Tuesday, July 24, 2007

TfY Exercise Chapter 1-12

TfY Chapter 1

Quiz p.38- Observation Skills: What's out There?


1. Observation skills are learned mainly through book learning. Support for Answers. On the contrary, observation is learned from participation, which is more active and spontaneous than reading. Samuel Scudder learned observing through the active coaching of his teacher Agassiz as well as from his own efforts, curiosity, and persistence in studying his fish.
False

2. The standard academic study of all the physical sciences requires observation skills, whether in the field or laboratory. True

3. In thinking, the correctness of our conclusions usually depends on the clarity of our perceptions.
True

4. Observation skills can be extended to observing how you observe.
True

5. An insight is an experience of understanding that can occur spontaneously after we observe something intently for a while. One illustration of this experience is the story of Archimedes, who, while in his bath, discovered the means of measuring the value of an irregular solid by the displacement of water.
True

6. Agassize was simply too busy to give his student all the assistance he needed.
False

7. Perception and sensation are synonyms.
True

8. It is difficult to feel sensation and to think at the same time. If we want to feel whether a pair of new shoes fits properly, we have to pay attention.
True

9. Assimilation, according to Piaget, is an experience of easily understanding something that readily fits into our preexisting schemes or world view.
True

10. The word thinking, according to the dictionary, has only one meaning.
False



TfY Chapter 2

Discovery Exercises p.46 - Word Precision: How Do I describe It?


1. Dictionaries are like phone books; basically, they all offer the same information.
False

2. If a dictionary is named Webster's, that means it is one of the best.
False

3. Exports who decide how we should speak English write dictionaries.
False

4. Small, pocket dictionaries are the best kind to use for in-depth word study because they eliminate unnecessary, confusing information and make understanding easier.
False

5. Since a dictionary can confuse us with so many definitions for any single word, it is better to try to figure out a word's meaning from its context or are someone else.
False

6. Dictionaries are like cookbooks; a family needs to buy only one for the family's lifetime.
False

7. Dictionaries gives us information about spelling and definitions, but that is about all they offer. 
False



TfY Chapter 3

Discovery Exercises p.75- Facts: What Real?

Definition:

Know: be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about; know how to do or perform something.

Certain: certain(a): definite but not specified or identified;
certain(p): having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty;
certain(p): established beyond doubt or question; definitely known.

Verified: corroborated: supported or established by evidence or proof.

Existence: being: the state or fact of existing; is an ontological topic par excellence.

Real: being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory.

Fact: a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred.



TfY Chapter 4

Discovery Exercise p.108- Inferences: What Follows?

Reasoning- act of using reason to derive a conclusion from certain premises. There are two main methods to reach a conclusion. One is deductive reasoning, in which given true premises, the conclusion must follow (the conclusion cannot be false). This sort of reasoning is non-ampliative - it does not increase one's knowledge base, since the conclusion is self-contained in the premises. A classical example of deductive reasoning are syllogism.

Conclusion- decision: a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration; "a decision unfavorable to the opposition"; "his conclusion took the evidence into account"; "satisfied with the panel's determination"; an intuitive assumption; "jump to a conclusion".

Guess- think: expect, believe, or suppose; put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation.

Explanation- a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.

Imagine- form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case.

Infer-deduce: reason by deduction; establish by deduction.

Inference- the reasoning involved in drawing a conclusion or making a logical judgment on the basis of circumstantial evidence and prior conclusions rather than on the basis of direct observation.

Interpret- make sense of; assign a meaning to; "What message do you see in this letter?"; "How do you interpret his behavior?"



TfY Chapter 5

Discovery Exercise p.149- Assumptions: What's Taken for Granted?

What Is an Assumption?

Assumptions-premise: a statement that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn; "on the assumption that he has been injured we can infer that he will not to play"; a hypothesis that is taken for granted; "any society is built upon certain assumptions" the act of taking possession of or power over something; "his assumption of office coincided with the trouble in Cuba"; "the Nazi assumption of power in 1934"; "he acquired all the company's assets for ten million dollars and the assumption of the company's debts"



TfY Chapter 6

Quiz p.190- Opinions: What's Believed?

1. Expert opinion calculates the risk involved in spacing the gap between the known and the unknown for a particular situation.
True

2. Giving advice is not a way of offering an opinion. False

3. The result of public opinion polls are equivalent to votes in elections.
False

4. Opinions in the forms of judgments state what is right and wrong, bed and good.
True

5. Some opinion are based on generalizations, such as stereotype, as in the statement " All Chinese look alike."
True

6. Responsible opinions are based on a careful examination of the evidence.
False

7. Opinion are the same as facts.
False

8. Gossip is opinion sharing without any requirement for substantiation.
True

9. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion because all opinion carry equal value. 
False

10. Prevailing sentiment refers to popular opinion that changes with the times.
True



TfY Chapter 7

Discovery Exercises p.196- Evaluations: What's Judged?

Judge- determine the result of (a competition), a public official authorized to decide questions brought before a court of justice.

Appraise- to estimate the value of real estate.

Estimate- an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth; "an estimate of what it would cost"; "a rough idea how long it would take".

Value- a numerical quantity measured or assigned or computed; the quality (positive or negative) that renders something desirable or valuable.

Evaluate- In this final stage of multimedia development, the focus is on evaluating the presentations effectiveness in light of its purpose and the assessment context.



TfY Chapter 8

Discovery Exercises p.220- Viewpoints: What's the Filter?

Viewpoint: The position of the camera in relation to the subject.

Point of view: the perspective from which a story is told.

Attitude: a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways.

Bias: influence in an unfair way, a partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation.

Perspective: Perspective may mean: Literally, in visual topics:
Perspective (visual), is the way in which objects appear to the eye. Perspective (graphical), means to represent the effects of visual perspective in drawings.

Frame of reference: A frame of reference is a particular perspective from which the universe is observed. Specifically, in physics, it refers to a provided set of axes from which an observer can measure the position and motion of all points in a system, as well as the orientation of objects in it.

Opinion: a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty.



TfY Chapter 9

Exercise p.259- Argument: What is Deductive Reasoning?

1. Student who want well-paying careers upon graduation should (R)train themselves to be computer programmers. (C)Most cities are full of advertisements for computer programmers.

