Appendix D — On Reading and Learning (Slowly)

Why slow reading?

Rushing through technical material is a great way to feel informed and stay confused. We’ll practice deliberate reading: making the author’s argument visible, mapping terms, exploring connections, checking examples, and capturing novel questions.

Two anchors

1. Adler & Van Doren (1972), How to Read a Book.
   Key moves we’ll use:
   • Inspectional reading (skim to map the terrain; glossary, headings, figures).
     
   • Analytical reading (distill the thesis; outline; define terms; test with examples).
     
   • Syntopical reading (compare and synthesize multiple sources on the same idea).
2. Andy Matuschak’s learning practice (study session with Dwarkesh Patel).
   Techniques we’ll borrow:
   • Turn confusions into explicit questions (even before you know the answer).
   • Build retrieval prompts while you read (spaced repetition), not after.
   • Periodically recite back the argument in your own words to find gaps in understanding.
     (See video link in References.)

Your reading audit trail (what you show)

Every assigned reading yields a short artifact you’ll submit with labs:

• Zotero annotations: highlights + marginal notes (exported).
  
• Outline (bulleted): the section’s major declarative statements, evidence, definitions, and at least 3 questions you generated.
  
• Concept map (optional): terms and relationships.
  
• Two retrieval prompts (Q→A pairs) you could review later.

Acceptable formats:
- PDF with visible annotations, or
- Markdown export (Zotero → Notes → Copy as Markdown), or
- Screenshot or picture series (if reading on paper) plus typed notes.

How AI fits into reading

• Use an LLM to clarify a passage or generate alternative examples.
  
• Do not accept paraphrases as understanding; respond in your own words and link back to the text.
  
• Log AI assistance in your audit trail: model, prompt, and what you kept or discarded.

Grading rubric (lightweight)

• Complete trail (annotations + outline + questions + prompts).
  
• Evidence of thinking (your words, not just highlights).
  
• Specificity (terms defined, claims stated; questions are concrete).
  
• Integrity (AI use documented clearly).

References

• Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Van Doren (1972). How to Read a Book.
  
• Andy Matuschak & Dwarkesh Patel, “Studying with Dwarkesh Patel – Introduction to Quantum Mechanics (Griffiths)” (YouTube). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFuu4pesKf0