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Essential reads, for students
Graeme Houston takes you through the books you dont want to
miss, starting with those written by the highly regarded Tony Buzan.
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Click here to purchase Tony Buzan - Use Your Head |
Use Your Head
When I started college my Dad bought this for me.
It is one of my all time favourite books. It's also essential reading if you are a student! I'm forever
lending out my copy to someone. In fact I have five copies out there somewhere and and I can't quite
remember to whom they were loaned.
This book offers insight into the way your mind works, and how you can increase your learning ability by
working with your brains natural patterns, rather than against them.
For example, when studying, after half an hour our comprehension drops by as much as 40%. Taking regular
breaks (5 mins, every 20 - 30 mins) counters this by giving your brain time to subconsciously process the
information and store it away before the next lot is added. This maintains comprehension. |
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The Mind Map Book
Mind Maps are an amazing method of note taking. 90%
of human language is uneccessary for understanding. Rather than struggle to jot down what the
Lecturer is saying in long hand, Mind Maps use their structure to convey the meanng of a word and are
far more efficient than normal notes. I used this method when I was studying HNC computing, and turned fifty
pages of computing notes into 1 huge mind map the width of a door. I pinned it next to my computer desk and
glanced at it whenether I got the chance.
This book follows on nicely from Use your head (above) and expands on the note taking side of it. |
Click
here to purchase Tony Buzan - The Mind Map Book |
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Click
here to purchase Tony Buzan - The Speed Reading Book |
The Speed Reading Book
This again follows on nicely from Use Your Head, and
this time expands on the Speed Reading side of things. What is truly amazing about Buzan's books is
the fact that anyone can learn how to do extrordinary things just by reading them. In this case,
reading speeds of 900 wpm are easy to achieve. ( - and thats not a typo)
Not bad considering the average speed is 250 wpm (with a comprehension of about 80%) and the maximum possible natural (before training) reading speed
is around 400 wpm. Furthermore these methods have nothing to do with scanning (reading only certain words).
Using Buzan's method every single word is read. Speeds between 600 - 2000 wpm are easily possible, and comprehension is increased.
It works by using the fact that our eyes can take in more than one word per fixation, and that our brain
can hold words back until it has them all, then puts them all together in order to extract meaning.
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Use your Memory
This book follows on from 'Use your head' and focuses on Memory. It introduces the reader to ancient
Greek memory principles. Anyone can learn these and they make incredible feats of memory possible.
I once taught a friend one of the systems in this book and after half an hour he was able to memorise a list
of fifty random words, then repeat them forwards and backwards. It has broad implications for everyone!
I have no idea why anyone would not want to read this book! Why soldier through life forgeting everything,
get this book and you wont regret it! |
Click here to purchase Tony Buzan - Use Your Memory |
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Click here to purchase Tony Buzan - Master Your Memory |
Master your Memory
Master Your memory is Buzan's most ambitious work to date. I recomend you read 'Use Your Memory' first as
this book follows on from that and introduces the reader to a self enhancing memory matrix
which can be used to memorize anything. In this book however he takes a new tact, and instead of showing you how to
memorise, he gives you lists of useful facts to be getting on with. The idea is that you pick a few that interest you
(Say 100 of the greatest artists, or 100 most common words in French) and in memorising this information, you are making
yourself receptive to picking up even more information. |
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Other Authors
Click here to purchase Speed Reading for Success
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Speed Reading for Success, by Jane Smith
It is a common misconception that reading quickly decreases comprehension. In fact the opposite is
true - reading slowly reduces comprehension. Because more and more people are discovering the facts
about what can be achieved with the right training, there is an ever-growing demand for products
such as Speed reading for success.
Speed reading for success is an audio book aimed at developing the listeners reading speed. It
starts by measuring your current reading speed then continues to explain the common misconceptions
about reading and how speed reading works. It covers the five techniques for reading faster as well
as peripheral vision, scanning, comprehension, and offers exercises which can be used daily to
increase reading speed. It even covers recall and study skills so that you will be able to read,
comprehend, and remember anything you wish easily. It also has an excellent little booklet that
highlights the main points for review purposes, and includes a progress chart so you can keep
track of any improvements.
At first I was a little dubious about whether an audio book was the right format. I would have
considered an actual book to be more appropriate. However I was pleasantly surprised to find
that the format works extremely well. The information is put across in as clear a way as any I
have found in many of the books I've read on the subject.
Speed reading for success also benefits from the fact that you can do something else while listening
to it, which makes it easier to find time for. The methods taught work extremely well, and you should
be able to see enormous improvements to your reading and comprehension.
Speed reading for success is an ideal way to learn how to cope with the torrent of information
we have access to these days. Between the Internet, books, and magazines we all have problems
keeping up! But with this CD this is the case no more.
An excellent product. Well-done Jane Smith.
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here to return to 'Gerry's Bookstore' - Title Page
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