Reading in school is critical for learning, but many students dislike reading and this attitude continues unto adulthood, which is also a critical time in life for reading. Issues in society that concern a citizen's well-being comprise magazines, newspapers, books, and other informative literature about certain issues. However, many people, including students, seem to automatically shun reading and would rather have information pumped into their minds electronically.

Comprehension is one problem people have when reading because of short attention spans that compete with other forms of media entertainment. Because time does not seem to be on our side in this age of high technology, it would probably help if people could read twice as fast as they read now, maybe twenty times as fast and with better comprehension. If that sounds impossible, it is not. The human mind is capable of seeing and understanding material as fast as a person can turn pages, and some people do read that fast.

Swift readers come from many different lifestyles because reading is a skill unrelated to age, occupation, heredity, or intelligence. In theory, the only things that should decide reading rate are a person's background in the subject, the purpose for reading the particular material, and the ability to turn pages.

What limits a person's reading rate? Poor habits such as sub vocalization (pronouncing words to yourself), regression (going back to reread material already covered), prolonged fixation (stopping and staring at a word), and insufficient eye movement (losing your place and wandering in between lines). These habits cause tired eyes, boredom, low speeds, and low comprehension. It is not a lack of ability in a person it is a lack of proper training, and improving reading rate takes the proper training, time, and effort.

Hand Reading

As children, we learned not to underline words with our fingertips. However, this method actually helps increase our speeds in reading and comprehension. It builds speed in reading because it prevents backing up and rereading, which consumes about one-sixth of your reading time. It also prevents unneeded, prolonged fixations - the habit of staring at a one word or phrase for a long period.

Reading with your hand on the page improves your comprehension because it directs your attention to a spot instead of allowing your eyes and mind to wander. Simply place your fingertip under the first word and move it along at a comfortable rate, underlining each word. Be sure to pick up your fingers at the end of each line, lifting it to begin the next one. Read directly above your fingertip and watch your rate soar.

How to Adjust Speed

Do not read every subject or book at the same rate. Read light fiction quickly and technical texts at about half the rate. When reading easy material speedup and you will enjoy reading more. A common misconception is that reading faster ruins enjoyment. This is not true. In the first grade, many read at the rate of 10-50 words per minute. Now you may read 100-500 words per minute. Decide on the purpose of reading and adjust to the level of comprehension. When the purpose is entertainment, read faster than usual. If the material must be retained, take notes often, reread difficult passages, and read at the maximum rate of comprehension, not to memorize.

Range of Vision

One reason people read slowly is because they read with a narrow, constricted, "hard focus;" they have disciplined their eyes to see only a couple of words at a time. This severely limits your speed. Your reading focus is different from your usual focus. The things you see when you look out the window are focused on a broad level but the words you see when focusing on the pages of a book are in a narrower range.

To learn to focus on the words of a page, there is a technique to enhance that performance. Turn the pages of a book with the left hand and run your right hand down the pages with your eyes following, trying to see as many words as possible. Do not actually read the pages; just brush them with your hand. Try this exercise at least twice a week and you will learn to focus better on the pages of a book.

Do not worry about understanding everything you read at first. You can see and understand everything but that does not guarantee retention. You will retain information by practicing recall. The ideal level on which to read is a purely mental or intellectual plane: Do not clog or block information in your mind by negative emotions and thoughts such as anxiety, worrying, and fear of "not getting it." If you develop an open, positive, "go-for-it" attitude, you will read much better.

Reading at higher rates of speed it is also helpful to talk to yourself. Discuss the topic of each paragraph for additional clarity and reinforcement. Conceptual vocalization, the skill of thinking aloud, enables you to better process ideas and concepts.

In order to get the comprehension you need at faster speeds, it is good to have an adequate background on the material. You can get background information in several ways: 1) from reading other material in that subject 2) from personal experience 3) from pre-reading. The purpose of pre-reading is to become familiar with the main ideas and to organize those ideas into a pattern. One other hint that is helpful in increasing reading speed is holding the book at least fifteen inches away from your face because your eyes can focus more effectively, decreasing the movement it takes to read.

Improving Concentration

Readers with the best comprehension are usually fast readers. The more slowly you read the more chance there are for you to daydream and lose concentration and then, comprehension. Comprehension is a two-fold process 1) perceiving and organizing information 2) relating that information to what you already know. Comprehension is largely dependant on how well the reader already knows the subject matter. Because background increases the vocabulary and subject familiarity, get the most amount of prior knowledge you can.

Greater Meaning

Anticipate ideas and read for a purpose - to answer questions - by actively searching for the information you want. Have questions in mind before you read, not afterward. If you begin reading a book with questions, you will complete your reading with the answers. Think about the important points and read to understand them. Be confident that you can get what you want and you will. Write down questions about your topic that include, what you already know about the subject, what you seek to learn from the selected reading, and how you can apply what you have learned to the next subject you study.

Understanding, Not Memorizing

In order to have a smooth, continuous flow of information in your mind, do not stop to memorize facts. Save that process later when you study your notes. At all times you should read as rapidly as you can and on the level of easy comprehension. Stop only at thought provoking ideas and concepts to write them down or jot down questions and other points that may be important to advancement in the subject.

Upgrade Poor Habits

It is difficult to comprehend what you are reading when you are tired, sleepy, hungry, depressed, or in pain. It is crucial to be not only alert, be relaxed. Be comfortable and in tune with the subject of the book. Study in an upright posture, sitting at a desk or at the table, not laying down or laid back. If you want comprehension, speed, and retention, sit up and act as if you are serious about accomplishing the task. You must care about what you are reading.

Try to gain a positive attitude about the subject and know that it can be useful for another subject you may have to study in the future. All subjects lead into another and having knowledge in one subject increases your effectiveness when beginning another.

Organize

Your mind seeks organization, logical sequences, and order. Give it a chance to comprehend the material by grouping ideas and details into meaningful blocks. Restructure the material into easy to picture thoughts. When you perceive the unity and structure of the material you are studying, you will grasps its meaning much faster. Strive toward understanding the structure as well as the details.

Getting an overview of the chapters of a textbook by scanning the pages - the bold type headings and subheadings - can help your mind grasp hold of what it's about to read. It can better organize your thoughts, which will help you to retain what you have read.

© 2003 by C R Hamilton