Love of reading vs love of learning. (evolution, mission, experience)

[Kungfuzed]

I have an admission to make. I don't like reading. I never have. But I love to learn. I'm addicted to the Science Channel and National Geographic and Discovery Health channel. I love to learn through the TV or in lectures or radio but reading puts me to sleep within minuets of starting. Is there something I can do to make reading more fun or will it always be as tedious as folding laundry?

[robtex]

KF of the people I have met who "hate reading" I have found a number of repeat instances which may or may apply to you but if I list them you may find some on there and others may find others and than the situation can be academically evaluated.

1) lack of ablity to conceptualize. People who have to me, said they are not readers by coincidence, I have noticed lack ablity to imagine or concepualize pictures in there head. I found this to be true after many confessed over internet chats and emails and such that they need a movie or tv to get images assocaited with the actions of the medium of exchange. The inablity to do this mentally made books either difficult or less attractive to them.

2) lack of experience. Of the readers and non-readers I have met in life I noticed after inquiry that many of the readers were put in a reading world in their youngest years. They had access to books before they were teenagers. The less agressive readers by contrast many (not always) were more exposed to tv and movies from their childhood. For instance, myself a reader, couldn't tell you about tv shows from the 70's and 80's when I was growing up because I never watched them. I could however, tell you about books I read when I was 12-17 and which authors were popular in those years and of those which ones I read.

3) Lack of favoritable reading conditions: When I read nowdays I keep two books in the car, take one to work, and usually have a book wherever I go. I get in a long line at the bank than I pull out a book. that opportunisitic mindset affords me the ability to read a lot of pages where others can not however there are two mindsets who I noticed are uncomfortable with this

a) neatfreaks. I noticed the hyper-orderly cannot find comfort in having stuff lying around including books

b) those that need to be in the mood to read. If atmosphere is a factor than this would be challenging.

4) level of education: If you take the college route, you get into a sink-or-swim senerio with reading. You either learn to read effectively and quicky or you don't make the curve and likely flunk out of college. Concequently, college graduates, say in comparision to trade school grads or high schoolers who go straight into the workforce, never get that crash course in read or fail. I have noticed that people who got degrees seem more likely to be book oriented than those who did not.

What I learned from # 4 is that one could, hypothically speaking, adminster that pressure on oneself by setting deadlines or page requirements but it is a very spartian displine espcially if you don't dig reading.

About the sleeping part..sounds like you may read when you are tired. Pick a different time to read.

[equus somnium]

I LOVE to learn and LOVE to read! I can picture the scenes from the book in my head. It's an incredible thing. I have a terrible memory though, some of what I learn, I can't recall. It really sucks :<

[jamaesi]

Everyone learns differently. If visual learning is your thing just watch as many documentaries as you can, there's plenty of interesting ones out there!

If you have a particular subject you're interested in, go to you local library and ask a librarian there for help finding an up-to-date and interesting book on the topic, perhaps one with plenty of illustrations of the subject. Librarians love to help out people with things like that instead of just getting asked where the bathroom is!

[Kungfuzed]

I will most likely be going back to school this fall and outside the internet I really haven't kept up on my reading skills. I got an associates degree about 15 years ago but haven't read much of anything since then. I'm pretty sure I've read more web pages than all of the pages of books I've ever read put together. Sites like this are good since it's all broken down into individual posts and I can get alot of information out of reading just a little bit.

I have tried reading in the past but usually get burned out about half way through. I've got several books here on the shelf with a bookmark stuck about half way through the book.

Originally Posted by robtex

KF of the people I have met who "hate reading" I have found a number of repeat instances which may or may apply to you but if I list them you may find some on there and others may find others and than the situation can be academically evaluated.

1) lack of ablity to conceptualize. People who have to me, said they are not readers by coincidence, I have noticed lack ablity to imagine or concepualize pictures in there head. I found this to be true after many confessed over internet chats and emails and such that they need a movie or tv to get images assocaited with the actions of the medium of exchange. The inablity to do this mentally made books either difficult or less attractive to them.

My imagination sucks. I've noticed that movies stimulate me visually and with sound whereas with books I have to make up the site and sound myself. Maybe for some that is fun, but for me it's work.

Originally Posted by robtex

2) lack of experience. Of the readers and non-readers I have met in life I noticed after inquiry that many of the readers were put in a reading world in their youngest years. They had access to books before they were teenagers. The less agressive readers by contrast many (not always) were more exposed to tv and movies from their childhood. For instance, myself a reader, couldn't tell you about tv shows from the 70's and 80's when I was growing up because I never watched them. I could however, tell you about books I read when I was 12-17 and which authors were popular in those years and of those which ones I read.

I never really read much outside of school. It was always done out of obligation. However, I did do a tremendous ammount of daydreaming in school. I lived in my own little world and frequently I was completely oblivious to everything around me. I still get that way sometimes. You can't sit me next to an open window without my mind wandering out there.

Originally Posted by robtex

3) Lack of favoritable reading conditions: When I read nowdays I keep two books in the car, take one to work, and usually have a book wherever I go. I get in a long line at the bank than I pull out a book. that opportunisitic mindset affords me the ability to read a lot of pages where others can not however there are two mindsets who I noticed are uncomfortable with this

a) neatfreaks. I noticed the hyper-orderly cannot find comfort in having stuff lying around including books

b) those that need to be in the mood to read. If atmosphere is a factor than this would be challenging.

