Hi! In this video, we'll first talk
a little bit about the true purpose of
reading and writing.
Then, I'll show you an amazing trick
that only human beings can do.
I will think about something,
I won't say it out loud,
then I will transfer that thought
into your head.
We will share a thought.
You will think what I'm thinking...
through this video...
Actually, anybody can do it.
Do you want to know how?
Stick around.
[♫]
[snap]
Hi, Marc here. This is Snap Language.
Before I show you the
mind transference trick,
I'd like to talk to you
about something that happens a lot,
but most people are not even aware of it.
Our notions of what reading is
are pretty distorted.
What is the purpose of reading?
Unfortunately, for a lot of people,
we read to answer comprehension questions...
usually on a reading test.
Some of those comprehension questions
can be pretty obvious sometimes.
Other times we wonder if
there's a trick question on the test!
You know, those questions that
you worry about,
and you keep changing the answer!
For some people, learning vocabulary
becomes such an obsession
that they stop all the time during reading
to look words up,
to underline every word
they're not sure about...
It could be that they're learning
English as a second language...
Often, it's just because
they had reading instructors
telling them to make vocabulary lists
on everything they read...
And of course, there's reading out of
some sense of social or cultural "obligation."
You know... the book that everyone has read!
So, you must read it, too!
It makes for good dinner party conversations...
Doing some of this is okay...
like... reading to learn vocabulary
or because you need to take a test...
but what is the purpose of reading, really?
Yes, we end up learning new
vocabulary when we read...
we can even answer
comprehension questions on what we read
But that's incidental.
It's not the main purpose for reading.
If we read to learn, we get to
actually know more things
about the world around us.
We get to relate it to
things we already know, and
ask questions, and
have our own thoughts about it.
Just think about it...
mostly, why are you reading?
For what purpose are you reading?
Are you reading to
learn something new?
Are you reading just to
answer questions on a test
or to do some kind of exercise?
If you're an instructor,
how are you balancing your activities
so you give your students
an opportunity to
(yes, learn vocabulary and
do some of the mechanical stuff)
but also to enrich their lives
through reading
and reading things that they're
actually interested in?
Anyway... I'm sure you get it.
Now for the big "magic trick."
As promised, I'm going to
think something
and transmit it to you...
without saying a word!
Are you ready?
Here it is!
We just shared a thought
through writing and reading.
And that's what reading and writing
are all about!
Writing gives us the ability
to have an idea and encode it
with some kind of symbols
that represent words
on a piece of paper,
or some screen, or anywhere...
I can then transmit that idea
from my head into the reader's head.
You can even save the information
for later--much, much later...
which means that, when we read,
we can hear the thoughts of people
who lived hundreds
even thousands of years ago.
To put the writing process
in a nutshell,
as the writer, I have an idea,
encode it in writing,
and disseminate it
to whoever wants to read it.
Now you, as the reader,
will repeat the process, but
in reverse.
You will receive the idea,
decode it,
and have the idea in your head.
I didn't write my idea down
so you'd learn vocabulary or
answer comprehension questions.
Instead, I wrote it to share an idea
that I think is important or relevant.
Of course, writers don't write only
to inform but also to persuade,
or entertain you,
or to elaborate on a point of view.
Now you, as the reader, know
what you need to do is to
figure out what the message is
and transfer it from the writer's head
to your head.
And it gets better!
When reread the passage for more information,
and you ask questions,
in a way, you're having a conversation with the writer!
Or when you go to other sources for
even more information about the topic,
you're having a group discussion!
Better yet, when you have thoughts
of your own about what you read,
(maybe you agree or disagree
with the author or
you have opinions of your own
about it,
you become part of
the flow of information.
And then you might even switch roles
and go from being the reader to
becoming a writer and
writing your own thoughts
on that topic.
If reading and writing are
so connected,
what do you think?
Does reading a lot improve your writing skills?
Does writing a lot improve your reading skills?
Do you "talk" to the materials you read?
(Or do you think that's just
some kind of crazy?)
Subscribe to Snap Language,
and be part of
our community of learners
and share your ideas
in the comments.
Please don't forget to like this video.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this
reading and writing connection.
Or anything else you want to share with us.
And...
[♫]