Mastering Skill of Comprehension

The most crucial part of mastering any subject is how well you absorb and process information. In geography, it’s often like trying to carry water in a leaky bucket. You might read a paragraph, think you’ve memorized it, only to forget the key details when it matters most – like during an exam or competition. This can lead to the false belief that some people are just naturally smarter or more gifted. In reality, retaining information is a skill that can be honed over time, though it’s not always easy.

Think of it like food. Some people enjoy traditional tacos, others prefer them fried, and some opt for the "taco-on-plate," where you assemble it yourself. Learning works the same way – what works for one person may not work for another.

For your own success, focus on breaking down what you’re learning into digestible key points. Rather than skimming through ten pages at once, take the time to actively engage with the material. It’ll help you retain information more effectively.

–|– Bloom's Taxonomy –|–

Bloom's Taxonomy has been a great help to me in this regard. Taxonomy (or classification) is a system for setting learning goals related to a specific topic or even an entire program. It allows you to organize topics and materials clearly, creating a structured learning plan for the desired time frame. You can use taxonomy to plan a week's study schedule or even just a few hours of study on a particular subject.

Let’s take a moment to explore how Bloom's Taxonomy can be applied with a simple example. Imagine you’re studying glaciology. There are plenty of unfamiliar terms, countless glaciers, and mountain ranges to memorize, along with some concepts from climatology. It might feel overwhelming at first, filled with too many details to handle. But by breaking the information into smaller, digestible parts, it becomes much more manageable.

We sit down and read a one topic, such as glacier formation. If focus is an issue, we start with just a paragraph. This is the first step — memorization.

• Terms: cryosphere, firn, snowline • Glaciers: Korzhenevsky, Fedchenko, Berg • Mountain ranges: Junggar Alatau, Altai, Ili Alatau These are the areas where glaciers form.

Understanding. I break this into two parts. The first (2.1) is grasping the basic definitions of what we’ve memorized:

• What marks the start of ice formation? Firn. • What is firn? Multi-year, layered snow that has survived several melts and freezes. • Where does it form? Above the snowline, in the cryosphere. • What is glacier formation? The process by which glaciers grow and move due to repeated melting and freezing.

Then, we delve deeper into the second (2.2) part – ability to discuss and operate by gained knowledge: • "What’s the difference between firn and regular ice?" • "Why is the snowline higher in northern latitudes compared to southern ones?"

To me, the most important indicator of true understanding is the ability to explain a term or concept in simple terms. Here, the Feynman technique can be really helpful (which we’ll discuss in the next section).

Application. For me, this often means practicing by solving problems related to the topic. Application also builds on the second step—moving into practical discussions: • "Why does ice form in some mountain ranges but not in others?" • "Under what conditions would glaciers in a particular area disappear?" • "What’s the key factor in glacier formation here?"

If you don’t have much experience, don’t jump into improvisational problem-solving just yet. Stick to tasks from proven sources like the Beyond Olympiads, the All-Russian Olympiads, or the Moscow Olympiads for solid practice.

Analysis. This is the ability to scan information, break it down into key points for better personal understanding. In our glaciology example, this might involve recognizing an error in your own understanding and figuring out why it happened. Maybe you confused the mountains Elbrus and Erebus. Why? Perhaps because you're more familiar with Erebus in Antarctica. You’ll need to develop stronger associations to avoid such mistakes.

Analysis also involves organizing the knowledge you’ve gained. At this stage, I usually review how I memorized things, reorganize the material in my head, and then write summaries.

Synthesis or creation. After completing the fourth stage, it's important to consolidate your knowledge by applying it in a comprehensive way. For instance, you could critique the textbook’s main opinion and create your own system for classifying glaciers. When I worked on this topic, I made my own diagram of a glacier, highlighting the zones of nourishment, movement, and melting, along with major moraine flows and other key concepts.

I usually use this stage as the final step, creating graphs or diagrams that allow me to quickly recall and review the topic at a glance.

Evaluation. For me, evaluation is the highest stage because having and defending your own independent opinion is the culmination of deep study and hard work. Sticking with the glaciology example, this could mean developing the skill to identify a glacial valley based on certain signs, through analysis grounded in your understanding of the topic.

Taxonomy is useful, but not every topic in geography requires such in-depth study. For most subjects, I find the Feynman technique to be my favorite. It’s as simple as it is reliable.

The main idea behind Feynman's technique is this:

Of course, he was exaggerating a bit, but the concept is solid: • Pick a topic and study it. • Explain it as if giving a monologue or teaching someone. • Identify any weak points in your explanation and revisit the material. • Simplify your explanation and create analogies, then explain it again. Repeat until you have a flawless understanding of the topic.