I'm surrounded by distractions. Here at home I have my wife who always has the TV on and at work I'm surrounded by newbies who are always comming to me with their questions. I can't read in the car because I'm the one who drives. I'm no neatfreak, but I do need to be in the mood to read. Usually an episode of Cosmos or some special on Evolution will take precidence over reading a book.

Originally Posted by robtex

4) level of education: If you take the college route, you get into a sink-or-swim senerio with reading. You either learn to read effectively and quicky or you don't make the curve and likely flunk out of college. Concequently, college graduates, say in comparision to trade school grads or high schoolers who go straight into the workforce, never get that crash course in read or fail. I have noticed that people who got degrees seem more likely to be book oriented than those who did not.

What I learned from # 4 is that one could, hypothically speaking, adminster that pressure on oneself by setting deadlines or page requirements but it is a very spartian displine espcially if you don't dig reading.

About the sleeping part..sounds like you may read when you are tired. Pick a different time to read.

I sunk pretty bad last time I went to school, but I know it's the only way I'll be able to get a better career. Six years ago I went to a tech school and took Cisco certification. I had to read 5 very thick, very technical books and get tested on each. Sheer willpower got me through it. I passed all my tests and in the end I was CCNP certified. Unfortunately the economy crashed and the whole industry has changed. Now I'm looking to get into nursing and I've got some more big books to study.

[Sahar]

I believe reading is one of the things that need practice; you can't force urself to read for 1-2 hours while you never used to. To love reading, you will need to make some effort and be patient at the beginning then things will be easy. Another cause: maybe the books that you read are not interesting. so if i were you i'd try to do the following:
- to pick a book handling issues that iam already interested in.
- to begin reading for a short period per day; for example: at the beginning i'll set only 10-15 minutes every day for reading then i will try to increase the period gradually.
- to make finishing a certain book a challenge for me; i'll pick a certain book and set a deadline be4 which i should finish reading it.
All wat u need is to have the will to read, to exert some effort and to be persistent then u won't be able to stop urself from reading. Good luck!

[Kungfuzed]

I suppose self discipline is the only solution. I want to get into good habits before I go back to school. I've already got some nursing books to study, and it's an interesting subject. I'll set aside a specific time every day and set goals for the number of pages to complete.

I just wish there was a way to make reading intrinsically more fun. I hated broccoli for most of my life until I learned how to stir fry, now I eat it all up. Have any of you taken any speed reading courses? Are they worth it?

[robtex]

Originally Posted by Kungfuzed

I suppose self discipline is the only solution. I want to get into good habits before I go back to school. I've already got some nursing books to study, and it's an interesting subject. I'll set aside a specific time every day and set goals for the number of pages to complete.

As long as you realize that pages not remembered might as well not have been read. I notice some people put such a priority on reading numbers of pages that they eclispe content. I realize this because in emails people would tell me what book they read and I would ask "what was it about?" or "tell me about the book." I found a signifigant number could not really go into detail about the book. I know I ghost read some of my upper division class chapters and had to re-read them when in school.

Originally Posted by Kungfuzed

I just wish there was a way to make reading intrinsically more fun. I hated broccoli for most of my life until I learned how to stir fry, now I eat it all up. Have any of you taken any speed reading courses? Are they worth it?

I am skeptical of speed reading courses. I think if you are just memorizing facts it may be plausable but if your are trying to conceptualize ideas and images it may be inaffectual.

In college with history and political science courses (which didn't take much brainpower) we use to read the page quickly pick out 1-5 power phrases that summed it up and move to the next page. I could read 50 pages in 30 minutes this way with retention but if I tried to do that in sociology course or a accounting course it wasn't any good. The qualifer was how much of it were just fact memoriztation and how much was conceputal in presentation. The slang for it, if you need a google term was book crunching. Or more commonally, crunching books.

When I see the commericals about high retention on speed reading they are always reading fact books with no conceptualzation or imagry needed. On many of the infomertials the books being read are biographies and history material. I don't think memorizing facts is gonna be applicable in a medical field course.

[Ozzie]

Originally Posted by Kungfuzed

I have an admission to make. I don't like reading. I never have. But I love to learn. I'm addicted to the Science Channel and National Geographic and Discovery Health channel. I love to learn through the TV or in lectures or radio but reading puts me to sleep within minuets of starting. Is there something I can do to make reading more fun or will it always be as tedious as folding laundry?

Throw out your TV or have a kid and use it as a babysitting device.

[Feathers in Hair]

Originally Posted by jamaesi

If you have a particular subject you're interested in, go to you local library and ask a librarian there for help finding an up-to-date and interesting book on the topic, perhaps one with plenty of illustrations of the subject. Librarians love to help out people with things like that instead of just getting asked where the bathroom is!

There's a good Terry Pratchett quote about that- something along the lines of a librarian is able to size one up for a book in the same way a grave digger can eye out how tall you are. (Well, it was less morbid than that, but I loved it!)

If you have a friend that loves reading, you might express to them the kinds of subjects you might enjoy. I'm sure that they'd love searching for a perfect book for you!