Lecture #9: How to Read so that you *Retain* Information

Summary

This video script advocates for a methodical approach to reading that enhances retention and understanding. The speaker, a philosophy professor, introduces a specific version of marginalia, where readers actively summarize each paragraph in one sentence, and for every third paragraph, synthesize a summary of previous content. This technique is contrasted with passive reading and speed reading, which are deemed ineffective. The script emphasizes the importance of engaging with the material to ensure long-term retention, using the example of remembering the definition of economics from a college course 15 years prior.

Takeaways

• 📚 Marginalia is a technique for enhancing reading comprehension and retention by writing notes in the margins of a text.
• 🤔 The script emphasizes the importance of actively engaging with the material through summarization to understand and remember the content.
• 📝 The recommended procedure for effective marginalia involves summarizing each paragraph in one sentence and connecting ideas across paragraphs.
• 🔄 For paragraphs three onwards, the first sentence in the margin should summarize the previous paragraphs, while the second summarizes the current one.
• 🚀 This method of reading is likened to muscle memory in driving, where the process becomes automatic and less engaging, which is counterproductive for learning.
• ⏱ The script argues that while this method may take longer initially, it is more time-efficient in the long run as it reduces the need for cramming.
• 💡 Summarizing in the margins forces the reader to think through the material, which is essential for understanding and retention.
• 📉 The script provides a hypothetical comparison of the efficiency of passive reading versus active marginalia, showing the latter's superiority in understanding and grades.
• 🎓 The speaker's personal experience and academic success are attributed to this method, highlighting its effectiveness over traditional reading approaches.
• 🏁 Speed reading techniques are criticized as ineffective and scams, with scientific studies showing no benefits over careful, slow reading.
• 🧠 The power of retention is demonstrated through the speaker's recollection of a definition learned 15 years ago, underscoring the effectiveness of engaging with material through marginalia.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video script?

The main focus of the video script is to introduce a specific method of taking marginalia notes to enhance the retention and understanding of the material being read.

What is marginalia and how does it relate to the reading process?

Marginalia refers to the notes written in the margins of a printed work. In the context of the script, it is used as a method to interact with the text by summarizing paragraphs in the margins, which aids in understanding and retaining the information.

Why is it important to summarize the text in one's own words in the margins?

Summarizing in one's own words forces the reader to engage with the semantic content of the text, which means they have to understand the meaning of the words and ideas in order to condense them into a single sentence.

How does the procedure of taking marginalia notes as described in the script work?

The procedure involves reading a paragraph and then writing a one-sentence summary in the margin. For every third paragraph and beyond, the first sentence in the margin summarizes the previous paragraphs, and the second sentence summarizes the current paragraph.

What is the advantage of using this marginalia method over just passively reading the text?

This method promotes active engagement with the text, which leads to better understanding and retention. It also provides a quick reference for reviewing the main points of the text without having to reread the entire material.

Why does the script emphasize the inefficiency of speed reading techniques?

The script emphasizes that speed reading techniques do not improve understanding and retention, as they often involve skimming or superficial reading, which does not allow for deep processing of the material.

What is the speaker's educational background as mentioned in the script?

The speaker is a professor of philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, with an undergraduate degree, a master's degree, and a PhD, mentioning attendance at Williams College, Oxford, Cambridge, and Berkeley.

How does the speaker demonstrate the effectiveness of the marginalia method?

The speaker demonstrates the effectiveness of the marginalia method by sharing his personal experiences and academic success, which he attributes to this method of note-taking and engagement with the text.

What is the 'pop quiz' question mentioned at the end of the script, and what does it aim to assess?

The 'pop quiz' question is 'What is economics?' It aims to assess whether the viewer has absorbed and retained the information shared in the script, specifically the definition of economics as the study of the allocation of scarce resources.

What is the speaker's stance on speed reading courses and their effectiveness?

The speaker is highly critical of speed reading courses, stating that they are scams and do not lead to better understanding or retention of information, based on his personal experience and scientific research.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Enhancing Reading Retention through Marginalia

The first paragraph introduces a method to improve reading retention by actively engaging with the text. The speaker, a philosophy professor, recommends a specific version of marginalia, which involves writing notes in the margins of a text. This method requires summarizing each paragraph in one sentence, which forces the reader to think through the ideas and meanings of the text, thus enhancing memory and understanding.

