Trouble Concentrating On Reading Assignments

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Klint
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01 Jun 2010, 5:44 pm

To be brief, I just started an online U.S. History class, but there's A LOT of reading material that is assigned at the beginning of each week. I usually don't mind reading when it's something I'm interested in, but the books we've been assigned are mind-numbingly boring, and no matter how hard I try and how much I know I need to get it done, I quickly lose interest in the material and do something else. So does anybody have any suggestions or anything that can help me stay focused on reading?

Thanks.



conundrum
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01 Jun 2010, 6:58 pm

The best way to attack this is to stay organized, VERY organized!

How much is assigned per week? According to the number of chapters, take each one and break it up into smaller sections that you can handle at one time. For example, say you have 3 chapters that are each 20 pages long that have to be read by Friday. Maybe you could read 5 pages at a time, take a break (30 minutes to an hour, perhaps), and then go back to it. If you have other classes too (hopefully, ones that you are more interested in), keep switching subjects to keep your mind alert.

Take physical breaks too--get up from your desk, walk around, maybe even go outside for a bit if that's practically possible.

Does this course have a required discussion section (equivalent of classroom participation)? Don't let that slide, either. I TA'd two online courses and discussions were a huge part of the grade.

If it helps you, make a list of your own reading sections and check them off as you go.

Hope that helps. Getting through a subject you don't find interesting can be a pain, but it'll be well worth it when it's finally over and done with, and you have a good grade to show for it. :)

Good luck with your classes.


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AardvarkGoodSwimmer
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01 Jun 2010, 7:17 pm

conundrum wrote:
. . . Maybe you could read 5 pages at a time, take a break (30 minutes to an hour, perhaps), and then go back to it. If you have other classes too (hopefully, ones that you are more interested in), keep switching subjects to keep your mind alert.

Take physical breaks too--get up from your desk, walk around, maybe even go outside for a bit if that's practically possible. . .

I concur. Alternating with something more interesting is a good approach. And this is a big reason why students take backpacks full of books to the library.

In addition, in a thoroughly casual, loosey goosey way, you can also skim the material. Start at the beginning of a paragraph, when your interest flags, skip to the beginning of the next paragraph, etc. Also you can just skim the book/online material for any charts or maps, study these, and perhaps after a break, read the captions. This is a good way to go at these (of course not the only way). And this loosey goosey approach is a good way to go at it when you're not at the top of your energy level.



Klint
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02 Jun 2010, 12:14 am

Thank you both for taking the time to reply. :D
I usually have to read a total of 6 chapters between two books. Four in one that has about 12 pages of text per chapter, and two of the other one that has about 25 pages of text per chapter.
We're given a week to read it all, and asked to make 3 discussion posts per chapter online. One to give our initial thoughts, and two in response to other students. It's not strictly required that we make all our posts, but it still goes into our overall grade.

I'll try what both of you said, and set up a schedule so I know how much, and when to read each day. If I get to a difficult part, I'll skim. :)
I also found out a little while ago that doing something I enjoy yet is unobtrusive, like listening to music, helps me stay focused a little. Though good songs can still sometimes distract me. :lol:

Unfortunately, I'm not taking any other subjects at the moment, so there's nothing else productive for me to switch to. Although, there are a couple of things I'm choosing to study independently that I could practice.

Anyways, thanks again for the help. I appreciate it. :D



FreeSpirit2000
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02 Jun 2010, 1:31 am

Everybody has trouble concentrating on stuff. Sometimes I will literally jump around and play the air guitar, that is why sometimes I enjoy doing my work. When things get hard, u gotta find a way to make things fun.



gemstone123
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02 Jun 2010, 10:50 am

I like reading and can normally cope with mind-numbingly boring material but I do like to jot stuff down and use highlighters while I am just to make it more bearable. This is especially important for my subjects (Philosophy and history) because you need your own opinions.
:)


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AardvarkGoodSwimmer
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02 Jun 2010, 11:22 am

Klint wrote:
. . . I also found out a little while ago that doing something I enjoy yet is unobtrusive, like listening to music, helps me stay focused a little. Though good songs can still sometimes distract me. :lol: . . .

I'm kind of the same way. Background kind of helps me focus. However, if the song is too good, then it kind of becomes its own unplanned mini-break, which I guess is okay, too. All within the zen flow of things!



AardvarkGoodSwimmer
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02 Jun 2010, 4:53 pm

about skimming . . . a doctor with good study skills is going to primarily skim the New England Journal of Medicine. Maybe just the results section here, the methods section there, no, that's not the target population he or she thinks is most key, so move on.

The doctor certainly can read a whole article in its entirety. But the primary benefit of skimming is that you can skim six articles in the time it takes to read one. And you have material to bounce off colleagues, which is another way to learn. And things to look for with your patients, that heightened observation. So, you have multiple skill sets, maybe some preferred ones, but you definitely have the ability to shift gears depending on the situation.

So, usually in the real world, skimming in the way to go.

In addition, if you read the first sentence of every paragraph and then only continue with the paragraphs that really catch your interest, I think you'll be ahead of the curve. That will be more than what many students will do.

And I'm also a big, big believer in supplemental texts. Like Half-Price Books, or Goodwill, yes Goodwill, or any other resale shop, if it's a standard American History textbook, sometimes you can pick one up for a song. like for $2, a textbook that's within five years (and with history, if it's within ten or even longer, plus it's kind of interesting to see how an older text looks at things)

So, if you skimmed the assigned readings, and read/skimmed some supplemental stuff of your own choosing . . . well, it's good, but it may not be up to your standards, and that's kind of the issue. But it is a good beginning. And then you could see how much time and energy you have left to take it further.



zer0netgain
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02 Jun 2010, 7:28 pm

I understand.

In college, it was so hard to do readings for classes (especially mandatory classes I didn't care about).

I especially couldn't stand it when we got a book to read AND IT WAS THICK! I could get myself through a small book, but big one were a head job. The size of it discouraged me from every wanting to crack the cover.