2. By the study of different religions (R)we find that in essence they are one. All are concerned with revelations or breakthrough experiences that can (C)redirect lives and empower them toward good.

3. (R)I am not pro-abortion at all. I think that people nowadays use abortion as an essay from of both control. (C)It's also against my religion.

4. (R)Guns kill people; that's why handguns should be banned.(C)

5. (R)Deep fat frying can greatly increase the calories of foods such as fish, chicken, and potatoes. Therefore, (C)it is better to bake, boil, or steam foods.

6. " It is important that (R)individual citizens equip themselves with a baloney detection kit to determine whether politiciand, scientists, or religious leaders are lying-it's an important part of becoming a citizen of the world."(C)

7. (R)America should put a freeze on immigration. Its first duty is to take better care of its own disadvantaged, poor, and unemployed.(C)

8. (R)America boasts about its wealth and prosperity as the world's most competitive economy. Yet its citizens are told there is not enough money for health care, environmental protection, for parks, safety nets for the poor and elderly, or public funding for the arts(C). Isn't there something wrong with this picture?

9. (R)"If nothing happened, if nothing changed, time would stop. For time is nothing but change. It is change that we perceive occurring all around us, not time. In fact, time doesn't exist."(C)

10. (R)I don't know drink because alcohol gives me a brief high followed by a longer depression.(C)



TfY Chapter 10

Class Discussion p.294- Fallacies: What's a Faulty Argument?


1. (1)TV can't be harmful to children, (2)because it occupies their attention for hours and keep them off the streets. (take from S. Morris Engel's With Good Reason, St. Martin's Press, 1982)

2. (1)Those who are so ferociously involved in Mothers Against Drunk Driving would (2)better spend their time in working with A.A. to help alcoholics.

3.(2)Why are you always nagging at me(1)about the way I drive?

4. (1)Person A:I oppose school voucher programs because they undermine the public school system and give subsidies to rich families who can already afford to send their children to private schools. (2)Person B: I am not going to engage in class warfare. The real issue here is opportunity.



TfY Chapter 11

Exercise p.303- Inductive Reasoning and Inductive Fallacies: How Do I Reason from Evidence?


1. Induction: Is an argument the truth of whose premises would not serve to guarantee the truth of its conclusion, yet would provide some evidence for it. Sometimes said to be "inductively but not deductively valid".

2. Reasoning: Is the act of using reason to derive a conclusion from certain premises. There are two main methods to reach a conclusion. One is deductive reasoning, in which given true premises, the conclusion must follow (the conclusion cannot be false). This sort of reasoning is non-ampliative - it does not increase one's knowledge base, since the conclusion is self-contained in the premises. A classical example of deductive reasoning are syllogism.

3. Empirical: Refers to that which is based on observation or experience rather than on theory.

4. Scientific methods: Is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena and acquiring new knowledge, as well as for correcting and integrating previous knowledge. It is based on gathering observable, empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning, the collection of data through observation and experimentation, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses.

5.Inductive reasoning: A type of type of mathematical reasoning which involves observing patterns and using those observations to make generalizations.



TfY Chapter 12

Exercise p.348- Deductive Reasoning: How Do I Reason from premises?

Definition:

Deduction: an amount or percentage deducted; something that is inferred deduced or entailed or implied; reasoning from the general to the particular (or from cause to effect); subtraction: the act of subtracting (removing a part from the whole); discount: the act of reducing the selling price of merchandise.

Deductive logic: Deductive reasoning is the kind of reasoning in which the conclusion is necessitated by, or reached from, previously known facts (the premises). If the premises are true, the conclusion must be true. This is distinguished from abductive and inductive reasoning, where the premises may predict a high probability of the conclusion, but do not ensure that the conclusion is true.

Reasoning: is the mental (cognitive) process of looking for reasons to support beliefs, conclusions, actions or feelings.


Thinking for Yourself
[Chapter 8-12]

Thinking for Yourself- Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Deductive Reasoning

Deductive reasoning is the process of starting with one or more statements called premises and investigating what conclusions necessarily follow from these premises.
Deduction is taught through the study of formal logic, or the science of good reasoning.
The standardized language of syllogisms allows a reduction of everyday language into verbal equations.
Syllogisms allow logicians to determine what is being said, to identify hidden premises, and to find out if the argument makes sense.

Thinking for Yourself- Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Inductive Reasoning and Inductive Fallacies

Inductive reasoning is a method used to discover new information or to supply missing information. When we use inductive reasoning, we observe, test, and check things out in some systematic fashion. The inductive method is also called the empirical or scientific method.
Induction can be done through sensory observation, enumeration, analogous reasoning, causal reasoning, and from pattern recognition.
Inductive reasoning is used as a method for obtaining information when it would be impossible to examine all the data available. This is done by taking statistical samplings or by making extrapolations.
Hasty generalization is the fallacy of basing a conclusion on insufficient evidence.
The either-or fallacy, or false dilemma, is an argument that oversimplifies a situation, asserting that there are only two choices, when actually other alternatives exist.
Inconsistency in evidence is the fallacy of offering evidence that contradicts the conclusion.The slippery slope is the fallacy of claiming without sufficient proof that permitting one event to occur would lead to a chain reaction that could not be stopped. It ignores the many variables or unknowns in the situation

Thinking for Yourself- Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Fallacies: What’s a Faulty Argument?

Word ambiguity uses undefined and vague words in an argument, seeking to gain an advantage by using words that could be interpreted in more than one way.
Misleading euphemisms are words that hide meaning by wrapping a less acceptable idea in positive or neutral connotations. The use of euphemisms is fallacious I an argument when the goal is to be evasive, to mislead, or to disarm awareness and objections.
Prejudicial language persuade through the use of loaded words that convey a bias while pretending to convey objective information.
Appeal to false authority seeks to influence others by citing phoney or inappropriate authorities. This false authority might be a person, a tradition, or conventional wisdom.
Appeal to bandwagon is another example of the appeal to authority. In this case, the authority is the exhilarating momentum of the herd instinct.
Personal attack refutes another argument by attacking the opponent rather than addressing the argument itself. This fallacy can take the form of using abusive language or name-calling.
Poisoning the well seeks to prejudice others against a person, group, or idea and prevent their positions from being heard. This technique seeks to remove the neutrality necessary for listening and to implant prejudice instead.
The red herring is a ploy of distraction. It makes a claim, then instead of following through with support, it minimizes the issue or/ diverts attention into irrelevant issues.
The straw man is an argument that misrepresents, oversimplifies, or caricatures an opponent’s position; it creates a false replica, and then destroys the replica.
Pointing to another wrong are also called two wrongs make a right. It says, “Don’t look at me; he did it too!”
Circular reasoning is the assertion or repeated assertion of a conclusion as though the conclusion were a reason. It can also pretend that no supporting reasons are needed.