05:01

🔍 The Marginalia Technique: Summarizing for Comprehension

In the second paragraph, the speaker elaborates on the marginalia technique, explaining that it involves summarizing the content of each paragraph in one sentence and then, starting from the third paragraph, connecting the ideas by summarizing all previous content along with the current paragraph. This approach not only aids in understanding and retaining the material but also provides a concise reference for review.

10:02

⏱️ Efficiency of Marginalia vs. Passive Reading

The third paragraph discusses the efficiency of the marginalia method compared to passive reading. The speaker argues that while marginalia may take longer initially, it ultimately saves time by reducing the need for cramming and improving understanding and retention. The speaker provides a hypothetical comparison of time spent and grades achieved using both methods, illustrating the long-term benefits of marginalia.

15:03

🎓 Academic Success with Marginalia: A Personal Story

In the fourth paragraph, the speaker shares a personal anecdote about how using marginalia contributed to their academic success. They recount an incident from an economics class where they were able to answer a question about the definition of economics due to their thorough preparation using marginalia. This story emphasizes the power of marginalia in retaining information and the speaker's consistent use of this method throughout their educational career.

20:05

🚫 Debunking Speed Reading Myths

The fifth paragraph serves as a rant against speed reading, which the speaker labels as a scam. They share personal experiences with a speed reading course and critique the techniques taught there as ineffective. The speaker also references scientific studies, including one by NASA, that have debunked the effectiveness of speed reading methods, reinforcing the idea that thoughtful engagement with the material, as with marginalia, is the key to true comprehension and retention.

Keywords

💡Marginalia

Marginalia refers to the notes or comments written in the margins of a book or document. In the context of the video, marginalia is presented as a technique for active reading, where the reader writes summaries or thoughts in the margins to engage more deeply with the material, thereby enhancing understanding and retention. The script emphasizes a specific method of marginalia where the reader summarizes each paragraph in one sentence, and after the third paragraph, also includes a sentence summarizing all previous content.

💡Semantic Content

Semantic content is the meaning conveyed by words, signs, or other symbols. The video script uses this term to highlight the importance of engaging with the meaning of the text rather than just passively reading the words. The process of understanding semantic content is crucial for the method of marginalia described in the video, as it requires the reader to think about and interpret the meaning of the text actively.

💡Retention

Retention in the context of the video refers to the ability to remember and recall information that has been read. The script discusses various methods to improve retention, with a focus on the marginalia technique as a means to force the reader to interact with the text, thus improving their ability to remember what they have read.

💡Procedure

A procedure in this video script is a systematic method or process used to achieve a particular end. The speaker recommends a specific procedure for taking marginal notes as a way to ensure that the reader thinks through the material, which is essential for understanding and remembering the content.

💡Summary

In the video, summary is the act of condensing a larger piece of text into a shorter form while retaining the central ideas. The marginalia method described involves writing one-sentence summaries in the margins of the text, which helps the reader to distill the main points and understand the core concepts of each paragraph.

💡Engagement

Engagement in the context of the video means actively participating in the reading process. The script suggests that merely passing one's eyes over the text is not enough; instead, the reader should be engaged in thinking through the ideas presented. This engagement is facilitated by the marginalia technique, which requires the reader to interact with the text at a deeper level.

💡Muscle Memory

Muscle memory is the concept where certain physical tasks become automatic with practice, requiring little or no conscious thought. The script uses the analogy of driving a car, where actions become second nature, to contrast with reading. Unlike muscle memory, the goal of reading is to remain actively engaged and focused to ensure understanding and retention.

💡Efficiency

Efficiency in the video script refers to the effectiveness and productivity of the reading process. The speaker argues that the marginalia method, while it may take more time initially, is more efficient in the long run because it leads to better understanding and retention, reducing the need for last-minute cramming.

💡Cramming

Cramming is the act of studying intensively in a short period just before an exam or test. The script mentions cramming as an inefficient way to learn because it often leads to poor retention and understanding. The recommended marginalia method is presented as a more efficient alternative that leads to better long-term retention.

💡Speed Reading

Speed reading is the practice of reading at a much faster pace than normal, often with the goal of quickly absorbing information. The script criticizes speed reading as a scam, arguing that it does not lead to true understanding or retention of the material. The speaker emphasizes the importance of thoughtful engagement with the text over speed.

