|
speed reading > articles
What you’ll cover in speed reading
The differences between traditional reading methods, speed reading, and Dynamic Reading
Beginning and advanced mechanical skills
The 4 Keys of Speed Reading
Using “Gestalt” as an organizational strategy for thinking, reading, and memory
The 4 stages and levels of comprehension and how to apply them to your daily reading needs
A Multi-Pass Process to use purposefully to fulfill your reading needs
The secrets of reading comprehension
Factors that affect comprehension and how to apply them
How to attack text that is unorganized, as well as organized
The differences between comprehension, memory, and recall
How create memory
4 visual patterns for creating better recall
How create more organized notes
Using Visual Assurance
How the mind responds to direction
Visual Dimensional Reading
How to adjust your preferred learning style to depth/study type of materials
Environmental factors that affect efficient study
Mental factors that enhance study
How to study and approach depth reading and technical materials
What you will learn in speed reading
How to easily read beyond the way you were taught in the first place. How to eliminate the blocks that cause you to read slowly. How to avoid losing concentration when your mind wanders and you have to go back and re-read the same material. Multiple reading techniques for different materials. Improved memory tools.
The grouping or classification method:
In this method, the central idea is emphasized in the topic sentence, followed
by a consistent pattern of developing the what, how, and the thinking to arrive
at the why. Information is given concerning certain groups of objects, processes,
and living things, which belong or catalogued.
Skills needed in reading this type of science material include:
- The ability to understand important groups within a larger classification.
- Being able to distinguish between differences between classes.
Activity using the story:
- Skim the main headings to find the main topic/topics and the smaller classifications.
- Read the selection as a whole and note differences and likenesses between
the classifications.
- Find the "technical words" that you would need to understand this article.
Tips for increasing reading speed
- As the eyes move across the page they make a series of jerky movements. Whenever they
come to rest on a word that is called a fixation. Most people fixate once on each word
across a line of print.
- Take in more words with each fixation. Try to avoid focusing at groups of 2 to 3 words.
For instance, this sentence could be grouped in this manner:
for instance / this sentence / could be grouped / in this manner
- Make our eyes move faster.
- Familiarize yourself with new words so you don't get stuck on them when you read them
again. Work on vocabulary improvement.
- If you find yourself moving your lips when reading, force yourself to read faster so
that you can no longer move your lips.
- Read more! 10-20 minutes a day of reading an average size novel equals 18 books a year at
an average reading speed!
- Determine your purpose before reading. If you only need main ideas, then allow yourself
to skim the material. Don't feel you must read very word.
- There are several books on increasing reading speed available in most bookstores. If you
are serious about increasing your rate you may want to work systematically through one of
these books.
- Spend a few minutes a day reading at a faster than comfortable rate (about 2 to 3 times
faster than your normal speed). Use your hand or an index card to guide your eyes down the
page. Then time yourself reading a few pages at your normal speed. You'll find that often
your normal reading speed will increase after your skimming practice.
- Simply reading the title, subtitle, bold type, last paragraph and first
paragraph--spend only 30-45 seconds. Then reflect on the relevance of the information for
you. If it is important to read more, go to the next step. Otherwise, find another
article. Get 80% of the information in 20% of the time.
- If you have poor concentration when reading, practice reading for only 5 - 10 minutes at
a time and gradually increase this time.
- Ask yourself What are you looking for?
- How will you use what you find? Identify the weave of the text:
- Underline the author’s explanation of the main points. (Often, but not always,
a writer will tell an engaged reader where the text is going.)
- Underline each major new claim that the author makes in developing the text and
write "claim 1," "claim 2," and so on in the margin.
Speed reading tips
|