Thinking for Yourself- Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Argument

The critical reading of arguments is an active endeavor that requires involvement, interaction with questions, and evaluation.
What an argument first needs is an objective reading or hearing. Afterwards criticism can begin with five questions:
a) What viewpoint is the source of this argument?
b) What is the issue of controversy?
c) Is it an argument or a report?
d) How is the argument structured in terms of reasons and conclusions?
e) What are the argument’s strengths and weaknesses?
The analysis of arguments in terms of their reasons and conclusions applies to both inductive and deductive arguments. Reasons include data, evidence, and premises, while conclusions include those deductively drawn as well as hypotheses.
The following questions can serve as guidelines for analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of arguments:
a) Are the reasons adequate to support the conclusion?
b) Are there any hidden assumptions?
c) Are any central words ambiguous or slanted so as to incite prejudice?
d) Are there fallacies of reasoning?
e) Is any important information missing?
f) Is any information false or contradictory?

Thinking for Yourself- Chapter 8

Chapter 8
Viewpoints

The ability to detach from one’s own point of view and assume another’s is an important skill; it enables us to communicate better with others and gain new perspectives.
In literature an author can choose a third person to tell the story with omniscient or limited understanding. Other choices of viewpoint include a first-person narrative told by character or the multiple points of view shared by several characters.
Viewpoints, like assumptions, opinions, and evaluations, may or may not be consciously recognized.
Unconscious viewpoints include the egocentric, ethnocentric, religiocentric, andocentric, and anthropocentric.
U.S. politics cannot be defined in terms of a simple left-to-left spectrum of viewpoints.
News framing describes the way an editor uses layout design, placement, and headlines to sensationalize, downplay, exaggerate, or convey importance.

Critical Reading for College and Beyond
[Chapter 8-14]

Critical Reading for College and Beyond- Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Evaluating Internet Resources

Accessing information from the Web is a skill you need to learn not only for college, but also for the world of work. As a reader and thinker, become an ‘open minded skeptic’ by considering each web site’s Relevancy, Reliability, Credibility and Accuracy using the following seven steps: 1. Know your purpose. 2. Double-check facts and sources. 3. Consider the source. 4. Evaluate content. 5. Determine intended audience. 6. Evaluate the writing. 7. Use what you already know.

Chapter 13

Reading beyond the Words

Critical reading means to asking and answering questions about your reading material at all level thinking. Bloom’s taxonomy lists six levels of critical thinking –knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation- that you can use to deepen your understanding of textbook material. By creating and answering questions at each of these levels, you will be better able to predict the kind of questions your instructor will ask on an exam and better prepared to answer them.

Critical Reading for College and Beyond- Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Identifying and Evaluating Arguments

Arguments are the logical structures that people use when they write and speak to present ideas and persuade others to support those ideas.
An argument consists of two or more statements that include one conclusion and at least one reason that support it. When you find an argument, you should break it down into its constituent parts so that you can determine whether it is well founded and logical. Arguments can be evaluated using specific critical including determining dependability, distinguishing fact from opinion, and detecting fallacies.
There are two primary types of arguments, deductive and inductive. Deductive arguments are judged as either being true or false. If the premise or premises of a deductive argument are true, then the conclusion is true. An inductive argument begins with a series of specific observations and concludes with a generalization that logically follows from it. As they are based on limited observations, even well-constructed inductive arguments cannot be considered absolutely true.

Critical Reading for College and Beyond- Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Reading, Understanding, and Creating Visual Aids

Visual aids are a very important part of the textbook reading. They are tools designed to help you learn and remember new concepts and key information.
Visual aids provide a quick, easily accessible format for information that shows you how ideas connect or relate to each other. Authors use visuals as learning aids, as a way to illustrate and explain their main idea. Types of visual aids include mind maps, outlines, charts, diagrams, graphs, illustrations, photographs, and time lines.
An effective reading and study strategy is to make your own visual aids. Here fore you have to recognize the important elements in what you are reading and be able to prioritize and organize them in a logical and useful format.

Critical Reading for College and Beyond- Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Textbook Marking

Textbook marking is a systematic way of marking, highlighting, and labeling ideas to show how they are related to each other and which are most important. It also helps you to remember what you had read. At the end of the study-reading stage of textbook reading, you should look for and mark these items: main ideas, major supporting details, and new vocabulary. Beyond these three basic elements of textbook marking, you should use your experience in lecture and lab to decide if you need to mark more. Always mark information that is unclear; to remind yourself to find out what it means before you are tested on the material.

Critical Reading for College and Beyond- Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Using Preview, Study-Read, and Review (PSR) Strategies

The PSR technique (preview, study-read, and review) requires that you question yourself before, during and after you read. By asking questions, predicting textbook content, and hypothesizing about the main idea, you are participating in a conversation with the author. You also add what you know to the conversation by recalling related information. This will help you understand and remember more of your reading assignments.
The PSR technique also requires you to respond to readings by writing in your journal. Review reading using your journal can helps you to understand an author’s ideas and helps you relate the material to what you already know.