💡Thought Process

A thought process in the video refers to the mental activity of considering, reasoning, and reflecting on information. The speaker uses the example of understanding the definition of economics to illustrate how going through a thought process can lead to better retention and understanding. This aligns with the marginalia method, which encourages readers to think through the material as they read.

Highlights

The importance of engaging with the semantic content of reading material for better retention and understanding.

Introduction of 'marginalia' as a method to interact with text by writing notes in the margins.

A specific version of marginalia is recommended for improved retention and understanding of reading material.

The author's personal testimony of using marginalia throughout academic career with success.

The concept of summarizing each paragraph in one sentence as a method to ensure understanding and retention.

The technique of condensing multiple paragraphs into one summary sentence to connect and understand ideas.

The argument against passive reading and the necessity of an active, focused approach for better learning.

A demonstration of how to effectively summarize and understand a definition, using the example of economics.

The benefits of marginalia over speed reading, which is debunked as ineffective for true comprehension.

The author's personal experience and success with marginalia from high school through to higher education.

The practical example of how the author applied marginalia in an economics class with immediate success.

A discussion on the inefficiency of speed reading techniques and their comparison to marginalia.

Scientific studies that disprove the effectiveness of speed reading methods.

The importance of thinking through material for better memory retention, illustrated with the economics example.

The argument that marginalia is more time-efficient in the long run compared to passive reading and cramming.

A pop quiz to reinforce the concept of remembering information through active engagement with the material.

The final lecture in the series will focus on how to take notes effectively.

