How to study enghlish 9 pps

Understanding imagery and order makes what you’re studying clearer to you.. You may be someone who thinks best by putting things in order a sequential thinker, or by using images a globa

and follow the order of events Similarly, you make sense of what you’re

studying if you can make an image of it and put it in order.

Understanding imagery and order makes what you’re studying clearer to you Even figuring out a math problem is something you do in different ways The problem “5 x 2” has a lot more meaning if you “see” five branches of a pear tree with two pears on each branch You use order

in solving that same problem by putting (“seeing”) the two groups of five together to make ten

You may be someone who thinks best by putting things in order (a sequential thinker), or by using images (a global thinker) But even if

those aren’t your strengths, almost everything you study requires some images and some order, and you’ll be a better learner by strengthening

these styles

TIPS FOR EVERYONE ON IMAGES AND ORDER

The concrete world is made up of images But not everyone can use their senses to “see” images in a book or on a tape To know if you’re really understanding the imagery of what you’re reading or listening to, draw a map or a picture of what you see or hear Is your image complete? If it’s vague or missing something, you may need more information If so, go back to the text or tape again

USING ORDER

Order is the result of connections; if you discover connections between different events or facts, you’ll most likely be able to put them in some sort of order To know if you’re understanding the order of what you’re reading or listening to, make a list of events and number them in the order they occur Or make a timeline: draw a line and write in or draw events in the order they occur If you need more information to complete your list or timeline, review the text or audiotape

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Seeing Images vs Seeing Order

Lilly and Amelia work together as paralegals They just started a

pre-law program at their local college.

In her office cubicle, Lilly has her files arranged around her

in open wire baskets of different colors Lilly is an image thinker;

she can only learn something if she can picture it in her head She

associates images with other images in a comprehensive way

that doesn’t follow a specific order This way of thinking is also

called global thinking When writing a paper, Lilly begins by

drawing a picture of what she wants to say or imagining the

pic-ture in her head Lilly needs to hold on to the images in her head

that produce her ideas.

Amelia’s files are kept in drawers in both alphabetical and numerical order Amelia can only learn something effectively if

she can understand an order, or sequence, to it Amelia is a

sequential learner She begins her paper by writing an outline.

She might change the outline somewhat as the paper

progress-es, but she needs to work with her sense of order.

If Lilly were required to make an outline, and Amelia to draw a picture, they probably would not get as much out of

writ-ing the paper as if their styles were reversed.

ARE YOU AN IMAGE THINKER OR A

SEQUENTIAL THINKER?

IMAGE THINKERS

How can you tell if you think best by imagining things in pictures?

Answer the following questions and find out

• Do you remember people’s faces well?

• If you leave bills or receipts in different places, do you usually

remember where they are?

• When watching a sports event, do you usually see in your head

what might happen next?

Find Out!

• Do you usually like to fuss with the way something is arranged, such as furniture or flowers?

• Are you apt to notice if a picture is not hung straight?

If you answered yes to at least three of the above, you probably think

in images You learn more powerfully by the pictures you see in your mind

How can you tell if you think best by putting an order to things? Answer the following questions and find out:

• Is it easy for you to be on time for an appointment?

• Do you like to do crossword puzzles?

• Do your friends or family tell you you’re good at filling out forms?

• Do you file bills or receipts you want to save in a certain order?

• Does your watch have the actual time?

If you answered yes to at least three of the above, you’re probably a strong sequential thinker You just naturally seem to know the order of things

Or, maybe in some ways you learn sequentially, and in other ways

you learn globally, with images Only you learn like you.

TIPS FOR IMAGE THINKERS

Lilly and Amelia like studying together Lilly relates what she’s studying

to what she already knows in very broad ways, often in ways that would

not occur to Amelia Lilly is what’s called a global thinker.

When Lilly is trying to understand a text that focuses on order, she uses imagery to help her understand the order of events History class was a challenge for her “All those dates!” she exclaimed “They don’t make sense to me.” She focused on the pictures that came to mind first Then, she put the pictures in an order, like making a cartoon She associated dates with the pictures She used imagery to understand the order of events

Find Out!

Here are some tips to help you if you learn best by thinking in

images:

• To make the most of reading: Take notes by drawing pictures

that come to mind or describing the pictures in your head into a tape recorder

• To make the most of writing: Describe the pictures in your head

on paper or into a recorder, and then write what you play back

TIPS FOR SEQUENTIAL THINKERS

Amelia sees connections in an order that might be based on time or

importance In either case, she naturally thinks in an orderly way Amelia

is what’s called a sequential thinker She notes events and puts them in a

sequence to understand them

When Amelia is trying to understand a text that focuses on imagery,

she uses her sense of order Her poetry class was a challenge—all those

descriptions! She turned her reading into a kind of detective story, asking

herself: “What happened first? Then what happened? What next? What

led up to the ending?” It was her sense of sequence that allowed her to

create pictures in her head of what happened

If you learn best by thinking in order:

• To make the most of reading: Write and re-write your notes in

list or outline form, putting details under major topic headings If you’re using a tape recorder, read your list into it As you play it back, listen to any changes you want to make so that the order is clearer or stronger for you

• To make the most of writing: List or outline what you want to

say Your outline might be a series of questions If so, put similar questions together to form categories If you’re using a tape recorder to get started, read your questions into it, play it back and re-record any changes that make the order clearer to you

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I N S HORT

There are two general ways to make sense of what you’re studying:

1 Understand the imagery of what you’ve read or heard Make pictures

in your head Go back to the text for information to make the pictures clearer

2 Understand the order in what you’ve read or heard Number events

or make a timeline that shows you the order of events

If you’re a global thinker, you think more in pictures and make connec-tions that don’t necessarily follow a certain order If you’re a sequential thinker, your connections are based on time or importance

Practice Tips

Use imagery and order the next time you study After you read, draw

what pictures come to mind Then, go back and number events as they occur—on the text, if it’s yours, in your notebook if it’s not Make a timeline of the events Go back to the text for any information you need

to make your picture and timeline clearer

L EARNING BY

D OING

When you experience

something first-hand, you’re

a more active learner than

when you just watch or

listen to someone else’s

experience Also, being

involved in an activity can

trigger thinking Some

people learn better when

they’re doing something or

when a part of them is

moving; these people are

kinesthetic learners This

chapter shows you how

active learning is important,

no matter what your

learning style It also shows

you how to use movement

and doing to study

more effectively

dance? To speak? You learned by doing Nothing can replace the physical act of doing the thing you’re trying to learn

Participating in a dance class forces the dancer to experience the

move-ments she is trying to learn, thereby accelerating her learning process Passively watching a dance recital may help her decide what kind of expertise she wants to acquire; however, she will not become an accom-plished dancer by simply observing