Comprehension is a Process

We take up the question as to what are some comprehension strategies that work well for you.

First, note that comprehension is not an ah-ha moment. The ah-ha may come after mental preparation but never before. The stages of preparation are our message here today. Comprehension is more than learning a skill. We are not talking here about changing ink cartridges on your printer, but concepts like learning an accounting system, or legal and philosophical ideas. Big stuff. Comprehension is more-or-less a problem-solving event, another type of problem to be sure, but it involves all the big three components, understanding, belief, and acceptance. Mere problem-solving, on the other hand, requires only one of these.

Steps I use in comprehension, though many are done simultaneously. They apply to all subjects.

·       Read the material, taking notes as needed.

·       Think about the topic over and over in your mind until you “think” you understand it. Carefully written notes are not understanding, much less comprehension.

·       Develop and understand through examples. These form a basis of understanding. Analogies also help, but they can be misleading and overly simplified.

·       Try hard to relate the new topic to others you already understand. This helps give it a relational value.

·       Create questions about the topic you can solve within the scope of your new understanding. Your depth of comprehension can be related to problems you cannot solve.

·       The end result should be that you accept, understand, and believe the topic at hand. Call this comprehension.