After Reading

After Reading

Suggestions For Improving Speed Reading And Effectiveness

Slow, word-by-word, critical reading is an essential part of some reading tasks. However, when time and purpose is being considered, you must learn to adjust your reading speed and effectiveness. Thus, speed reading is not applicable to all types of reading situations. Learning the skill will, however, enable you to add an additional dimension to the scope of your current reading skills.

 

Major Causes of Slow Reading Speed

Individual variables such as intelligence, motivation, and physiological and psychological traits cause slow reading speed. Also included are:

1.  
   • Deficiencies in vocabulary and comprehension levels required by the particular reading material greatly affects reading rate. Learning will not help a student who has difficulty understanding the reading material. In addition, learning will not help a student who is hindered by an inadequate vocabulary to skip any faster through unknown or vaguely defined words.

Inflexibility – the tendency to read everything the same way regardless of what it is, why it is being read, etc.

Passivity – the failure to become involved with the material being read; the failure to interact with the author and to anticipate his following thoughts.

Unnecessary and habitual regression or re-reading due to lack of concentration.

Habitually slow "reaction time" to reading material – a general "rut" which makes attempts at faster reading extremely uncomfortable at first.

 

Where to Begin ... with Your Next Reading Assignment

1.  
   • Determine your PURPOSE for reading: What type of information do you really need the most? How long do you have to keep the information in mind? How useful this selection will be? Why was this reading assigned?
   • Be FLEXIBLE. Difficulty of the material and your purpose are the two factors that determine how to read a selection. Readers, especially college students, must realize that there are a number of reading speeds, not just one. These speeds must vary with the nature of the reading task – whether they are for leisure, as a review for tomorrow’s exam, etc. – and the reader's familiarity with the materials.

   PREVIEW the selection to be aware of its depth: Are you familiar with the field of study being discussed in your reading material? How many essential words are in it? Scan the introductions, subheads, italicized sentences, marginal notes, and conclusion first. Then, try to grasp the general thought structure the author wants to convey by integrating isolated clues.

   READ

   Make use of the head start you got during your preview.

   Read for ideas and concepts, not for isolated words only. Pace yourself fast enough that you have to read concepts, not words!

   Concentrate – if you push your rate up to capacity, you won't have time to think about other things. Set reasonable but stiff time goals and race the clock.

   Think, interpret, and analyze the FIRST time you read. Avoid unnecessary re-reading.

   Note key words (subjects, verbs, objects). TELEGRAPH the message to yourself.

Pace yourself as fast as your purpose will permit. Pacing will discourage the tendency toward habitual and unnecessary re-reading and helps to keep your attention focused on the page. Try using one or several of the SELF-PACING METHODS discussed earlier. It might be uncomfortable and unnatural at first, but becomes most effective after the "newness" wears off.

STRETCH when your momentum seems to be slowing down. Stop, close your eyes, and squeeze them together tightly for a second, then open them wide. Play around for a few minutes by pacing yourself through "simulated" reading of a book held upside down, page by page, at extremely rapid speeds JUST TO GET THE FEEL OF rapid, rhythmic movement down the page again. With new momentum established, turn the book right side up again and continue reading at your fastest possible speed.

TEST yourself. Stop at the end of each "section" of material and recall periodically what you have just read. For materials in which you must remember for a certain period of time, practice reading quickly and efficiently with the intent to recall the important information at the end of each chapter, section, or paragraph – depending upon the difficulty of the material. Make notes or underline if appropriate.

 

Effective Reading Methods

Reading Daily News Method

News is redundant – previewed yesterday, detailed today, and still will be summed up tomorrow. Thus, readers tend to not read news articles as extensively as other technical materials. Using this style of reading, called the Reading News Method, to other materials is useful. It disregards redundant information to save time.

You use the Reading News Method when you’re reading from a report, newspaper, magazine, or newsletter. You skip what you already know and read only the new information you need.

Reading Newspapers Method

In reading newspaper articles, look through the headlines and first paragraphs only. Reporters present 80% of the key information of the news in the opening paragraph. The subsequent supporting text should be read only as needed. Follow these strategies:

-          Ask yourself what other specific details you want.

-          Skim the article for the desired details. Don't read all the words unless you have enough time.

-          When finished with an article, go on to the next. This whole process should not take more than 10-15 minutes.

Close Reading Method

Close reading is the essence of the academic learning. It aims to acquire knowledge from materials with full retention of details. It divides into a number of separate steps, each vital, but ends as a whole.