Critical Reading for College and Beyond- Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Methods of Organization

Authors use different methods of organization in order to present information in a logical format that suits the subject matter and goals of their books. For example: the listing method, lists a series of ideas or items, alphabetically, by category. Analysis method, defines a concept to clarity meaning- may use examples and analogies. Another method is the cause/effect, method author use to show why something happened and the effects that occurred as result. The comparison/contrast method, that focuses on similarities and differences. The definition/example method that breaks apart a concept-presents basic elements. The Sequence method, that shows steps or ideas the chronological order of events. Another useful way to identify an author’s method of organization is to look for the organizational word clues (OWCs) that indicate which patterns he or she is using.
Knowing the different patterns, or methods, of organization helps you make sense of what you are reading and remember the content more accurately.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Thinking For Yourself
[Chapter 1-7]
Chapter 7

Evaluation
Evaluations make judgments about worth on the basis of standards that may be conscious or unconscious. It can help us react quickly to situation where our survival is a stake. Evaluations are not facts. Factual reports keep the distinction between facts and evaluations clear. Connotative words convey evaluations that can be used to sway our opinions. When we think critically, we recognize how these connotations affect our feelings so that we can choose or not choose to accept the opinions they contain.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Thinking For Yourself- Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Opinion

Opinion can be substantiated or not. They can be based either on reason or solely on whim, feeling, emotions, or prejudice. It should be not confuse with facts. Critical thinking requires that we recognize the difference between responsible and irresponsible opinion.

Thinking For Yourself- Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Assumption

An assumption is something we take for granted, something we accept prematurely as being true, something we don’t check out carefully.

It can be conscious or unconscious, warranted or unwarranted. Unconscious and unwarranted assumptions can lead to faulty reasoning, whereas conscious and warranted assumptions can be useful tools for problem solving.

Another form of hidden assumption, where we try to fit new experience into old or prejudiced categories is the stereotype assumption.

Thinking For Yourself- Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Why we use Inference?

Inference: Is the act or process of deriving a conclusion based solving on what one already knows.

Facts and inferences are linked together through generalizations. You will understand how observation helps determine facts imagination and reasoning to link the fact with explanation and how generalization ties all this information together into meaningful whole. Inference also can be use in addition as a strategy in planning and choosing alternative when it comes to solving problems.

Thinking For Yourself- Chapter 3

Chapter 3

What is a Fact?

Fact is something known with certain through experience, observation, or measurement. A Fact can be objectively demonstrated and verified. A couple characteristics that facts must express:

-define their own limitations

-objectively stated
-use appropriately qualifies
-state the obvious not inappropriately cautious
-don’t include guesses or inferences
-specific and offer their evidence for others to verify

Thinking For Yourself- Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Word Precisions:

How Do I describe It?


Clear thinking depends on a clear understanding of words we use. Words confusion leads to less consciousness, or disequilibrium, which can only be restored through word clarification.

The test of our understanding of a word is our ability to define it. This ability is particularly important for words representing key ideas that we wish to explain or defend. Taking the time to define the words we use is an essential preliminary to genuine communication.

Thinking For Yourself- Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Observation Skills

Observation is a process of sensing, perceiving, and thinking.

Careful observation can help us see details that conyain the key to unlocking problems or arriving at insights. It also help us discover new knowlege.

it also requires us to stay awake, take out time, given full attention, suspend thinking in an attitude of listening.

Critical Reading for College and Beyond [Chapter 1-7]


Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Chapter 7 Mind Mapping-Critical Reading for College and Beyond


Summary Chapter 7- Critical Reading for College and Beyond

Chapter 7 is about Using Inference to Identify Implied Main Ideas

In order to fully understand a reading assignment, you need to read the material and combine what is stated with the additional information you generate using inference as tool. While inference is a skill you practice every day, inferring meaning from textbooks and other college reading material requires you to use specific strategies such as detecting an author’s bias, nothing comparisons, and recognizing information gaps.

Chapter 6 Mind Mapping-Critical Reading for College and Beyond

Summary Chapter 6- Critical Reading for College and Beyond

Chapter 6 is about Using Inference to Identify Implied Main Ideas


In order to understand a paragraph, you need to be able to pinpoint the topic and locate the main idea. The main idea is the "key concept" being expressed. Details, major and minor, support the main idea by telling how, what, when, where, why, how much, or how many. Locating the topic, main idea, and supporting details helps you understand the point(s) the writer is attempting to express. Identifying the relationship between these will increase your comprehension.

Chapter 5 Mind Mapping-Critical Reading for College and Beyond


Summary Chapter 5- Critical Reading for College and Beyond


Chapter 5 is about Locating Stated Main Ideas

Being able to determine the main idea is like having the answer to a puzzle. In order to achieve this, you must first be able to tell the difference between the general topic and the more specific ones. A topic is the most general idea while a main idea is more specific in covering the idea of the piece of writing, such as food being a topic and fish being a main idea. Details are most specific and their job is to explain the main idea.
Four things that help you accomplish this are question yourself (what is the meaning of what you’re reading?), locating clue words, searching in the usual places, and categorizing an author’s points. Doing these will help you find the main ideas more efficiently so the relationships between the topic, main idea, and details are more clear. Some main ideas are incredibly obvious, while others are more implied and need time to seek

Chapter 4 Mind Mapping-Critical Reading for College and Beyond


Summary Chapter 4- Critical Thinking for College and Beyond

Chapter 4 is about Managing Your Reading Time

When reading it’s more important to understand the material than to skim or attempt to read as fast as you can. There are several steps to better manage your reading time. First, develop a schedule that shows the times you study and the length it is better to choose times when you are more alert and have the length of study using your reading average for each different subject.
Secondly, keep track of your reading rates so you can make a realistic daily reading plan. These steps will help you become a better reader in ways that allow you to manage your time most efficiently while reading.

Chapter 3 Mind Mapping-Critical Reading for College and Beyond


Summary Chapter 3- Critical Thinking for College and Beyond

Chapter 3 is about Remembering What You Read

Memory is the process of storing information, and as in any process, successive steps or stages is essential for it to work. To let new information permanently stored, you need to understand the main idea of the material you are been in contact with. There are three primary stages in the memory process: Sensory Memory (first stage of the memory process, enters by your sense, taste, smell touch, hearing), Short-Term Memory (second stage of memory process, just for 20-30second) and Long-Term Memory (final stage. Information can’t be stored until it has passed the Sensory and the Short-Term Memory) Some specific strategies examples to enhance the Sensory Memory are: visualizing information in your head, using your finger to point new words, read your text a loud, acting out a chapter in front of a mirror/ audience. Moreover Chunking is an effective strategy, it works by condensing the amount of information you have to learn. That helps you to organize and remember new information so that it remains in your short-term memory long enough to transfer into your long-term memory. The most efficient way of storing information is to use such as organizing newly learned information, mastering difficult vocabulary, creating a memory matrix, connecting new information with information you already know, going beyond the textbook, reviewing, and teaching the new information to someone else. Mnemonic are recall techniques that can help you retrieve information once it has been learned and stored properly.

