Chapter 7: Other People s Texts

Overview

When you make a learning map from other people s texts the perspective is different. Now you cannot walk through the same phases as when you write your own texts. When you work with other people s texts you have to uncover someone else s thoughts and analyse how he has put the structure together. This way of looking at a text needs a completely different strategy.

The writer has created an order of her own out of a chaotic nonstructure, but you have to start with the result in its more or less well-structured appearance. Using traditional note taking with keywords, underlining or highlighting words, etc will only let you stay on the surface. To achieve a full understanding of the text you have to get below the surface.

The learning map technique will allow you to get in very close contact with the depth structure of the text, as it is implied in that technique that you start with the underlying structure and add the details. This closeness to the writer will be very revealing “ a bad writer just as well as a good writer will be revealed in a merciless way when you get so close to their way of thinking.

The reader, using learning maps, will very quickly learn to appreciate this new way of approaching a text.

The first step is to get an overview, ie to get an idea of the wholeness of the text and not primarily the details. We will now use the following method.

Follow these steps:

1. Why do I read this text?

2. ˜Read to get an overview

3. Type of text

4. Prepare a learning map

5. Read again

6. Rewrite your learning map