during postviewing. Postviewing is where you decide where you are going to start and what you're going to start on.

If you don't have a question and you start skittering the paragraph I doubt it makes sense. Read, For Meaning. That means if you have a question in mind the words are going to have some sort of meaning as related to the first sentence of a paragraph.

For the most part skittering is only useful in technical books or academically written books. If the book is written in 'sound bites' there's little point in calling it skittering when you read the first and only sentence of each paragraph. (Sound Bites = each paragraph is one sentence long. If you're lucky it has 3)

Alex

I am activating chapterwise. And therefore, before each chapter I am postviewing for 10 mins or so to form mind probing questions.

Okay, so I have not missed it, but there comes a time when I require to go through all information to make sure I have got it.
Example- with respect to my mind probing question- how would I describe functions of sclelenchyma cells?
So I jump to a paragraph that describes functions of schelenchyma cells. And I dip in. While doing this, I also notice I also need information on characteristics and formation of those cells. So in the next layer, I cover it. Then again I see something that wants me to have a look at it. This goes on and it takes me very long time to activate one single chapter.

A broader question gives too much to dip in and a very short one gives only a little information. This becomes troublesome.
With dense academic text, it also becomes difficult to form as many question to cover all the ideas.

Why are you wasting 10 minutes postviewing? After PhotoReading Postview the whole book. Then activate. If you choose to activate chapter wise that's okay just activate, you don't need 10 minutes to Postview a chapter. You can finish activating a chapter in 10 minutes.

In activation, my first question would be why would I need to describe Sclelenchyma cell. Then I'd be asking what I need to know in order to describe them.

Try rephrasing your first question, there are better questions. How is usually my last question after knowing why I want to know.

You form questions as you go. And for textbooks I find turning the subheading into questions usually helps.

So if I see a heading "Sclelenchyma Cells". I would be running through who what why when where how. What are.... Why do I need to know about... Believe me it becomes rapid to turn the subhead into all 6 forms of the question. Then I look at what the author is focused on of those 6. Usually it's only two. And man you got love the authors who form their subheads into the chapter... that's usually their main focus though you will find one of the other 6 also addressed.

Alex

Okay. But is it really essential to ask everything everytime why I need it? Because, my most probable answer to this question would be- to know it to pass the tests..

Here is how I am working on it right now-

purpose- to understand and remember the plant tissue system so I can perform well on the topic in tests.

topic- organisation of plant body

heading- ground tissues

subheading- Sclerenchyma

The passage-
Sclerenchyma cells have tough, thick walls; they usually lack living protoplasts when they are mature. Their secondary cell walls are often impregnated with lignin, a highly branched polymer that makes cell walls more rigid. Cell walls containing lignin are said to be lignified.
Lignin is common in the walls of plant cells that have a supporting or mechanical function. Some kinds of cells have lignin de-posited in primary as well as secondary cell walls.There are two types of sclerenchyma: fibers and sclereids.Fibers are long, slender cells that are usually grouped to-gether in strands. Linen, for example, is woven from strands of sclerenchyma fibers that occur in the phloem of flax.
Sclereids are variable in shape but often branched. They may occur singly or in groups; they are not elongated, but may have various forms, including that of a star.
The gritty texture of a pear is caused by groups of sclereids that occur throughout the soft flesh of the fruit. Both of these tough, thick-walled cell types serve to strengthen the tissues in which they occur.

the type of questions I am usually asked in exam-

1. Describe any one of the ground tissues in detail.
2. Write a note on sclerenchyma cells.
3. Describe two types of sclerenchyma in brief.


so my mind probing questions -
1. why would I need to study sclerenchyma cells?
- to understand and be able to write well in exam

2. Where will I find the description and function of these cells?

3. what is the description and function?

Etc..

Is this how I should do it?

All what, where, why, when, how would form way too many questions for each paragraph, wouldnt they?
and, if these three questions are for sclerenchyma, there would again be many more for parenchyma, collenchyma, other headings, other topics, and other subjects..!! so technically, I need to dip into everything.

Thanks.