THE RED PILL

DIALOGUE AND DISCUSSION ON EDUCATION, ENVIRONMENT AND RACE

 

A rant/ plus my continued quest to learn epidemiology

I am undertaking some difficult classes these days. Speaking with Mr. Black a week or so ago, I was reminded of using a technique for remembering. I guess I have used some techniques in the past, but I did not "know" what to call them.  I did not  know that people pay thousands of dollars to learn "how to learn," or use some techniques someone in Memphis is trying to inspire people to teach THEMSELVES.  Yes... we have a man in our town who has mastered much of what there is to know about learning and no one is listening... It amazes me sometimes that people are not listening to this man... seriously listening... many talk so damn much that they are not actually learning a damn thang--only in a constant rhetorical debate. If he put a hefty charge on it--it would be valued way more... People don't value free so they don't take it seriously... Ain't nuthin'  worth nuthin' free--so what he's giving is actually of great value but one has to work hard as hell (paying a price) to benefit from it.

Shifting gears...I have always been a quiet person , but for good reason... I am always learning... and I find it true that one cannot learn if they are talking all the time... Active listening requires that you shut the hell up... Any way..   I sure wish he was someone I knew when I  was younger and more eager for knowledge than I am now. I mean now I love to learn, but I have so much other stuff on my plate that its hard to juggle it all. 

When wise ones speak I listen... I was told that if I didn't do something soon--I was going to blow a circuit. I am obviously tired all the time... hell  I have  3 kids, teach at a local university, work in a clinic, and going to school fulltime!!!  My kids are spoiled little people... He says, "I don't know how you manage to do it," and I really can not put a name on a technique that I use... I just do some weird shit to learn some difficult material... I "dumb it down" so I can understand it... but I do...

I'm no genius, but I love learning... Ya'll better listen to this man.. I do and  I am in the process of practicing to further enhance my "memory."

I have been able to excel in school and people that really know me quite often ask how I have done what I have been able to do (being a single mom of three)- work, school, etc. Its simple- make no excuses and just do it. Set a goal and reach it... if it has been done by one you can do it too. That's how I see it.

 

I did have to develop some techniques to recall such a wealth of information in my younger years. I was a very stubborn child and never gave up on anything.... If I couldn't do something-- I'd practice and practice until I could. If my sister is reading this ... I know she may recall the shoe tie-ing day... ! I learned how to tie my shoes in one day when i was young.. stayed in my room literally all day until I did it... I did not eat! LOL - STUBBORN

I can remember learning about DNA in my biology class in high school (my favorite). I took a mental picture of DNA and the process of mitosis, and played it like a movie  in my head from start to finish... I made up a silly mnemonic to remember the bases and I was able to ace every test in biology that I took by doing that... I did not know at the time that I was using certain techniques for recall. I wanted to be a scientist!

As time went on I continued to use these things to learn complex information - to self I had to dumb down the material for myself manner (making up scenarios and silly things to remember stuff). I was the leader for my study group in college (classmates were all older than me ) and there was not much that I did not understand and if I had a problem I would stay up all night until I did... I used to make up stuff to remember all that material in nursing school and it was silly- they used to look at me crazy but I always performed well. I graduated from nursing school at age 19 with an associate's degree in nursing and now I have a master's degree. i knew where I wanted to go before I even graduated back then... it took me a while but I reached my goals....but not without a price.

I have been falling asleep on books since I was a youngster.  My mom had to make me go to bed sometimes because I would stay up so late studying.  Now. that I have gotten older and have more responsibility I do not use these techniques I had no name for as much... but with the help of  (B) I am now using them and incorportating what he has mentioned to me(linking and pegging) to file my knowledge.

 

any way on to my purpose for writing this blog... I have a test coming up in epidemiology regarding  estimating types of risk. What is risk?

I am living a risky fast life if I walk the streets. When I do this I get attacked and then I get a new disease; now I am an absolute risk to everyone I meet.The following is the explanation of risk in epidemiology.

Risk

Incidence of Disease  =Absolute Risk

(Attack Rate)

Attack rate and incidence of disease are synonymous and it tells you the absolute risk.

 

Now we have to figure out excess risk ( you know you hear people say if you smoke you're at risk for lung cancer) the following is the explanation for figuring this out.

There are three types of risk that we are learning to estimate- relative risk or ratio of risk; odds ratio, and attributable risk.So how did I learn these..

 To learn this I pictured a reunion picnic with relatives. Everyone has to bring something to eat. Some relatives are eating and some are just sitting around talking The relatives who were eating( exposed to the food) go lay down in beds in a big house and the people who were not eating (not exposed) are downstairs (underneath them. thus the formula for relative risk(RR) =

                                                                               risk of exposed

                                                                  RR=       risk  non exposed

 

The incidence of exposed is laying on top of the division line over the non-exposed.

 

Now remember we have this big family and when relatives get together they get silly. Everyone comes in the house because its raining, but now Everybody is treating the people differently who ate. The people who ate (exposed ) are told to get off the beds and go in the left room of the house and then the people who did not eat (not exposed) went far  away from them. To calculate the differnce of risk  the formula is

                                                     risk of exposed - risk of non exposed

Here you place risk of exposed on left side and subtract non exposed from it to get the difference of risk.

 

We use relative risk to determine risks in cohort studies (cohorts are a group of people who have some similar traits-like relatives)= this is important because a different design- case studies use odds ratio...

Seems silly... yes but we have to remember formulas to perform some calculations. y not just memorize the formula?  You can but it can be recalled better if you LINK it to something that is easily retrievable.

Well that's all for now... stay tuned for my breakdown of odds ratio and attributable risk

 


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Comment by Clifford Black on November 14, 2013 at 11:04am

The mind has difficulty remembering abstract concepts like numbers, but can easily remember visual images. The imaginary memory journey orders the images in the correct sequence. One of the most common techniques for converting numbers into visual images is the Mnemonic major system.

Comment by Delia Smith on April 2, 2011 at 6:12pm

Very interesting post. I love it. Learning taking off to this degree. I applaud you for your efforts and accomplishments and I am looking forward to your success as you explain your reason why all of these things are important. Yes knowing is even better than learning how to think once you have realized you have not been thinking before hand.

 

I also find your situation interesting because you are a single mother of 3 and going to work and school. I dare not ask how you do it because I am thinking. You continue to do You without giving into the chanting of your peers and know that on one corner you may be the best thing going on and once you cross the street you may be the worst. That is why self preservation it priority and I think you are doing a great job. Thanks for sharing.

Comment by Quita on March 21, 2011 at 10:17pm
I aced my epidemiology exam!!! yaay!!!
Comment by Clifford Black on March 18, 2011 at 3:26pm
Now we are playing the music in the right key and so there will be a harmony that can allow one to fly faster, cover long distance, move to a higher degree, break and stop on a dime, turn and curve like the hawk and smooth sail like an Eagle.  Now, we are FLYING!!!!!
Comment by Quita on March 18, 2011 at 1:33pm
Thanks Sis!
Comment by R Herelle on March 18, 2011 at 7:59am
Quitah, you are a smart cookie indeed.

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