Transcripts

in order to retain what you read

in order to understand it and absorb the

material into your brain so that you can

recall it later in order to do that you

need a procedure

by which you force yourself to

interact with the semantic

content of what you're reading

semantic content is just a fancy phrase

for meaning the meanings of the words

that you're reading another way to put

this is that you have to have a

procedure that forces you to like think

through the ideas contained in the text

the procedure that i'm going to

recommend in this video is a version of

marginalia

marginalia is just a word that means

text written in the margins of a printed

work so if you've got some words printed

on a page or even inscribed they're not

printed or whatever right you've got the

page and then you have the edges of the

page where there are no words like right

over here this is the margin well you

can write your own notes in the margin

there you write them in there like that

right that's marginalia now i know what

you're thinking oh that's it

that's not going to work well you're

right that's not it i'm not just saying

oh you should take notes in the margins

what i'm recommending is a very specific

way of taking notes in the margins and

this is a procedure this is the one that

i use i'm a professor of philosophy here

at the university of north carolina at

greensboro throughout my entire

college career uh you know undergraduate

and then getting a master's degree and a

phd this is the method that i use what

i'm going to do in this video is i'm

going to lay out the procedure not just

marginalia but a specific version of it

i'm going to lay it out in this video

and the result will be that if you do

this you will remember what you read you

will retain it you will absorb it into

your brain here we go if you know how to

drive a car then you've maybe had this

experience where you're driving

someplace and you get there and then you

realize oh

i zoned out like

i don't remember

any of the last 10 minutes but

i took a left turn and then i stopped at

a stop sign and then i took a right turn

and i and i got here but i but i just

zoned out while it happened and this

happens because if you drive a lot then

it all sort of becomes muscle memory and

you don't have to do it in like a in

like an engaged focused way it just it

just sort of happens

this is the exact opposite of what you

want to happen when you're reading

anything when you're reading any text if

you want to stand a chance of

remembering that text

what you want to do

is you want to read

with focus and thought like you want to

be thinking through the ideas mulling

them around in your mind right as you're

going through you don't just want to

pass your eyes over the words okay and

so one way to do that is to just try

really darn hard

okay

better is if you have some procedure

that you can follow that will force you

to think through the material it will

guarantee that you that you think

through what you're reading and then you

just will remember it what i'm going to

give you is a procedure that will do

that this procedure works 100 percent of

the time here's what you do you read the

first paragraph of the reading

you read that paragraph and in the

margin you summarize that whole

paragraph in one sentence

it's important that you summarize right

so if this paragraph is six sentences

long you can't just write six sentences

in the margin that won't work because

copying over text

you can do that without really thinking

about what it means but summary you can

only summarize something you can only

take six sentences worth of ideas and

and condense them down into one sentence

of ideas you can only do that if you

like understand what those six sentences

mean and figure out what the central

core idea is that all of those six

sentences have in common so it has to be

a summary you write a one sentence

summary in the margin

then you move on to the second paragraph

you read that paragraph and for that

paragraph also you write one sentence of

summary in the margin and by the way

by writing these sentences summarizing

the text you're also going to have those

sentences to look back on right so if

you need to refresh yourself about what

was said in this thing that you read you

don't have to reread the whole thing you

just have to reread one sentence per

paragraph so far okay so that's pretty

good then you get to the third paragraph

and this is where things get interesting

when you read the third paragraph of the

text you're going to write two sentences

in the margin

the first sentence in the margin next to

the third paragraph

is not going to have anything to do with

the third paragraph

this sentence is going to summarize the

first

and second paragraphs

right there and what that forces you to

do is it forces you to connect these

ideas right just like summarizing this

first paragraph what you have to do is

take all of the ideas in that whole

paragraph six or seven or eight

sentences of it or whatever and mash

them into each other see how those

interact those ideas interact with one

another and come up with a summary now

you have to do that for the whole first

two paragraphs and then you write a

second sentence in the margin of the

third paragraph and the second sentence

summarizes the third paragraph and then

we move on to the fourth paragraph

the fourth paragraph also gets two

sentences in the margin the first

sentence in the margin next to the

fourth paragraph summarizes everything

previous paragraphs one two and three

and then the next one just summarizes

paragraph four and then you keep going

this procedure in the same way right so

for the fifth paragraph you have one

sentence that summarizes everything that

came before you condense it all down

into just one sentence you're gonna

leave things out of course

you have to because now you're you're

condensing many paragraphs into just one

sentence so you're gonna have to leave a

lot of stuff out you're gonna have to

make a decision you have to think

through what's the most important thing

that all of these paragraphs have in

common or that connects them or that

they're getting across one sentence for

everything previously and one sentence

for that last new paragraph and then you

keep going that way for the entire text

this is so hard

this is gonna take so long this is just

a waste of time no it's not a waste of

time you know it's a waste of time a

waste of time is

sitting and passing your eyes over the

text and not retaining it not thinking

through it and absorbing it that's a

waste of time that's inefficient if

you're gonna do that you might as well

go

play dodgeball or go sailing or

whatever whatever you want to do go do

that if you want to use your time

efficiently so that you have time to go

sailing or play dodgeball or whatever

dungeons and dragons or

fortnite is that a thing i don't know

whatever you do want to do if you want

time to actually do that stuff

then you got to do this

this is efficient it will take a little

longer yes

but what it will do is it will mean that

the time that you spend reading is is

