Not all texts are created equal. The more structured the text, the easier it is for the mind to determine important text information and make connections with your schema. Research suggests, your mind is only capable of retaining information relevant to existing experiences (see I ALREADY KNOW). Look at these letters for ten seconds, then close your eyes to see how many letters you can remember IN THE SAME ORDER THEY APPEAR.
BL OGE M AI LWI KI
How many letters could you remember? Now repeat the process by looking at the letters below, closing your eyes and recall the letters IN THE SAME ORDER THEY APPEAR.
BLOG EMAIL WIKI
Which group was more meaningful and memorable? Both groups have the same thirteen letters listed in the same order; however, the second one makes more sense because I organized the letters into meaningful chunks. Your brain already has information about each one of these groups, but until I pointed out how they were organized, your brain struggled to make meaning.
As the experiment above proved, if you don’t take time to organize new information into meaningful chunks, your mind will get lost in the sea of sensory input streaming into the thalamus. As a result, you will have difficulty storing new information.
Helping your mind organize information will speed up your reading and improve your memory. Take time to FLIRT with the text to identify the external text structure and internal organization. The text structure helps you focus on essential information and the graphic organizer helps you purposefully connect isolated facts in a meaningful way.
A graphic organizer provides a container to visually show the relationship of ideas. The type of graphic organizer you use will depend on the author’s purpose, or how the author expects you to construct meaning. The goal is to identify the relationship between concepts and then find the most effective way to organize new information. The six most common text organizations are: enumeration, description, compare/contrast, sequence, cause/effect and problem/solution. To see sample graphic organizers, visit: http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/
Enumeration, description, and compare/contrast are used when a concept is discussed through describing characteristics. With these texts, the way concepts are broken down into smaller subgroups is more important than the order it is presented.
When a concept is discussed through a process or time (dates), sequence, cause/effect, and problem/solution are the most effective graphic organizers. With these texts, the order the information is presented is most important.
FLIRTing organizes the mind’s schema by matching the right graphic organizer to the text structure of the passage. Taking notes on a graphic organizer allows the working memory to make strong connections between prior knowledge and new information in the text. This will improve your comprehension by allowing the mind to store new information in an organized, concise manner. Therefore, if you want to remember what you read, you must take time to establish a system for organizing and storing information before you read.
Streamline your thinking and deepen your understanding of the concept by choosing a graphic organizer that matches the demands of the text. Remember, using a graphic organizer will prevent your mind from getting burnt out.
Yes both of those i could remember what they were but the second one was a little easier because i forgot the spacings for the first one but i got the concept to break down and see what its trying to say and apply that to reading to become a better reader.
ReplyDeleteWhen we did that example in class i didn't realize what it was saying. I know they try and trick you so I was seeing a way to figure it out but I didn't it wrong. Once I looked back at it, I felt stupid! When I do stuff like that it lets me know that I have to slow down and take time to understand what i'm reading!
ReplyDeleteI like the FLIRT technique and think it helps a lot with reading. I'm also starting to be able to rember the techniques a lot better.
ReplyDeleteDavid Crisfield
The flirt techniques help me out every time i sit down to read something.
ReplyDeleteThe flirt technique is a great way to improve reading skills. I have been understanding it better now and it is clear that it will be effective.
ReplyDeleteWhen we did that exercise in class i caught on right away just because this experiment is old. But when i first did it i couldnt remember for the life of me all the letters. I think i need to really look at the text and how it is organized before i read the whole chapter.
ReplyDeleteKatie Bricker
section 1
I am realizing that I am flirting better with my books and I am remembering mostly everything I am reading now. I is quite nice.
ReplyDeleteOk i am starting to realize how time and discribe how different areas on where we can depict each text or reading. I am slowly but surely getting them down pat but i need to exercise them in my reading more so it becomes a habbite towards my better reading.
ReplyDeleteTyler Adcock-sec. 1
I understand how knowing what the text organization is could help with the reading process. However, I find it a tricky tactic to do while reading. I would have to just try it out a few times and get a hang of it.