Chapter 2 Mind Mapping-Critical Reading for College and Beyond



Summary Chapter 2- Critical Reading for College and Beyond

Chapter 2 is about Developing Your College Vocabulary

By learning new Vocabulary you are building important reading strategies. Also by increasing your vocabulary, you increase your understanding of textbook information. In addition you will increase your ability to speak and write well- to communicate effectively.
Developing Your Vocabulary; reading and listening comprehension will improve more words. You can use these important strategies to help you figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words: context clues and word part analysis, writing in your textbook, creating word maps, understanding denotation and connotation, journal writing, and the card review system (CRS). One of the best way of making word a part of your vocabulary is the use of it in your daily life.

Chapter 1 Mind Mapping-Critical Reading for College and Beyond








Summary Chapter 1- Critical Reading for College and Beyond


Chapter 1 it's about Reading in College.

Reading is an active process that depends on both an author’s ability to convey meaning using words and ability to create meaning from them. You need to constantly connect what you already know about the information to the words the author has written.
Learning Journals is a technique that helps you to analyze reading strategies and assess your learning. Using a learning journal helps you remember 80-90% of what you read. It also helps you to
Concentration is a skill that can be learned with patience and perseverance. Like any reading strategy, concentration takes practice before it will kick in automatically every time you open a textbook.
Learning Styles, most of what we learn comes from what we hear (auditory learning) in lectures or on audiotapes; see visual learning) through reading or watching people, videotapes, or television; or touch and do (kinesthetic learning) by practicing techniques, drawing maps, creating outlines, or making models
Concentration Blocks, to recognize what distracts you when you are reading is an important way to improve your concentration. There are two kinds of distracters: Internal (comes from inside you) and external (comes from your environment).
Concentration Techniques, to improve your concentration there are five techniques: 1. Checkmark Monitor System; helps you monitor how many times you lose your concentration as you read. 2. Creating a Study Environment 3. Creating a Positive mental Attitude 4. Using your Journal as a Worry Pad or 5. Writing a Letter is especially helpful if you are distracted by internal or external distracters.






Monday, June 25, 2007

Critical Reading for College and Beyond [Chapter 9]

Exercise
Using Preview, Study- Read, and Review (PSR) Strategies
Chapter 9



Exercise 9a)

Previewing

1. There are 12 Rice Chex in the crane.

2. I believe they’re using tapes for the wheels on the truck.

3.Three vehicles are visible in the picture.

4. I don’t know

5. I don’t know

6. The ice cream cone is on top of the white building in the middle of the picture.

7. The stick of gum is on the right side of the picture.

8. They use a stick of paint and a guitar pick to make the plane.

9. I don’t know how many trees, but they use broccoli to make them.

10. There are 7 dices in the picture.

11. Dog bones (biscuits) are next to the wheelbarrow.

12. I can’t name twelve.


Exercise 9b)

Previewing Practice

1.Your question using the title: What are the microeconomic players in the marketplace?

2.Your questions using the headings:
a.What is the role of the consumers in microeconomics?
b.How do firms work and benefit in the marketplace?

3.Your prediction of the passage’s content:
This chapter is probably going to talk about the different roles in microeconomics, such as firms and consumers. It’s probably going to explain the transaction between the two and how they nurture each other. The headings and sub-headings seem to hint that firms have more than one role in the market. Not only do they buy, but they also sell apparently. Maybe they’ll explain how that works with consumers playing the role of buyers as well?

4. I already know that consumers are limited by their income when they go out to buy and will try to buy the best quality they can get in terms of that condition. I also know that firms try to benefit by creating a product that is affordable for the consumers and allows them to still profit from it.


Exercise 9c)

Study-Reading

1. Journal Prompt #1: Am I able to answer my preview questions?
a. Consumers buy goods and services made by the firms, but they’re limited to certain conditions that prevent them from getting every thing they desire. Because of this, they try to benefit by creating the best purchases given their income. This is done by comparing the additional marginal benefits and additional costs of each purchase.
b. Firms play two roles in the industry: They are buyers as well as sellers. They hire resources and combine them to make a final product that they can eventually sell to consumers. If they combine the two well, they can make a profit off of the product they are selling and still please the consumers whose incomes are limited.

2. Journal Prompt #3: Can I relate the material to what I already know?
a. Yes; my limited knowledge of this subject is enveloped by the passage that is given. It can be said that my knowledge is a brief summary of the longer explanation given by this passage.


Exercise 9d)

Main Idea

1. The main idea of this passage, “The Microeconomic Players” is that there are four categories of participants in the economic world: consumers, firms, factory owners, and the government. The headings of this passage are all referring to the different types of “players” in the main title. Even the title is talking about the different participants of the economy whereas if the passage was about what to buy and sell, then the passage would elaborate on how each participant chooses these things to buy and sell. Instead of that, the passage chooses to explain what each participant does in the market and how they each benefit from the process.


Exercise 9e)

Summary Writing Practice

There are four participants in the marketplace: consumers, firms, factory owners, and government. The first three all have objectives that they wish to achieve and all make decisions that they feel would benefit them.

Consumers buy things that are produced by firms. However, they’re constrained by their limited income as well as the positive and will therefore try to get the best quality with what money they are willing to spend. They are able to make these decisions by comparing the benefits from purchasing the product and the additional costs that come with these benefits.

Firms have two roles: buyer and seller. In terms of being buyers, they are in charge of combining resources that they buy to create a product that they can sell to consumers. Because they also want to increase their profits, they will try to buy resources that only contribute to the output of their products to cover the cost of producing them. In other words, they are also limited in terms of spending and will make similar decisions to those of consumers.

As a seller, firms will try to find a reasonable price to sell their products to create the maximum profit. Other than consumers who try to buy things at a lower price for a higher quality, firms also deal with competition from other firms who attempt to cut down prices to sell more to consumers. All of these things contribute to the reason for firms to change their prices and how many of each product to create.


Exercise 9f)

Connecting New Information to Old


2. Many people in my life have often told me to be optimistic and I’ve taken it to heart. I believe that by simply changing perspectives on things could create a better environment for everybody around you. I also believe that happiness and kindness could spread just as well as negativity. Even now, I act on that belief.


