How to Improve Reading Speed & Comprehension!

Table of Contents

What is Speed Reading?
How we learned to read slowly.
Who needs Speed Reading?
Is speed reading a genetic ability or a learned skill?
How you can test your own reading speed.
How to test and time yourself.
Test yourself to determine your retention.
It is important to track your progress.
About "speed reading" books and classes.
What happens to your eyes while you are reading?
What role do your hands play in reading?
Fiction vs. non-fiction - is there a difference?
Speed reading and how we vocalize.
How to increase your reading speed.
How to increase your comprehension

What is Speed Reading?

Speed Reading Explained

Speed reading or rapid reading is basically a process that allows a person to read a text at an increased speed. This can be done by skimming or selectively reading certain words or phrases that are relevant to the text.

The average reading comprehension rate of an individual is around 75%. However, some methods individuals employ to achieve speed reading significantly cuts into this figure, as much as less than 50%. When this happens a reader's comprehension level is compromised. Under this condition it would be very difficult for a person to learn or study new materials.

Many, many books have been devoted to the topic of speed reading. Individuals who want to increase their reading speed have also invested a lot of money on courses that teach speed reading techniques.

Many reading experts have mixed feelings about speed reading. It has been said that speed reading is not appropriate for all reading, especially since the comprehension level tend to decrease during the process of speed reading.

Anything below 50% reading comprehension is considered to many as a failure. Therefore, some argue that speed reading is not conducive to learning.

When scholars did some research on speed readers, they determined that speed readers were not as good at drawing out details as those readers who were just instructed to skim the text.

This has been attributed to the fact that some speed readers have been trained to increase their speed of reading without paying much heed if they actually are absorbing the information they are receiving.

Many advocates of speed reading claim that speed reading increases IQ and memory. But others claim that this is not the case, and they have gone as far as to take legal action against those businesses that offer speed reading courses that have made this claim.

The problem with speed reading is that a person's ability to process information is sometimes compromised. Subvocalization- this is when you hear your own voice in your head. This plays a big part in a person's ability to understand the information that he or she is reading. Some speed readers avoid subvocalizing to increase their reading speed. This is why some reading experts claim that their ability to comprehend suffers.

Some tips on how to speed read:

1. Before actually reading the text, preview the material that you are about to read first. This way you would have an idea on what your topic is about. Read the title, heading of the paragraph; assess how long the material is, etc. This way you would develop a sense of familiarity with the material you're about to read.

2. Devise a plan on how you are going to tackle reading the material. You might want to spend a little bit longer on some paragraphs than others, depending on the complexity of the text.

3. Focus on the keywords. This way, you don't spend a lot of time reading every word. Some words can be omitted while reading, such as the word 'the'.

4. Certain sentences don't need to be read word by word. Just extract the essence of the sentence, or a paragraph.

5. Avoid regression- this is when you go back to reread words that you have just read.

Speed reading requires a lot of practice to execute. This method largely consists of skimming, (also referred to as auding) which clocks in at around 700 wpm (words per minute). The average reading rate is around approximately 200-250wpm.

Those who rate at around 10,000 wpm are said to belong in the autistic category, such as Kim peek.

Kim Peek- an autistic savant has been said to read at an incredible speed while retaining comprehension and memory. He was the person that served as the inspiration for the character of Dustin Hoffman in the movie Rain Man.

It is no doubt that speed reading has many benefits. This is why many people spend a lot of money enrolling in speed reading courses in hopes of trying to acquire this skill. But some experts say that this is not necessary.

Some community colleges offer seminars on how to learn the techniques of speed reading. Also, skimming and other techniques on how to improve one's reading comprehension can be practiced at home. Something that will surely help a person read faster!

