Imagine That

Sometimes it happens - you read a part of a book or an article, see every word along the way, and come to the end of the paragraph or passage with no clue what it said.

Most of us have had the same frustrating experience. If you are a student and know you’ll be tested on the content, you’ll probably read it again, furrowing your brow, concentrating as hard as you can. Usually, focusing attention makes the meaning clear, but now and then, the words just refuse to make sense. There are no quick and easy solutions to the problem, but there are ways to increase the ability to read and retain a memory of what you read.

Pictures are the key, the mental images that people have when they read, how they imagine a room or character might look when they read a description. If forming an image in the mind does not come naturally to you, it is a skill that can be developed by deciding that some image will appear and then working to imagine it.

If you are reading a long and detail-filled passage about troop movements in the Civil War, stop for a moment and try to “see” a Confederate or Union soldier. The colors of their uniforms, blue or gray, would be a start. If you’ve seen a photo of either uniform, use the remembered image. Even if all that comes to your mind is a vague recall of the colors blue and gray, it’s a start. You don’t need a fully-detailed hallucination, not at all, just a sense of the form.

Pick another word or two from the text and connect it to a mental image before you resume reading. You will most likely find that you already understand more, partly because you’ve given your mind a specific job to do – to picture an object, activity, or person the words symbolize.

If the attempt fails, take some time and draw a quick picture of something mentioned in the passage. A simple line drawing or a more complex one will work to make your mind pay attention to the text. For instance, I could draw a picture of the brain (mind) to remember this paragraph, or I could draw a pencil to represent a tool used to draw.

When I am reading about the habitats of Coastal Bend seabirds, it is fun for me to imagine gulls and cranes and pelicans. Seeing them in my mind as I read makes the text come alive for me, engages my mind, and helps me to comprehend and remember what I read. I can picture a crane standing on one leg as it looks across the water, a white gull whirling in the blue sky, or a brown pelican intently following a fishing boat. Mental images enhance comprehension, and forming pictures in your mind will make everything you read more interesting as well.

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!