MUST READ! - How I Failed at Reading Today

Here is a sentence I stumbled upon in my neuroanatomy textbook:

Question 3: Normally, the subthalamic nucleus projects glutaminergic (excitatory) fibers to the two output nuclei of the basal ganglia, the medial segment of the globus pallidus and the substantia migrants pars reticulata, which in turn send inhibitory projections to the thalamus. Thalamocortical fibers that are excitatory project to the motor cortex.

I picked up the Neuroanatomy textbook at my office and started reading chapter 13 in my sincere effort to understand the brain better. I was convinced that I can compensate for my lack of understanding the topic using my comprehension techniques. I am a reading specialist after all. I know about visualization, prediction, connecting and summarizing. I also know how to apply those techniques.

After reading for about 30 seconds I wanted to throw the book against the wall, because it was making me feel incredibly stupid. It felt like the book was taking my intelligence away. I said to myself: "I can't predict, I can't visualize, I can't synthesize, I can't summarize or connect!!!I read it, but I don't get it." I didn't have any other comprehension strategy at my disposal.

I turned this dreadful experience into a learning moment. I realized that I lacked background knowledge which influenced my vocabulary and ultimately impacted the understanding of the text. I didn't know what subthalamic was. I had a hard time visualizing basal ganglia and globus pallidus. "Substantia nigra pars reticulata" looks like latin from 500 BC.

Most of the words in that paragraph were "foreign" to my brain and I couldn't really rely on word deconstruction ( my go-to strategy with difficult words) like identifying the prefix, suffix, root etc...

Background knowledge strategy is twofold. You need to pick what you want to learn and then bring to mind what you already know and that is called "activation of prior knowledge."

Before I could go ahead and activate my background knowledge about nucleus, I need to build my knowledge first. No magic about it!

How to build background knowledge?

Developing background knowledge can happen in two ways: directly and indirectly.

Directly is coming in contact with experiences. In my case by visiting museums and labs, talking to scientists and researchers. It takes time, commitment and money. But I always look at it as an investment rather than a liability. I expand my knowledge about things to be able to learn more things.

Indirectly is by reading research papers or online articles that are written in an easier language and with less depth. I resort to YouTube videos a lot to familiarize myself with unfamiliar terms and concepts. While watching a video, I try to pay close attention to the words that are being said and also visuals provided. I always go for high quality short snippets from science labs. Usually those videos are created for or by medical students.

How long does it take?

I ended up looking up 4 things: basal ganglia, globus pallidus, thalamus and glutaminergic. It took me about 15 minutes to get a clear sense of what those things were. I watched a YouTube video on Thalamus and did some Wiki search on other topics. I then closed my notes and tried explaining what those things were out loud.

I know that if I can explain a concept to somebody, I know it myself. If you think it takes too much time, think how long takes to read and re-read the same text over and over again. Add to that the frustration of reading and not getting it. Also, think of the opportunity cost of understanding it incorrectly.

Why it works?

I found that I learn more effectively when I already know something about the topic. When I have vivid prior knowledge, the process of learning is even more effective. Just knowing something isn't enough. You have to activate the knowledge and bring it to the surface. I will cover that in my next article.


This article was written by - Katya