Eval of Textbook Data Drill

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Sherlock Holmes after     reading his morning paper   could be very thoughtful.

"A datum is as valuable as it has been evaluated." The more angles you observe something from the more real it becomes. The more testing of a piece equipment you do the higher your confidence if it all checks out. The following is a drill in evaluating a text. We are here talking about second-hand information. To be able to do that correctly greatly improves a student's ability to think with the materials and apply them after his studies are finished.

Read through a whole chapter of a text. First use a textbook. Later the student uses a magazine article and a newspaper article. Other types of materials can be used as well.

Use the study tech as you go along. Clear any MUs, use demos.

When using a textbook: Use a textbook you have studied in the past in a subject you know well, if possible.

1. Determine what the main message is.

2. Formulate the purpose of the chapter or text.
This may be close to (1); sometimes message and purpose can be two different things.

4. Now read the same chapter or text again.

7. Mark on the printed page what category of information it belongs to:
(you can use a photo copy)

A. Basic Law or principle.

B. Incidental Facts.

C. Explanation.

D. Example.

F. Opinion.

G. Filler.

All parts of the text would belong in one of these categories.

8. Number as #1, #2, and #3  the three most important statements in the piece.

8. Number as #1, #2, and #3  the three most un-important statements in the piece.

9. Note down how the data contained could be of use to you.

8. Now read the same chapter again.

9.Write an essay about your examination of that text. What you found; how doing the drill changed your understanding of the piece; what should be be changed to improve the piece. 

Do the same drill on a variety of materials, including informative magazine articles and newspaper articles. Use enlarged photo copies where there is plenty of room to write your comments and markings. It should be done on subjects the student already has a good familiarity with. 

The supervisor can have a selection of texts if the student can't find any on his own. Any text used should be cleared for use with the supervisor before going through the drill.

An additional drill can be done, expanded to finding out-points and plus-points.