Florian Haas

When you learn something by reading, does it help you to also have a rephrased version of what you're reading at your disposal?

A — Yes, reading something restated in different words always helps me.
B — It might help me get a better understanding, but only if it actually qualifies as a summary (i.e. highlights main takeaways and is significantly shorter than the main text).
C — No, doesn't help at all.
D — Something else (add comment).

Boosts for reach appreciated!

A
20%
B
50%
C
15%
D
15%
Poll ended at .
Mar 18 at 4:33pmWeb
Show threadmborus6d ago
@xahteiwi It only helps of the rephrased version is the notes that I make while reading. Then it helps a lot.
Show threadDom6d ago

@xahteiwi If I understand your question correctly, the rephrased version is offered at the same time as the original text?

When I read a text to learn a new thing, I take notes, highlight parts, write comments next to it and thus create my own personal summary.

That summary is then indeed incredibly helpful.

Show threadMartin Seeger6d ago
@xahteiwi If I don’t get it, usually some context is missing for me. That is why using AI to explain things based on the original docs helps me a lot: my question guides it to find the context/ connection I am missing. A different phrasing just bores me.
Show threadFlorian Haas6d ago
@masek Okay, but do I understand correctly that for it to be useful to you, you have to be able to ask a model questions of your own? As in, a "summarize this" button that invokes a prefabricated prompt wouldn't help you at all?
Show threadMartin Seeger6d ago

@xahteiwi Yes, the new "phrasing" has to be build on a prompt / question of my own. I can usually point to a part where my problem is.

Usually it is not that I did not understand what was said but can't puzzle it together in a way that in my head it fits.

Usually it turns out in the manual there was something that was assumed / implied and just wasn't there in my case.

It is not about summarizing but context.

I try to keep my eye out for an example in the near future to explain it better.

Show threadMatthew Booth6d ago
@xahteiwi If the topic is complex, I almost always find it useful to have an outline understanding of it in advance. I feel like this gives me a framework I can hang new knowledge from.
Show threadembix6d ago
@xahteiwi It could help, if it adds another angle/point of view, more context or a practical example. Restating alone rarely helps - unless it uses words/concepts I am already familiar with if the initial text didn't.