ReplyDelete-Latifah Pittman
This a very hard thing to grasp esecially when your not used to doing it. Text organization is a great way to help you with reading and your process to read but yet it can be difficult,
ReplyDeleteShane Moore Section 2
I do think that sometimes these work. For me they havent always worked but with some I can see the relation. I wont be easy to start though being it takes your mind off the reading.
ReplyDeleteI already know that this works, because I've tried this before. And I think that it is becoming more and more easier for me to understand text that I have to read for classes.
ReplyDeleteSam Swank, Section 2
I already know that I indeed read in little, reasonable chunks. This helps me read my facts a bit easier and thus helps me retain more information. Thus, I have used graphic organizers in the past, but I haven't done them recently as I take bulleted notes on a separate sheet of paper instead. I guess maybe I should try this in the future.
ReplyDeleteAndrew Thompson Section 1
the example in class really helped me i wish all of my classes where like how you teach because i get a better understanding of everything that you say. I would like to say thank you
ReplyDeleteWE did this examples in calss and I was stunned. The first on so so much harder to remeber than the second one.
ReplyDeleteMike Forstoffer
The FLIRT technique is good to use when you start reading. I didn't like it first of all, but if you keep doing it gets pretty easy.
ReplyDeleteHet Gandhi sec 1
For once i got this right away. As soon as i looked at it i could tell what the spacings were and memorized the words. It was really simple and i got it both times. I guess spacing things out and taking it slow could really help.
ReplyDeletecortney Denlinger
section 1
I really liked this exercise of memorizing the words. I found it very easy to memorize 15 letters because of the visual words i began to notice. It means I'm a visual learner. Although there may be some things people just miss and thats okay as long as you go back to check on what you missed, you should be fine.
ReplyDeletei am now beginning to remember almost everything i need to read because of the flirt techniques. even though flirting is a huge pain to me still, it really is helping me out.
ReplyDeleteDustin R. Wagnon
When we first did the experiment to remember the letters, I noticed quickly that it was all spaced out. I need to fix my reading habits so I can have a better understanding of what exactly I'm reading.
ReplyDeleteIn the future, I will use some sort of graphic organizer. I usually have trouble putting all of the text together into something meaningful, so an organizer should help with that.
ReplyDeleteADAM VETERE section 2
Good refernece to cooking. I need to use these tools more often and get organized when I read.
ReplyDeleteIma start start using these tools more often and see how this all turns out.
ReplyDeleteI like that little trick with the blog email wiki. I got it when I read the first line but I never thought about text organization like that.
ReplyDelete-Logan Gurreri
I already use most of the tools said to use. I know whenever studying or whether it be something at home. Graphic organizers are always used in my psych class. It helps me retrieve the information during test time.
ReplyDeleteFLIRT is much more usuful than I thought it was when I first started the class. It really helps me connect with the text and understand it.
ReplyDelete-Ryan Althoff
I am organized when I read and sometimes I wish it helpped more than it does, because even though I am organized I still have problems remembering. But, I do like reading in chunks.
ReplyDeleteAbbie Forry
Section 2
Using a grahic organizer as a way of taking notes really helps. It helps find the authors purpose and in a way find key ideas and information.
ReplyDeleteIm learning the same thing in Psychology with using graphic organizers and learning for ways for your brain to obtain information better. It makes sence with the 13 letter example of how your brain comprehends information
ReplyDeleteIm prob going to have to start using the graphic organizer. Ive seen others who have used it and it seems like it works for them!
ReplyDeleteI agree with what katie and cortney said...I caught on really quick with this and spacing things out does help a lot!
ReplyDeleteUsing the graphic organizer does help alot i try and use it alot in some of my classes i have.
ReplyDeleteOnce you get organized you do well and when you use your graphic organizer things seem to get done. Spaceing out your time works for me but sometimes you dont know what to do when you dont have time
ReplyDelete