The ManicaPost
Morris Mtisi
THE letters SQ3R stand for Survey, Question, Read, Review, Revise.Experts in education worldwide are full of ideas or concepts they advise schools to adopt to facilitate learning. Zimbabwean education is busy copying these concepts, some sensible, others ridiculous and many more sheer intellectual nonsense seeking fame and money for the copyright owners of these concepts of learning. We have our own Zimbabwean share or versions of nonsense-ideas.
The SQ3R is one concept of reading and studying comprehension that works wonders if you ask me. Trying it will not harm you. Teachers who have no issue with learning from other sources and experts, including the Media, have tried it and can vouch for me, this is a top-shelf comprehension reading and studying method; effective, efficient and efficacious.
The SQ3R method was developed by the Science Research Associates of America for use with reading laboratories. It follows the main principles of effective study.
Here is how it works: You do not have to have language laboratories to use it.
SURVEY by skimming through the material, the passage, the text you are to read. To do this, read the title and the topic sentences of each paragraph to get the gist or main idea. Like a computer, your brain will respond instantly and brew up an appetite to read by calling up all knowledge relating to the topic so that it is quickly available for use.
QUESTIONS naturally stream into your mind as you survey (step 1 above). You begin to ask Why…? Where…? When…Who…? What…? How…? and you will begin to search your mind for solutions through connections between what you read and what you already know.
READ the passage, the text, to get the details. Reading for detail, it is called.
REVIEW your reading by answering set questions about the text or through discussion if it is not during a test or examination.
REVISE-go over your answers to check their accuracy and correct any mistakes you have made.
Remember, this is not all you need to know about reading and studying Comprehension passages. But it will help you, colloquial English says BIG TIME!
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THIS WEEK’S COMMON ERRORS.
- Please do not jump lines when you are writing, skip them. You skip one line before you begin a new paragraph. You do not jump a line.
- Forget about the ‘but-one’ habit. Last year but one / next week but one / yesterday but one / last week but one. It is not known how this interesting ‘nonsense’ came about. If today is Friday and you want to talk about the Wednesday before, it is not yesterday but one. It is simply three days ago. What you call last year but one is three years ago. Next week but one is ‘in three weeks’ or ‘three weeks from now.’
- A human being has no structure. He or she is not a building. Buildings have a structure; they are structures. So you cannot say or write, “Connie has a beautiful structure.” The correct expression is, ‘Connie has a beautiful figure.’ And I can hear mischievous artificial coughs and sounds of ummmm ummm! Forget about what you think ‘figure’ refers to on a lady’s body. Hazvinei nenyakanyaka kana misika inodonha yamunofunga! Like, ‘but-one’ above, no one really knows where this ‘figure’ English came from or came about. All the same, please learn these common errors and avoid embarrassing yourself. For students it means much ‘cleaner’ language and of course a higher grade in your composition writing.
Thank you for one week. Don’t miss this corner next week.
You can contact Morris Mtisi on App on 0773 883 293 if you have queries. Or email:[email protected]
