Stages of Understanding

Last Friday I had an opportunity to attend a meetings with the headmaster of my high school. His name is James Ure, and he's pretty much amazing. These meeting happen every month of the school year. This time the topic was "Stages of a Williamsburg Academy Semester", but I think a more appropriate topic title is "Stages of Understanding", so I'm going to refer to it as that. I'm going to give you an overview and then the notes that I took on this.
 First, when you start studying anything you don't understand it really well immediately. You understand words and sentences in some places, but you don't really understand the general idea at all. This is stage 1. 
Stage 2 is when ideas start to make sense in their entirety. There are still parts you don't understand, but big chunks are coming together nicely.
 Stage 3 is when you understand the idea completely. You get it.
 Stage 4 is when you can connect the idea with other ideas and your own life.
 So, here's my notes:
Example of Reading-
Stage 1-Sounding out words with syllables.
Stage 2-Understanding sentences and paragraphs.
Stage 3-Understanding pages and chapters, and how they connect to each other.
Stage 4-Reading entire books and seeing the relationship between other books. Then you see relationships between whole collections of books.
Example of  Ideas-
 Stage 1-Understanding bits and pieces, but not seeing where it’s going.
Stage 2-Understanding the major parts of an idea.
Stage 3-Understanding the whole idea.
Stage 4- Seeing relation between different ideas.
 Example, from U.S. Government:
Stage one- I know that there are three branches of federal government.
 Stage two-I know what those three branches do.
 Stage three- I understand checks and balances, specific clauses, powers left to state and towns.
Stage four- I see connections between principles in Constitution and other things, such as Locke, 7 Habits, and personal life. 
How Long It Takes To Grasp It-
Stage 1-Hourly/Daily Stage
2-Daily/Weekly Stage
3-Weekly/Monthly
Stage 4-Semesterly
 Stage lengths, NewStudent/ReturningStudent:
Weeks 1-8/1-3
 Weeks 8-14/4-8
 Weeks 14-16/8-12
 Emotions of different stages:
Stage 1-SOMEONE PLEASE REMOVE THE HATCHET FROM MY FOREHEAD. There is this huge idea and I have no idea what it looks like. I only have simple understanding! Please help!
 Stage 2-I guess I’m learning something at least from this class. This sentence makes some sense. I’d better highlight it!
 Stage 3-Cool! I just closed this book. I get John Locke. I love understanding it.
 Stage 4-I’m a flippin’ genius. Seriously. I dazzle myself with how wise I am. I just answered my mom’s question about the semester, and told her that it connected with human nature, and why they act in the way they do. I connected so many things. Wow.
 WHAT TO FOCUS ON:
Stage 1-
Be gentle with yourself.
 Keep a dictionary next to you. Look up unfamiliar words and write them in the margins of the book, or in a notebook you keep with you if you’re not reading your book.
Focus most on the first sentence of the paragraph.
When you understand something, highlight it. Underline, highlight, love, kiss, surround with hearts anything you understand.
Try to remember your general topic.
Don’t stress if you’re not catching everything.
 Don’t worry. Be happy.
Keep working. Persevere.
Stage 2-
Write summaries of paragraphs or chapters in a study guide.
 Keep good notes.
Rewrite in your own words.
Stage 3-
After completing your study of the topic, review all your notes. All your study guides.
Make timelines, charts, and diagrams of your information.
Help your mind wrap around looking at this in a new way.
Think about how parts of a topic connect.
See how it applies in your own life.
 Stage 4-
 Review all notes several times.
Think of questions that connect the themes and ideas of one class to another. One book to another. Whatever.
Get in a study group with two or three other people who you like, and ask them how they connect things. Enjoy it. It is magical. Truly magical.
Teach people!