A considerable amount of my day is consumed by reading books, essays, reports, etc., and I am noticing that I struggle to understand the important points or facts while reading large blocks of text.

I am working on reading through two 750 page books right now, both nonfiction on history and economics, but as I read the chapters, I feel like I finish them without really understanding what I have read. It's like I am lost in all the text, unable to decipher what exactly the author is attempting to explain or what point he/she is trying to make and connecting it back to a main idea.

Now I am not sure if this is because I don't learn well by reading words or if it is that I am just stupid and incompetent at academics?

[A_Space_Between]

Well, for starters, economics is no light subject. Is it a textbook you are reading? Some tips that I have gotten are that the most important information is in the first & last paragraph of a chapter, as well as in the first & last sentence of a paragraph. I have not taken economics but I am taking a statistics course, & I find that doing problems tends to help more than just reading about it. Also, I don't really understand the more abstract concepts like why something is the way it is, I just try to focus on what the outcome is & why that is important.

But I can assure you that you are not stupid. I'm in 3rd yr university & have the same types of problems, not always able to understand. Sometimes, certain subjects are written in a more dense, hard to understand style (like law). It takes longer to process. A lot of articles are written for academia or ppl w/very advanced knowledge on the subject...not for lay ppl. So, no, your not stupid...I'm pretty sure your issue is probably more common than you think.

You're definitely not stupid Mr. V

I've graduated University and still find myself 'gapping out' during lengthy and ambitious readings (as the above poster also mentioned).

The lack of comprehension I find usually comes from too many thoughts in my head at the time...If I've just read a very dense chapter and continue reading I may have to take a break, make some tea and review what I've read...I may require further (supplemental) readings to explain specific concepts. (Specific subjects often speak their own language making it hard for initiates to comprehend material right away). Look up terms online or head to the library to research a bit more on the things you don't understand. Also, note, if it is a translated text from a different language you may want to consider a different translation if it is available (I've run into some interesting translations lol).

I will find myself attempting to learn new things and will run into those very cryptic moments; no matter how many times I read the paragraph nothing sinks in. Certain antidepressants and medications can sometimes impaire memory functioning over time and I know this is the problem for me. Also, stress impaires brain function. Look into possibly taking some Omega-3 supplements if you feel you need an extra brain boost they can help big time and I can speak from experience.

Also, the brain (thus memory) can be strengthened like a muscle, so it's not a matter of being stupid /smart it has to 'work out' regularly. Sometimes I do math/ word puzzles, IQ and memory games to try to keep my brain sharp. (This doesn't always work lol).

Also, you mentioned learning style...which is huge. I don't know quite the specifics of it but there are quite a few styles.
Try taking a few online quizzes to figure out what your learning style might be and the best way to approach this little speedbump you're experiencing:

http://www.wright.edu/~carole.endres/learnstyles.htm

http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-int...ng-styles-quiz

Just remember the last thing you are is 'stupid'

Mr. V your intelligence stands out to me even on an online forum, you're not stupid at all.

[Open Eyes]

I think that is a very common problem V. I don't necessarily learn things that way.
I find I learn better by doing or even listening if the "speaker" is "engaging".

When I used to study, I use to pretend I was the teacher. I kept a big chalk board, and I would read something and then try to teach what I read to a "pretend class" .
I learned much better that way because I was "using/doing" the information rather than just sitting and reading and expecting my brain to somehow remember it all.
I found that once I do something and "grasp" it, I actually "learn" whatever it is and retain it.

Actually, alot of people learn like I do, it is really the way we were designed to learn.
Think about it, primitive humans learned by observing and "doing" until they acquired a "new skill".

Even "lawyers" practice law, as well as doctors, therapists, etc "practice".

One of my big challenges was "talking" believe it or not. Everytime I tried to talk my father used to interupt me and either correct my english or try to get me to use bigger words. I know he meant well, however what he ended up doing is giving me what I call a kind of tick. I developed almost a studder where I had thoughts, things I wanted to say, but when I went to talk, I stumbled over the words. You see, I had grown to anticipate being "interupted" or critiqued so much that I struggled to speak a sentence. I was at my worst around adults or anyone I felt was highly educated.

I learned how to overcome that by "practicing" with children who don't judge, correct, or interupt. And what also helped was "reading story books out loud to myself or to children".

So think about that V, many people learn "by doing", perhaps read it aloud and pretend you need to have the pretend person you are reading to "understand" what is being read.

Open Eyes

[lizardlady]

Mr V, you are by no means stupid! Could it be the authors are terrible writers? I had one text in grad school that the author wrote so poorly I had to diagram sentences to try and figure out what the heck they were saying.

You and others mentioned learning style. Maybe you are not a visual learner. Have you tried reading the text out loud? Or have you tried writing a short summary of each paragraph yourself?

How long are you reading at a time? Maybe it would help to read for shorter periods then do something mindless to let yourself digest what you just read?

[shezbut]

You aren't stupid at all, Mr.V. I can assure you of that!

Several years ago, when I was in college, I took a memory class. We discovered 5 different learning styles ~ apparently, that's been changed to 7. Most courses are aimed towards the majority of learners: linguistic and mathematical. However, these other styles in which people learn (and later recall) do exist. Discovering what style/s that you lean towards can be very helpful in getting the information through to your memory!

The Seven Learning Styles
Visual (spatial):You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding.
Aural (auditory-musical): You prefer using sound and music.
Verbal (linguistic): You prefer using words, both in speech and writing.
Physical (kinesthetic): You prefer using your body, hands and sense of touch.
Logical (mathematical): You prefer using logic, reasoning and systems.
Social (interpersonal): You prefer to learn in groups or with other people.
Solitary (intrapersonal): You prefer to work alone and use self-study.

Information above, provided by this link. http://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview/

There is a test on that site that supposedly helps you determine your personal learning style. It's certainly worth taking a look at! When I was in that memory class, we took a test that helped us discover our best learning styles as well. At the time, I was almost completely linguistic. I have changed since then, so I am a bit curious what that test would now determine my preferred learning style to be.

I just now saw that stratocaster basically said the same thing! LOL There you go ~ it must be something you ought to try! Best wishes to you....

[ladytiger]

i am glad this question came up and been questioning this myself all my life. i know my 2 learning styles visual and hands on. i know i am not good in auditory as when i hear things only a portion of what i hear gets processed and the rest gets lost hence is why i ask the same question multiple times to get it right i know thats weird.

i have the same problem when i read i dont understand what i read. i was taught "traditonally" to sit down and read, reread, and read again until i understood it. in elementary school, i read books at the library and before returning them, the librarians would quiz you on what you said u had to recite what you understood from the book. there were many times i had to reread the book 3-4 times before they let me return the book back so i can check out another book.

i am looking for a better method for learning something that isnt so bland here in america. i have paced back and forth studying i passed a test i took in gov class in hs a B- which was a shocked. i want to something creative for my learning but doesnt seem to work. most times when i take notes or do something i cant even comprehend what i learned!

i used to have a great memory it didnt help for academics but for other things. i never had anyone help me understand my own learning styles or the material(s) i had to learn/read. i do feel stupid as i had to watch others be better than me and they didnt have to break a sweat!

ive been asking around for different ways to learn materials quickly yet nobody seems to know makes me mad. i retain i believe 14-20% of what i read and when u quiz me, i will recite a small number not everything i read which ppl hated. i dont know how to "reach my potential" as my past teachers/instructors used to tell me.