3. Today’s society is more open to many different types of people, especially in America. However, I can relate to being subjected to harassment simply because of my race or sex. I’ve witnessed women who are being pushed around at work by men who are chauvinistic. I’m not too sure if being as crude as men gain respect from them though.


4. As a child, I used to watch ants travel to and from the floors carrying bits and pieces of food from the cafeteria to their homes. I’ve never known how much they actually contribute to nature, but I know that they do work relatively fast and have an extremely effective system that allows them to prosper and increase even with their size as a potential weakness.

Critical Reading for College and Beyond [Chapter 8]

Textbook Methods of Organization
Chapter 8


Exercise 8a)

Listing

Topic: Reasons to dump your doctor
Main Idea: Doctor hospitality
Question: What is one reason to ditch your doctor?
Visual representation: - mumbo jumbo
- defensive
- questions
- rude staff


Exercise 8b)

Analysis

Topic: Armed forces is designed to kill people and break things.
Main Idea: To make sure we have the best army.
Question #1: What is the point of the author?
Question #2: What is the main reason for the author?


Exercise 8c)

Cause/ Effect

Topic:
Science experience with mice
Main Idea: The experiment proving the pneumococcus cells was present in the dead mice system
Question #1: What did Fred Griffith discover?
Question #2: What is the explanation given on why pneumococcus cells were presented in the dead mouse bodies?
Visual representation: mouse à smooth cells, pneumonia, pneumococcus


Exercise 8d)

Comparison/ Contrast

Topic: Store sales versus door-to-door sales
Main Idea: Consumers who buy from door-to-door sales usually have second thoughts whereas they know what they’re buying when walking into a store.
Question #1: Why does a door-to-door salesman have advantage over store sales?
Question #2: Why would you think it would be better for a consumer to buy from a store?
Visual representation : Contract Store; - prepared, consumer moves first
Contract door to door: salesman moves first


Exercise 8e)

Definition/ Examples

Topic: Psychologists treatments
Main Idea: Psychologist using placebo in control groups.
Question #1: What is a placebo?
Visual representation: Placebo à pill, drug, other substance without any significant chemical properties or active ingredient


Exercise 8f)

Sequence

Topic: Basic steps for digital computer systems
Main Idea: Function of the computer system
Question #1: What methods or instructions are needed for a computer to perform calculations?
Question #2: What are the basic steps of the computer system?
Visual representation: - input
- memory or storage
- control
- processing
- output

Critical Reading for College and Beyond [Chapter 7]

Using Inference to Identify Implied Main Ideas
Chapter 7

Exercise 7a)

Inferring an Author’s Meaning

1. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
You are better off keeping what you have than risking losing it in the hope of getting more.

2. A penny saved is penny earned.
If you save money, you earn money

3. Time heals all wounds.
Eventually things will get better.

4. Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for lifetime.
Don’t just give people stuff, make them work for it.


Exercise 7b)

Determining an Author’s Purpose

1. to inform
2. to persuade you
3. to inform
4. entertain
5. to inform


Exercise 7c)

Comparisons

1. Comparison between: a Sun-bath b. a drink of wine to the reptile
Implied similarity: it was very enjoyable

2. Comparison between: a. under pressure b. lion
Implied similarity: he feels ambitious

3. Comparison between: a. facts b. air on which the scientist learns.
Implied similarity: Scientists need facts.

4. Comparison between: a. battleship b. computer
Implied similarity: The hacker uses his computer to assail the weak and subvert the unsuspecting.

5. Comparison between: a. liquid b. people in the stadium aisles
Implied similarity: They both move freely.

6. Comparison between: a. the protagonist b. delicate vegetable
Implied similarity: They both start indoors, where it is safe, and are moved outside. In this case, the protagonist starts out in urban England.


Exercise 7d)

Setting the Tone

1. c. Troubled
2. a. Intense
3. c. Humorous
4. c. Sarcastic


Exercise 7e)

Detecting Bias in Paragraphs- Emotive Words

This author is biased, or sympathetic, towards poor people and believes that they have not been dealt with fairly in terms of equal access to good jobs.
The author believes that it is wrong.
He believes that things have gotten better, but there is still a long way to go.
He doesn’t like it.


Exercise 7f)

More Practice in Detecting Bias

1. I agree with the article. I believe with the statement about him hanging.
2. He wanted to express his views.
3. The USA needs to go after Osama Bin Laden.
4. Swinging from the end of the rope, vanquished
5. Angry, “Swing from the end of the rope…”


Exercise 7g)

Information Gaps and Cartoons

Question:
What is the main point that the cartoonist is making?

Answer:
We are lazy

Critical Reading for College and Beyond [Chapter 6]

Finding Supporting Details
Chapter 6



Exercise 6a)


Identifying Major Supportng Details

1. Your question: How is it that the pain from a beating does not come until about eight or ten seconds after the stroke?
Major supporting detail: The stroke itself is merely a loud crack and a sort of blunt thud against your backside, numbing you completely.

2. Your question: Why is a tattoo a bad thing in the white-collar world?
Major supporting detail: You cannot earn power.

3. Your question: Why didn’t she approve of him?
Major supporting details: A. Fell asleep at desk
B. Sniffled all the time

4. Your question: How does the visitor’s hand feel?
Major supporting detail: It was cool and quite oily and seemed human to me.

5. Your question: What advantages does the pointed arch offer?
Major supporting detail:
A. Because the sides arc up to a point, weight is channeled down to the ground at a steeper angle, and therefore the arch can be taller.
B. The vault constructed from such an arch also can be much taller than a barrel vault.

6. Your question: How does the Bacillus subtitles bacterium reproduce?
Major supporting details:
It splits every twenty minutes.


Exercise 6b)


Identifying Minor Supporting Details

1. -Main Idea:
I watched feng shui students in amazement as they completely abandoned their own sense of aesthetics and design in favor of the Eastern motifs expressed so frequently in Yu Lin’s seminars

-Major supporting details:

(2) During consultations in New York or London, I came across a number of cases in which ‘cures’ employed to correct design imbalances directly conflicted with the culture and surroundings of the modern furniture;
(3) No wonder people were confused, and put off, by what was available on feng shui in print.

