Jul 18 2009
Reading For Retention - Does It REALLY Matter?
I’m a reader. I would rather read than watch a movie. I would rather read than play a game. I would rather read than. . .well, I’d rather read than many things others find attractive. While this can be a blessing - especially if I direct my passion toward something beneficial - it also behooves me to do my best to make my pastime beneficial.
Some people, my husband for one, seem to be able to hold on to what they read. They can remember ‘who’ said ‘what,’ or ‘where’ something is located. Me? Only in my dreams! Thus, I have been thinking about and testing out various methods to help me retain what I read.
Does it really matter? In other words, is it not enough that I read - even if I cannot recall (a few days, or weeks, or months later) what I read? I think it matters - a lot. After all, what have I gained if I can list numerous weighty tomes or high-quality Christian books I’ve read and yet cannot remember what they said?
No matter how careful I am in my choice of reading material, if I do not remember what I read - how much did it (can it) impact my life? As I see it, there are several reasons why I should be exercising due diligence to retain as much as possible when I read.
1) Time stewardship. Make no mistake, we will be called to give an account of how we lived our lives. I believe this will include how we used our time. I really can’t imagine standing before my Lord saying, “I read good stuff. Does it really matter if I applied what I read?”
2) An ‘approved’ stamp. Consider 2 Timothy 2:15 - “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” While our diligence does not earn our standing before God, I do want to understand (as much as is possible) the Scriptures. Furthermore, I have no desire to stand before God’s throne ashamed at my lack of diligence!
3) Real Life. In John chapter 20 verses 30 and 31 we read, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” If real life comes from knowing and believing what is written about my Lord, why would I not apply every effort to know and understand?
Impact - I believe that is the key. That is certainly what we read in both 2 Timothy and John 20. It all boils down to growing in my understanding of my Lord - in growing in my relationship with Him - ultimately in becoming more and more conformed to His image. So - - - what am I using / trying / testing?
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I do not believe there is any one ‘process’ out there which will work for everyone. We all learn differently. However, there are some fundamental issues which help most people increase their retention.
At its most basic, all effective learning passes through three phases. The grammar phase. The logic phase. The rhetoric phase.
In the grammar stage we are taking in information. This, then, is the phase I am in when I read a book. I am taking in the fundamentals. They are passing through my eyes and into my brain. My goal, however, is to get at least some of them to stop there!
In the logic stage we are thinking about information. Most of the time we stop at the grammar stage. We take it in, but then pass on to the next piece of information. Thus we never pause to dwell on what we have been reading.
It reminds me of the Michael Card song, “So Many Books, So Little Time”. There is always another book I’m longing to read. Like a carrot on my shelf, it calls me to hurry, hurry so I can crack its cover.
How foolish! If I do not take time to think about what I’m reading right now, what difference does it make if I crack the next book’s cover? For that matter, if I’m not reading and meditating on Scripture, it really doesn’t make much sense to be cracking ANY other book!
Of course there has to be balance somewhere. Take my study of James. It is moving forward - at a sleepy snail’s pace. In other words, barely moving. This is due, primarily, to the depth to which I am trying to dig (and the lack of time for digging this time of year).
If I were to take everything to this depth, I wouldn’t be reading much at all. I’m not saying this is bad. I know my retention is greatly effected by the time I invest in thinking and meditating on what I read. Nonetheless, I do desire to read that next book. So, there must be a balance in there somewhere.
At this point, I am working toward finding that balance. Right now, it seems to be found somewhere between digging deep and only reading. I suspect something like the Cornell Note- taking System is where I will find the most success.
In case you are unfamiliar with this system, in brief it requires you to take notes (thus meeting my need to ‘write’ the key points of what I’m learning). The next two steps, however, I believe will be even more beneficial. Once the notes are taken, the person using this system selects key words and phrases to help them remember the key points. They then review / recite the key points using ONLY their chosen key words and phrases - in other words, test their retention.
Finally - at the end of each chapter or sub-topic or sermon, the person using this system summarizes the main ideas taught. In other words, there is some thought going into what is read and some effort applied to remembering what is read.
In a sense, this written summary is a form of rhetoric. Rhetoric is basically saying or writing in your own words what you have learned. That, my reader, is the ultimate purpose behind this blog!
My primary goal in reading a book like “The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment” or in studying “James” is to change! It is one thing to say, “Be patient, God isn’t finished with me yet.” It is another thing to recognize our own responsibility to work out our own salvation.
And, if that is not the paramount reason for applying myself to read both Scripture and good books, then, I believe, I have missed the point!