better used is more productive that time

produces understanding and retention

there is no way to summarize a text like

this without thinking through the

material

and understanding it and retaining it i

want to emphasize this point again

taking notes in the margin in this way

where you summarize what's going on this

actually saves time

here let me let me do like a little

made-up demonstration

let's say that you just pass your eyes

over the reading that's the reading

method that you use you just pass your

eyes over it okay that's two hours times

20 readings over the course of the

semester let's say that generates an

understanding and retention at a d plus

level you're just passing your eyes over

the reading you're going to get a d plus

but you realize things aren't doing

going so well and so at the end of the

semester you spend 25 hours cramming a

lot of hours cramming well

you don't have the benefit of lecture

it's the end of the semester

okay and that bumps you up quite a lot

actually to a c plus by comparison

if you use the summarize in the margins

method of reading then you're going to

spend more time per reading let's say

you spend three hours instead of two

hours three hours times 20 readings but

this method is just massively more

powerful massively more efficient and so

you get out of that an a minus level of

understanding right

and also you go into the lectures with

that understanding and so you get more

out of the lectures it's just better

you're just oh you're just way better

off then at the end of the semester you

don't have to cram so you just spend two

hours reviewing you're reviewing your

margin notes you just read over those

summary sentences

for all of the readings that just takes

you two hours that bumps you up that

activity that took two hours that bumps

you up from an a minus to an a this

this method took you 65 hours over the

course of the semester and it generated

a c plus this method

took

60 hours

and it generated an a

which is more efficient and let's say

you don't believe my numbers tweak them

however you want right you think that

this method of reading is going to take

twice as long fine bump this up to four

hours for each reading okay well then

this number will be higher than this

number by a little bit but you'll get a

way better grade

right and if you if you keep doing this

through your whole college career then

you're going to get faster at doing it

to the point where you'll be able to do

this not as fast as passing your eyes

over the reading but like you know at a

pretty good clip

and you will end up spending less time

because you won't have to cram at the

end of the semester and getting way

better grades with way less stress

this is how you do it folks this has

basically been my superpower i went to

williams college look it up it's the

best liberal arts college in the country

and i graduated in the top two percent

of my class i went to oxford i went to

cambridge i got a phd from berkeley i'm

medium level smart but i show up to

everything

having

thought through the material right and

retaining it this started for me in high

school i i it was this was in 2002 in

2002 i was in high school and a teacher

told us to start taking margin notes so

here's a book i'm going to try to go

through this quickly because you know

you should never let people read the

notes that you wrote in high school

because that's embarrassing now

at this point in high school i hadn't

yet developed the the method of

summarizing in exactly this way it took

me a few years and i and i sort of

solidified this early in college

but

this method which i started in high

school this has been my trick the whole

time and it worked when i was in college

this happened in 2006

i was in college and i took an economics

course okay it was like an introductory

level economics course and on the first

day of lecture the professor asked

what is economics there was silence in

the room for like a long time there was

silence

and then i just like raised my hand

and i was like it's the

study of the allocation of scarce

resources and the professor was like

correct and then just moved on he just

moved on to the rest of the material

that was it then a student another

student came up to me after class and

was like hey how did you know the answer

to that question of like what the

definition of economics was and i was

like oh

uh it was like the first thing that they

said in the first chapter of the book

which was the chapter for today it was

the first thing in the chapter was the

definition of economics it's the study

of the allocation of scarce resources

now here's what i had done right i had

been reading the textbook in preparation

for class and i was like one paragraph

or two paragraphs in and they gave a

definition of economics and this was

like an introductory economics course

and i was like oh you know what that

might be important the study of the

allocation of scarce resources

so i like wrote it down and then i

rephrased it in my own words and then i

just sort of stopped reading

and thought about it for a minute scarce

resources like what's a scarce resource

well

money

money is a scarce resource here's my

money i keep a paper clip on my money

now you know money is a scarce resource

scarce just means there's not an

infinite amount of it if there's a

scarce resource a resource that that

that there's not an infinite amount of

it and it has to get distributed or

allocated right in some way um then

economics is the study of how people

you know distribute this thing like

money well money's not the only scarce

resource right there's other things like

like basically everything is scarce like

sand you know sand can i edit in a photo

in the b-roll of sand here's some sand

sand is scarce there's only so many

beaches on the planet and and the

beaches make the sand somehow with the

waves or whatever anyway there's just

only so much sand and people need sand

for things like making glass or other

sand boxes if someone were to study

how the sand gets distributed like who

gets the sand

and how much they have to pay for it and

who doesn't get sand they wanted sand

but they didn't get any today or

whatever right if someone were to study

that well then according to this

definition they would be doing economics

okay economics is the study of the

allocation of scarce resources okay so i

like went through a thought process like

that something like that and then i went

on and kept reading i didn't explain all

of this stuff to the other student that

came up to me after class i just said oh

it was like the first thing in the

reading and then she says to me she's

like oh yeah i read it i read the

chapter i just it didn't stick or

whatever i assume that she just sort of

read it in the passive pass your eyes

over the reading way this is how most of

my students today in my classrooms read

most of the things they read they just

sort of pass their eyes over the words

but if you think through the

ideas the the powers of retention of

memory that you will gain

will be incredible i mean think about

this i took this course as a college

student 15 years ago