Critical Reading for College and Beyond [Chapter 5]

Locating Stated Main Ideas
Chapter5


Exercise 5a)

General and Specific Ideas

1.
cars
2. genetics
3. majors
4. matter
5. religions
6. research


Exercise 5b)

Identifying Topics

1.
topic: holidays
2. poets
3. word games
4. health
5. information
6. teeth

Exercise 5c)

Identifying Topics in Paragraphs

1.
Topic: value
2. appearance
3. advertising


Exercise 5d)


Questioning Yourself

1.
Topic: America and women

2.
aging
3. history of the earth
4. prostitution
5. car models
6. magic


Exercise 5e)


Finding Main ideas Using Word Clues

1.
• find yourself at the mercy of your children in regards to computer technology
• lack of computer knowledge

2.
• human expansion threatens the biosphere
• example: humans clear forest or grasslands in order to provide for their own kind

3.
• Clinton’s inauguration shares Martin Luther King Jr.’s view on racial equality but not on violence
• Clinton and Martin Luther King Jr. represent very different social philosophies


Exercise 5f)

General and Specific Statements

1. b.
The Catholic and Jewish religions have many followers.
2. b. The black widow is venomous spider with an hourglass-shaped red mark on the underside of its abdomen.
3. b. Piaget theorized that all children go through similar stages of cognitive development, each stage predicted by the child’s age.
4. b. The fatty tissue in our body supports organs, pads them from injury, and helps the body to retain heat.
5. a. A fallacy is an error in reasoning.
6. a.
Children of all ages like video games.


Example 5g)

Using Main Idea Strategies

1. Main Idea:
This sentence answers the question “What is the author saying about money and railroads?” All the other ideas support this sentence.
Detail: The author explains how railroads gained financial support (one source).
Detail: The author explains how railroads gained financial support (another source).
Detail: The author provides more detail for sentence #3.
Detail: The author explains how railroads gained financial support (another source).

2. Main Idea: American empire was small by the standards
Detail: Americans were drawn into war
Detail: The new empire created large challenges

3. Detail: The material in our unconscious far surpasses what we are aware of.
Main Idea: Freud’s ideas of the unconscious

4. Detail: To overpowering
Main Idea: The main character misses Rosie
Detail: Unable to function
Detail: He packed his clothes and moved to the guestroom
Detail: It didn’t help.
Detail: He always dreamed.
Detail: He’d have reoccurring dreams.
Detail: He would wake up screaming.
Detail: He would dream of saving her.

Critical Reading for College and Beyond [Chapter 3]

Remembering What You Read

Chapter 3

Exercise 3a)

Memory Survey

1. My use of concentration strategies affects how well I remember information. Yes
2. I relate previously learned information to the information I’m currently learning. Yes
3. I really don’t have to understand information in order to remember it. No
4. I review my textbook only before an exam, reviewing more frequently is unnecessary. No

5. I have trouble understanding and remembering information that contains technical vocabulary. Yes
6. I know why I sometimes forget what I read. Yes
7. I use mnemonic techniques to help me recall what I learned. No
8. Using mnemonic techniques is all you need to know about memorizing textbook material. Yes

9. When learning new and difficult information, I read out loud. Yes

10. I make a conscious effort to organize textbook information in my head, on paper, or with other students. Yes

Exercise 3b)

Attention

Object: Penny

1. Abraham Lincoln
2. color
3.strong> size
4. monument in the back


Exercise 3e)

Organization for Retrieval

Set 1

Name a bird beginning with the letter B bluejay

Name an animal beginning with letter C cat

Name a fruit beginning with letter P pineapple

Name a country beginning with the letter G germany

Name a boy’s name beginning with the letter M matt

Name a girl’s name beginning with the letter J jaylie

Name a weapon beginning with the letter S sharp shouter

Name a vegetable beginning with the letter P pumpkin

Name a class fairytale beginning with the letter C Cinderella

Name a flower beginning with the letter P pansy


Set 2

Name a bird ending with the letter W sparrow

Name an animal ending with the letter G dog

Name a fruit ending with the letter H peach

Name a country ending with Y germany

Name a boy’s name ending with the letter N shawn

Name a girl’s name ending with the letter E Melanie

Name a weapon ending with he letter W crossbow

Name a vegetable ending with the letter T carrot

Name a classic fairytale ending with the letter E Snow White

Name a flower ending with the letter T violet



Exercise 3h)

Memory Matrix

Stage of Memory Explanation of Stage How to ‘Process’ Info to Stage
Sensory first stage in the memory enters by your sense: taste, smell,
Memory process touch, hearing
Short-term second stage of memory you have to consciously do some-
Memory process, limited in its thing with the information
(working memo.) capacity (20-30 sec.)

Long-term 3rd final stage Info can’t be stored until it has
Memory passed the sensory and the short-
Term Memory process


 Strategies for Processing Info
purposely pay attention what your
 -reading drawing…

-recite info
 -ponder meaning
-chunking

 -understanding information
-organize it

Critical Reading for College and Beyond [Chapter 2]

Developing Your College Vocabulary

Chapter 2

Exercise 2a)

1. The child was able to assuage his irate father with a smile and a small kiss on this cheek. A grin slowly replaced the father's angry frown.

Answer: b. Soothe

2. She was so overcome with joy by the birth of her baby that she was able to say nothing other than that the whole experience was simply ineffable.

Answer: c. Incapable of being expressed in words.

3. Most of us eventually reach our goals, but life's path to success is often a circuitous one.

Answer: a. Straight and certain.

4. The preacher took a pedagogic approach with his sermon, hoping that those attending would learn something meaningful from it.

Answer: a. Instructional

5. Although teaching is not a lucrative profession, I know that I wouldn't want to do anything else. Helping others learn is far more important to me than money.

Answer: c. well paying

6. Buying a lottery ticket is a very capricious way to plan for your future. The chances of winning are 1 in 10,000,000.

Answer: d. Unpredictable



Exercise 2b)

1. Alcoholism exacts a horrible toll on the drinker and on the drinker family, but the damage doesn't stop there. Drunk driving, workplace losses, and overburdened health care systems are only some of the larger-scale loss issues related to alcohol abuse. The search of effective methods of interventions has never been more intense.

Answer: b. Forces.

