Condition Your Cognition

“The more you practice what you know, the more you shall know what to practice.” W. Jenkin

What did you think about the quote? Did I just hear you say, “What quote?” You skipped over it, didn’t you? You thought, “Oh, there is a quote, I don’t need to read it.” Or maybe your eyes read the quote but your mind didn’t think about it.

Your mind is not a light switch you can turn on with the push of your finger; it’s more like a muscle. It needs time to warm up and it loves to be stretched. Read the quote again, and then give your mind the space it needs to warm up and build meaning.

The author’s message can be applied to any activity you want to do well. Do you remember the first time you tried to drive? In the beginning, you didn’t know what you were doing. You were overwhelmed with every little movement, button, or flashing light. However, the more you practiced, the easier the activity became. You knew what you needed to practice, only because you practiced.

Research suggests professional athletes will practice 500 more times than armature athletes because they strive to improve their performance. To practice means; to do or perform (something) repeatedly in order to acquire or polish a skill. In other words, every time a baseball player stands in the batter’s box he learns what actions help and which actions hinder hitting the ball. Once the baseball player knows which actions are successful, he repeats them over and over again causing his mind to build stronger and stronger connections between neurons. As soon as these neuron connections are strong enough, they will respond automatically without having to think about the spacing of his legs, squaring his shoulders, and raising his arms. As a result of this automatic response, the baseball player is able to focus on more important information like the path and speed of the ball.

When it comes to reading, mature readers practice applying strategies to create meaning until the neuron pathways become automatic. Instead of thinking about the sound each letter makes, the meaning of each word, and the message behind each sentence, a mature reader’s mind makes these decisions automatically. Therefore, her mind is able to identify areas that were difficult to understand, generate meaningful conversations with the author through talking to the text, and notice when her mind is distracted.

What is your reading stamina? Can you read in a quiet room for long periods of time, without feeling fatigue? You are fooling yourself if you think you can improve your reading without reading. Mature readers know increasing their stamina, or conditioning their cognition doesn’t happen overnight. Just like training for a marathon, you have to be willing to start with small chunks of text and slowly build up your thinking muscles. If you try to do too much, too fast, you could get overwhelmed or worse, quit. Over time you will be able to increase the length of time you read and the cognitive steps required to FLIRT and DRIVE will become automatic.

Coach your mind by noticing which strategies create the most meaning before, during, and after you read. Give your mind a pep-talk when it wants to quit. Suggest a better game plan when the text seems too difficult to comprehend. Push your mind to dig for the deeper meaning. And never, ever give up! Albert Einstein said, “I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right.”

Thinking is a process that takes practice, stamina, and determination. However, once you’ve established a reading routine, your mind will automatically and consistently perform the high levels of thinking required for academic texts. Remember, if you don’t use your muscles, you lose them. Begin to condition your cognition today!