A Classic Guide to Reading Well
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- Опубліковано 1 тра 2023
- Even people who read a lot can learn something from this book. At least, that's the theory. I'm about to find out.
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DISCLAIMER: I do not own the copyright to this book. How to Read a Book was written by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren in 1972 by Touchstone Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster.
I like the differentiation between reading for information and reading for understanding. To me, you have to have a certain amount of information and understanding of other material, gained through life experience, before you are able to understand new reading material. In teaching, they call this “scaffolding”. An example, is a younger child trying to read a romance. If they are still in the years where the opposite sex has ‘cooties’, they will not be able to understand the characters in the book.
For me, understanding comes in the way of analogies. I take what the author has written and incorporate it into my thinking by comparing it to what I already know through experience and other reading. When I create analogies to my previous knowledge, I do it critically, understanding that analogies are imperfect (or they would be the same). Examining the imperfections allows me to examine what is new in the material and, if I still don’t get it, to mark that concept to explore further.
I think what we call wisdom is the accumulations of experience and learning (through teaching or books), almost in the form of a Hegelian dialectic (thesis->antithesis->synthesis). New material offers a different perspective on the subject at hand. While it may not be antithetical to your previous understanding, there are elements that are different. When you’re able to reconcile your previous understanding with the perspective of the author, you have a synthesis which, if repeated throughout your life, brings greater understanding (aka wisdom).
The biggest problem in my learning is to approach new material with the humility that my understanding is flawed, as well as with the curiosity of a child in the ‘why’ stage of development. If I think I know something, it is much harder to learn. In one way, the more you learn, the more you know you don’t know. At the same time, if material conflicts with your current understanding, it is easier to dismiss the material as flawed than to change your mind. This is the struggle of learning.
Thanks again for your video, and for making me think about thinking and learning!
When I was a child, my mother instructed me to read a book with a dictionary close at hand. If I didn't understand a certain word, I was to look up the meaning before I proceeded further in the book. I still look up words in the dictionary while I'm reading, to this day. I figure that if I haven't understood a certain word, then I'm not fully grasping the significance of what I'm reading.
Your mother was a smart woman. What a gift to give a child! My teachers told me to do that, but I was too lazy. The internet really is helping.
@@booktalkingwithlibrarylin1924 I consider myself very fortunate to have been blessed with her as a mother. It's through her that I developed my love of reading. I asked her to teach me to read when I was four years old and I've been at it ever since. I was lazy in math though. Ha! Oh well.
Just found your channel, and have subscribed. I love non-fiction as well. I’ve read this book a few times. I look forward to you videos on it and other topics.
Thanks so much, Stephanie! What do you think of the book? After moving beyond the first chapter, I like it much better!
A fascinating topic!
Thanks, Celeste! I hope it gets more interesting as it goes along :D
I have this book but haven’t read it. I will now. Thanks!
I will be interested to see how you react to it. I'm not sure I'd make it through if I weren't doing this series. Their program is sound, but their writing style is a bit dry for my taste. Please let me know what you think when you take the plunge!
Your content is really nice, furthermore, I like how you edited your videos :D! Keep up the good work!! ^^
Thanks so much! I really appreciate you watching!😀
I’ve heard of Mortimer Adler, and this book, but have never read it. This sounds like it could be an interesting adventure and I am looking forward to the next chapter. 😀
Thanks, Adrienne! I'm hoping it will fun and informative :D
God bless you
It’s so sad that reading,learning, writing, time management, how to handle finances etc.
Is not taught or not beyond the basics/elementary level in school
I couldn't agree more. At this point, teaching kids to love learning and to educate themselves on all topics should be a priority.
Unless I’m reading for my job, I’m always reading to be entertained. Sure learning is good but this is another form of entertainment for me. That’s weird that they seem to feel otherwise or that people that primarily read for pleasure wouldn’t be interested in improving their experience.
I think my listening ability is better than my reading ability. I can listen to audio books or have my app read books to me for hours and I stay focused and it’s not exhausting. But reading books I can’t seem to pace myself and my attention wanders more than I would like and I need to reread pages sometimes because my mind was literally somewhere else when I supposedly read it.
I wonder if this book addresses my issues 😂.
I remember my mom used to read out loud to herself when she was having trouble focusing. I thought she was just scatter brained but maybe strategies like this are helpful.
They address a lack of attention to reading in one of the earlier chapters. They aren't particularly sympathetic to that problem, but I am. People's brains work differently, and if you find what works best for you, then that's what you should do. I'm curious: Do you ever take notes on books you listen to?
@@booktalkingwithlibrarylin1924 I haven’t no. I think it would be a nice practice to write a brief summary out reflection about a book after reading it though. It would be interesting to go back and reread years later in sure.
That's a great idea! Just keep a little notebook of thoughts on the book after reading. I haven't done that, but I will try it this year. Thanks for the idea! @@paulwalther5237
I like her voice