To be continued

Health News:

MSN

Live Search: speed reading site:msnbc.msn.com
Search results

Speed reading may be bunk - LiveScience- msnbc.com
When you read, your eyes act like spotlights on a stage. The construction of your eyes allows them only to focus on one small area on the page at a time, so the idea of speed ...
Smile, you?re being watched - - MSNBC.com
There?s an overwhelming feeling that too often surveillance is used not to make the country safer but to monitor innocent people and, in the case of speed cams, raise much-needed ...
Aging muscles become hard of hearing - LiveScience- msnbc.com
Aging muscles become hard of hearing But regular exercise can help speed up response ... Speed reading may be bunk; Intersections dangerous for older drivers ; Forgetful?
African rhinos on path to recovery - LiveScience- msnbc.com
African rhinos on path to recovery, WWF says Anti-poaching efforts and promoting ... Speed limit likely around Atlantic right whales
Truckers slow down to speed up savings - Top Stories- msnbc.com
The Reading, Pa.-based firm caps its trucks' top speed at 63 mph and encourages vehicle shifting methods that can improve fuel economy, Schumacher wrote in an e-mail response to ...

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Google

speed reading - Google News
speed reading - Google News

It's Brian Regan x 2 - Louisville Courier-Journal

It's Brian Regan x 2
Louisville Courier-Journal, KY - 8 hours ago
"I took a speed-reading course. My speed got up to 50 words a minutes, but my comprehension plummeted, 2 percent or something like that. But I didn't care. ...
City speed ordinance adopted on final reading - Storm Lake Pilot Tribune

City speed ordinance adopted on final reading
Storm Lake Pilot Tribune, IA - Sep 4, 2008
... the speed limit on a portion of Flindt Drive and Milwaukee Avenue will be changed as a result of a new ordinance that passed the final reading, ...
Learn Speed Ready specially aimed for College and Universities - 3x24 - Your ...

Learn Speed Ready specially aimed for College and Universities
3x24 - Your Newspaper and News Magazine, Germany - Sep 2, 2008
by Dr Jay Polmar BE DYNAMIC through SPEED READING methods makes what you read become a part of long-term memory. This is caused by intense concentration. ...
Why Should Students Learn Speed Reading? - Corsavoo.com

Why Should Students Learn Speed Reading?
Corsavoo.com, France - Aug 29, 2008
Numerous reading interpretation and comprehension skills are taught in an array of speed reading programs and software that aims to make studying in college ...
Speed generation - Merinews

Speed generation
Merinews, India - 9 hours ago
Other paraphernalia of vroom cohort is liquid nutrition for speed food, audio books for speed reading, Nintendo for speed gaming, speed drug (Amphetamine) ...

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Yahoo!

Yahoo! News Search Results for speed reading
Yahoo! News Search Results for speed reading

Drink, speed in fatal crash (Otago Daily Times)
Alcohol and speed contributed to the death of a retired Omakau man who died of acute respiratory damage, due to traumatic injuries from extreme pressure on his chest, after his car flipped and landed on its roof, on State Highway 85 on January 10 this year.
Reading mayor picks new managing director (Reading Eagle)
The city got 45 resumes to fill the managing director's job after R. Leon Churchill Jr. left in April. Now, Mayor Tom McMahon has made his choice.
MCOT Public Company Limited.2008 (MCOT - English News By Thai News Agency)
BANGKOK, Sept 5 (TNA) -- Thailand's Senate, the upper house of parliament, voted overwhelmingly Friday to approve the first reading of a public referendum bill aimed at ending the current political turbulence in the country, only a day after the embattled government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej gave the green light to the idea of launching the referendum.
Mike Lucas' Inside the Huddle: UW vs. Marshall (The Capital Times)
In preparing for his first collegiate start, Mario Goins didn't know what to expect beyond what people were telling him about game speed. He just assumed that he would have to experience it on his own. "I knew it was going to be more than I anticipated," he said, sighing. From that standpoint, the University of Wisconsin cornerback understood the challenge when he took the field last Saturday ...
Site navigation (Reading Evening Post)
Two very different cases of handball, in two entirely different situations and in two different games, raised some queries last weekend. One of these was in Reading?s game against Crystal Palace.

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