2. The natural circadian rhythm of most animals, including humans, is 25 to 26 hours, but our internal clocks easily adapt to the 24-hours rhythms (light, sounds, warmth) of the turning earth. When we are isolated from environmental cues, our sleep/wake cycles continue to be rather constant but slightly longer than 24 hours.

Answer: b. Seasonal cycles.

3. When the Commissioner of Indian Affairs took office in 1933, he vowed to defend Indian rights. The conciliatory attitudes of the Commissioner and the Indian Office, regarding Indian rights, conformed to legal precedents established by state and federal courts.

Answer: b. Agreeable, accommodating.

4. Our own daily rhythms can become desynchronized when we take a cross-country or transoceanic flight. If you fly from Los Angeles to New York and then go to bed at 11 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, you may have trouble falling asleep because your body is still on West Coast time.

Answer: broken or full apart

5. If my argument so far has been sound, neither our distance from a preventable evil nor the number of other people who, in respect to that evil, are in the same situation as we are, lessens our obligation to mitigate or prevent that evil. I shall therefore take as established the principle I asserted earlier. As I have already said, I need to assert it only in its qualified form: if it is in our power to prevent something very bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything else morally significant, we ought, morally, to do it.

Answer: seize; stop


Exercise 2c)

Root: aqua Definition: water Example: aquarium

Root: cur Definition: run Example: current

Root: vis Definition: see Example: vision

Root: sent Definition: feel Example: sentimental


Exercise 2d)

Roots + Definition

1. equ equal equinox- time when the sun crosses equator, making
night and day of equal length in all parts of earth

2. um circumscribe circumstance- a fact or event/ situation

3. pre predict present- girt

4. un untenable undue- excessive

5. cur current currency- money

6. ex extend expand- to make greater

7. ex extensible expensive- or great of high value

8. sc scribbles scribe- one who write or copies writing

9. re retentive retriever- recover

10. re remit remind- remember


Exercise 2e)

Prefix: anti Definition: against Example: antitrust

Prefix: auto Definition: self Example: autobiography

Prefix: bi Definition: two Example: bisexual

Prefix: co Definition: together Example: cooperation

Prefix: de Definition: away from Example: deactivate

Prefix: dis Definition: apart Example: dismiss


Exercise 2f)

Prefix- Create a Word

1. A prefix that means 'good' or 'well' is bene
1. benefit
2. benediction

2. A prefix that means 'out' is ex
1. exit
2. exo

3. A prefix that means 'skill' is techn
1. technology
2. technical

4. A prefix that means 'bad' is mal
1. malevolent
2. malicious

5. A prefix that means 'against' is anti
1. antibacterial
2. antivirus

6. A prefix that means 'half' is semi
1. semicolon
2. semisweet
7. A prefix that means 'after' is meta
1. metabolic
2. metallic

8. A prefix that means ' many' is multi
1. multiple
2. metallic

9. A prefix that means 'more than usual' is hyper
1. hyperactive
2. hyperventilate

10. A prefix that means 'before' is ante
1. antecedent
2. antemeridian


Exercise 2g)

Suffix: able Definition: able to be Example: exceptionable

Suffix: ful Definition: full of Example: beautiful

Suffix: ious Definition: characterized Example: fictitious

Suffix: less Definition: without Example: hopeless


Exercise 2h)

Create Words with Suffix

1. One who professes knowledge 'professor'

2. Able to mend 'med able'

3. Full of spite 'spiteful'

4. Like a mother 'motherhood'

5. Characterized by harmony 'harmonious'

6. A beginning; start, a graduation 'preparation'

7. Sad at feeling alone 'sadness'

8. A scientist who specializes in chemistry 'chemist'

9. The act, practice, or profession of instructing 'instructor'

10. Unable to manage by oneself; dependent 'dependant'


Exercise 2i)

Identify the Roots

1. harmlessly harm

2. controversially controversy

3. commercialization commercial

4. talkatively talk

5. mindlessness mind

6. simplistically simple

7. neighborliness neighbor

8. wakefulness wake

9. peacefully peace

10. sinfulness sin


Exercise 2j)

Define the Following Words

1. maltreat: to treat badly; to abuse

2. autonomous: self worth

3. emit: to duke away

4. fidelity: to be faithful

5. convey: to agree to give

6. equivocal: equal

7. posthumous: after

8. carnal: flash

9. misogynist: wrong

10. synchronized: with, together


Exercise 2p)

Pronunciation

Answer:

1. tomato

2. ?

3. red

4. tunnel

5. contradict

6. neglect

7. tolerable

8. octopus

9. molecule

10. ?

Critical Reading for College and Beyond [Chapter 1]

Critical Reading for College and Beyond


Chapter 1

Exercise 1a)

Concentration Survey

1. I know that concentration is a skill that can be learned.

2. I have a study area, complete with study supplies, and this area is used only for studying.

3. I try to concentrate as I read, but my mind usually drifts to other things, such as bills I have to pay or people I have to call.

4. If I get angry, I am unable to concentrate on my reading.

5. I know how to minimize all distractions.

6. I cannot read unless my house, or study environment, is immaculate.

7. I have a system to let others know when I'm reading and that I do not want to be disturbed.

8. I lose concentration easily when I'm bored with what I'm reading.

My Answer:

Beside number 5. and 6. are false, the rest I answered with yes.


Exercise 1b)

Active and Passive Learning Strategies

1. Copying down everything your professor says. (P)

2. Revising lecture notes. (A)

3. Reviewing sections of your textbook by summarizing and reciting information. (A)

4. Reading each chapter straight through. (P)

5. Always begin reading by previewing each chapter and developing questions to help you focus. (A)

6. Testing yourself on the information in your notes. (A)



Exercise 1c)

External Distracters:

Come from our environment and can include television, loud radio music, constant phone calls, or unexpected visitors.

Internal Distracters:

Preoccupation with boy or girlfriend, family problems, worry about rent and tuition bills for next semester, or excitement about an upcoming event....


Exercise 1d)

Finding Your Concentration Baseline


I read my Marketing Chapter for 50 min. and lost concentration a total of 9 times. I got bored after a while and felt in daydream.
The checkmark technique remind me how many time I lost my concentration as I read. And after I put my checkmark in my journal I began reading again.


Exercise 1e)

Worry Pad ( Writing a Letter)

This technique writing down my worries in a letter and than throw it away let me feel I throw my worries away. So I can focus on my study