i remember

the definition of economics from that

course 15 years later i didn't plan to

tell you this story during this lecture

video i'm just i'm just going off the

cuff i didn't look up the definition of

economics this morning to prepare to say

this to you right now no i decided to

tell you this story about my college

economics course in 2006 i decided to

tell you this story

like four minutes ago

but

i remember the definition i'm pretty

confident i'm not going to check it

right now i'm going to edit this video

and publish it and everything without

checking the definition of economics you

can check it if you want the textbook

the textbook was written it was

co-written i don't remember one of the

co-authors but one of the co-authors was

ben bernanke

and i remember that because he had just

become i think the chair of the federal

reserve okay so ben bernanke wrote some

intro economics textbook google that

textbook google the definition of

economics in it it might come up or you

might have to get a physical copy of the

textbook i don't know it wasn't digital

at the time there were no we didn't have

digital textbooks it'll say in that

textbook that the definition of

economics is the study of the allocation

of scarce resources and i know that

because

i

summarized those things and thought

through them at the time that's how

powerful this is time for a bonus rant

speed reading is a scam when i was 18

i took a speed reading course it wasn't

a real course it wasn't

in a real university it was like a thing

that met

you know four times

met four times in like um the gym of a

ymca or something like that some space

that they rented out i was 18 and i took

this course and they said things like

the following

if you're looking at a text

i'm not kidding you a real adult with a

straight face said this to me when i was

18 years old if you're looking at a text

like a page of text like this

instead of reading it you know from the

left and going to the right and then

starting back at the left of the next

line and going all the way to the right

instead of reading it that way like a

chump instead what you should do is you

should read the first line going this

way

and then read the second line going that

way and alternate the direction with

which you read each line

this way you don't waste time you know

with your eyes zooming back to the

beginning of the line and not reading

anything a real a person said this to me

is this a joke and then then they said

this this really happened i promise you

in the mid 2000s in the gymnasium of

ymca somewhere an adult not as a joke

said and even better than that even

better than that instead of reading each

line all the whole every line when you

get to a page of text instead of going

through each line horizontally just pass

your eyes over the page in the shape of

a v

and they drew a v

like this

that's how you're supposed to pass your

eyes over each page of the book and then

you move on to the next page i didn't

know how skeptical to be at the time i

was just sort of like huh okay maybe

yeah

but like

is this a prank

are you kidding me the order of the

words in sentences

matters to the meaning of those words

you need to read all the words in order

or else you're not going to understand

what those words mean now you might be

saying professor kaplan you're not being

fair that's just one thing that one

person said but but you should test

speed reading by its most sophisticated

methods

such as the well-known technique of

rapid serial visual presentation first

of all just because you give something

some fancy label doesn't mean it's a

real thing i mean some things are real

and they get fancy labels like you know

the body parts or medicines that doctors

real doctors prescribe yeah they have

fancy names and they're fancy things and

they're totally real okay medicine is

real it works right but

this might just be some fancy words and

scientists have tested whether these are

just some fancy words and they are

scientists have tested every method of

speed reading all of the different scam

methods they're all scams they've tested

them it's not hard to do these tests

they've tested all of them and in every

case it doesn't work here's how all of

these studies are structured it makes

sense when you think about it what they

do is they go through all of the major

popular notable speed reading techniques

and

they take a group of people

and they give them the instruction in

those techniques you bring in the real

gurus right and have the real gurus give

you their lessons okay so you have a

group of people who've gotten those

lessons and then all you do

is you give those people a text to read

with a little quiz that they have to

take afterward and the quiz tests

whether they understood and retained

what they just read

and then you do the same thing for other

groups of people but those groups of

people you don't give them the speed

reading uh you know lessons or whatever

you just tell them please read the text

carefully and slowly or or another one

you just say look skim this text and

then we'll give you the quiz and then

you compare their test results for these

groups and the results every single time

show that speed reading

works like skimming which is to say

it doesn't work one of the famous

original studies was

funded and published by nasa in 1999 and

then there was another well-known study

a comprehensive review of all the other

research from 2016 and it was published

in the journal psychological science in

the public interest the research funded

by nasa from 1999 this was some of the

first you know really rigorous major

research on speed reading it tested a

method called photo reading the study

concluded that quote the results for all

measures yielded no benefits of using

the photo reading technique the

comprehensive review from 2016

is a study where they studied a whole

bunch of other studies and they found

the same thing that nasa found but for

all of these other methods real quick at

the very end of this video lecture pop

quiz

this pop quiz has one and only one

question here's the question i'm going

to pause after i say the question you

try to answer it what is economics

economics

is the study of the allocation of scarce

resources at least according to some

college textbook from 2006. if you

remembered that

how how did you remember it from a few

minutes ago or whatever how did you

remember it i didn't write that

definition of economics

up on the board i never wrote it up i

just said it a few times how did you

remember it if you did i suggest that

the reason you remembered that if you

did is because i

made you think through it like when i

told that story a few minutes ago i like

walked through a thought process

involving this definition of economics

remember the whole thing about sand and

i got the b-roll photo of sand and sand

as a scarce resource that's thinking

through the definition of economics if

you have to think through what something

means

then you absorb it and you remember it

that's how this works the next lecture

in this series will focus on how to take

notes

you