Context is King
Context is King
Transcript
When it comes to reading difficult texts context is king. Part of the reason that some texts feel so difficult is just that they're unfamiliar. If you spend a few minutes learning about a text or the author who wrote it you can usually make it easier to read and understand. This will often save you time and effort and make the experience of reading much easier. Let me give you an example. Shakespeare wrote a play called Richard the II that was about the real life English king Richard the II.
Now it's a complicated play and many students encounter it and feel that it's a difficult text, in part because there are so many palace intrigues. If you take a little time to learn about the real life Richard the II and the people in his court and what he was dealing with it might make it easier to understand Shakespeare's play, Richard the II, at least at the level of the plot. So, when you're trying to give yourself context there's a very important question or set of questions that you may wanna ask yourself and try to answer before you dive into the text. These are questions like who wrote this text? When was it written?
Why was it written, what was the purpose? How is the text understood when it was first published and how is it understood now? And finally, how does the text relate to other ideas or texts or historical details that may be important or pertinent? There are a few good and easy-to-find resources that you can use to answer these questions, things like Wikipedia, the CliffsNotes version of the text. If you have a regular version of the text maybe there's a foreword or afterword or an introduction, even a good old fashioned paper encyclopedia. While we don't recommend using Wikipedia for real research when you're just trying to give yourself a little background context about a text Wikipedia can be a really helpful resource. Assuming that you're reading a hard text for a class there's a second important context question or set of questions.
These are questions like what am I meant to get out of this text for this assignment in class? What does the professor want me to understand about this text for our next class session or for the next lecture or homework assignment? Does the professor want me to think about the plot? Does the professor want me to understand the use of language or maybe the psychology of a central character? Good resources to answer this question would be the professor or a TA in the class or maybe the syllabus for the class.
Reading without context can feel like hiking in the woods with no trail guide, you're lost a lot of the time. If you give yourself some direction it's often easier to know that you're moving towards the right destination, it's easier to feel comfortable and confident. Figuring out what you're looking for in a text can help you focus on the important parts and skim over the less important parts. This saves you time and effort and makes your work more efficient and hopefully more effective. One last point about context. Once you know what you're hoping to get out of a text it's also helpful to connect the new things that you're learning with other facts or concepts that you already know.
This is a technique called anchoring. Anchoring new material to material that's already familiar is a very effective learning strategy across the board and particularly when dealing with a difficult text.
Now it's a complicated play and many students encounter it and feel that it's a difficult text, in part because there are so many palace intrigues. If you take a little time to learn about the real life Richard the II and the people in his court and what he was dealing with it might make it easier to understand Shakespeare's play, Richard the II, at least at the level of the plot. So, when you're trying to give yourself context there's a very important question or set of questions that you may wanna ask yourself and try to answer before you dive into the text. These are questions like who wrote this text? When was it written?
Why was it written, what was the purpose? How is the text understood when it was first published and how is it understood now? And finally, how does the text relate to other ideas or texts or historical details that may be important or pertinent? There are a few good and easy-to-find resources that you can use to answer these questions, things like Wikipedia, the CliffsNotes version of the text. If you have a regular version of the text maybe there's a foreword or afterword or an introduction, even a good old fashioned paper encyclopedia. While we don't recommend using Wikipedia for real research when you're just trying to give yourself a little background context about a text Wikipedia can be a really helpful resource. Assuming that you're reading a hard text for a class there's a second important context question or set of questions.
These are questions like what am I meant to get out of this text for this assignment in class? What does the professor want me to understand about this text for our next class session or for the next lecture or homework assignment? Does the professor want me to think about the plot? Does the professor want me to understand the use of language or maybe the psychology of a central character? Good resources to answer this question would be the professor or a TA in the class or maybe the syllabus for the class.
Reading without context can feel like hiking in the woods with no trail guide, you're lost a lot of the time. If you give yourself some direction it's often easier to know that you're moving towards the right destination, it's easier to feel comfortable and confident. Figuring out what you're looking for in a text can help you focus on the important parts and skim over the less important parts. This saves you time and effort and makes your work more efficient and hopefully more effective. One last point about context. Once you know what you're hoping to get out of a text it's also helpful to connect the new things that you're learning with other facts or concepts that you already know.
This is a technique called anchoring. Anchoring new material to material that's already familiar is a very effective learning strategy across the board and particularly when dealing with a difficult text.