Before reading a difficult piece of writing, take a few moments to close your eyes, relax, and take 2-3 deep breaths. This way, you can get all the comfort you will need in reading. Believe that you can read with full concentration, recognize key information, and achieve high comprehension quickly to accomplish the needs. Believe you can, and you will.

This may simply sound like "positive mental attitude." But realization of everything begins with affirmation, doesn’t it?

Exploratory Reading Method

Exploratory reading is the halfway point between skimming and close reading. It is similar to pleasure reading. You want to acquaint yourself with the subject, but you do not need complete understanding and retention. Perhaps you are reading supplementary material that you will not be held accountable for, or perhaps you only need to gain general knowledge from a text that will be available if you need to look up specific references.

Reading to Learn Method

Intensive reading or reading to learn is the style we employ when we want to gain a detailed understanding of the information contained in any reading materials, particularly educational or technical ones.

Following are some strategies on reading different academic materials that belong to this category:

1. Reading Computer Books

Spend some time reading the chapter headings and sub-headings from the index page.

Get familiar with the framework of the book – how the book is organized and broken down into its sub-components.

Skim the book: Read a sentence here, a sentence there. Look at a diagram here, a diagram there.

Look for new terminology, diagrams, and graphs that you haven't come across before.

After skimming the book, read the entire book through superficially. During this time, only concentrate on the sections of the book that you already know or understand, and completely skip over entries in the book that you don't.

Lastly, read the book again and this time, study the material. A lot of the content, the structure, and the feel of the book will be familiar to you. You should be able to tackle the entire book much easier.

Determine a purpose. What is it that you want to get from the printed page? Terms and definitions? Problem and solution? Research method?

Preview the printed pages to see how the ideas are organized. These include the title, the introduction, and the headings. Also, read the conclusion if there is one.

Read rapidly, only slowing down when you approach something relevant to the purpose you set.

Mark the lines or words that you want to remember. When you reach the end of the last page, quickly look back at the marked text for a rapid review. This should answer the question or purpose that you set before you started reading.

2. Reading Textbooks and Research Reports

Determine a purpose. What is it that you want to get from the printed page? Terms and definitions? Problem and solution? Research method?

Preview the printed pages to see how the ideas are organized. These include the title, the introduction, and the headings. Also, read the conclusion if there is one.

Read rapidly, only slowing down when you approach something relevant to the purpose you set.

Mark the lines or words that you want to remember. When you reach the end of the last page, quickly look back at the marked text for a rapid review. This should answer the question or purpose that you set before you started reading.

3. Reading a Novel

Read any information on the book cover or in the foreword that gives you ideas about the content of the story or about the author's reasons for writing the book.

Read the first chapter slowly and carefully. It should introduce the main characters and the problem or conflict that they face. The first chapter also develops some character traits and introduces other characters who influence attempts to resolve issues.

Plan how much of the book you will read at one sitting. If you become seriously restless after thirty minutes, plan to read for thirty minutes at a time. A more mature plan is to read one chapter at a time.

Determine what time of day you will always read making it a regular habit.

If reading a novel is an assignment for a book report, write a summary paragraph about the events in every chapter you have finished reading. Add a comment about anything else you think is significant. After you finish the last chapter, you should have a summary of the entire book composed of those chapter summaries that you wrote. Organizing it will then give you a good and effective book report.

You can also use a pacer such as the finger or a pen point to increase reading speed and reduce regressing back although it is not necessary. Remember, you are reading fiction and do not need the detailed precision that you do while reading academic subjects.

First and foremost, do homework exercises even if most professors do not require you to submit them. Home works are for your benefit, not the professor's. The exercises will train your mind and sharpen your intuition.

Math books are meant to be read slowly. No one who speed reads them can expect to get any benefit out of them at all.

Math books are meant to be read with paper and pencil in hand. Use the paper and pencil to work through any steps that the book skips over.

Go over each difficult paragraph several times. If you are still uncomfortable with it, read ahead a page or so, then come back to the difficult passage.

Try to see more than just procedures. Learn the concepts, and the procedures will seem obvious.

4. Reading Math Books

 

First and foremost, do homework exercises even if most professors do not require you to submit them. Home works are for your benefit, not the professor's. The exercises will train your mind and sharpen your intuition.

Math books are meant to be read slowly. No one who speed reads them can expect to get any benefit out of them at all.

Math books are meant to be read with paper and pencil in hand. Use the paper and pencil to work through any steps that the book skips over.

Go over each difficult paragraph several times. If you are still uncomfortable with it, read ahead a page or so, then come back to the difficult passage.

Try to see more than just procedures. Learn the concepts, and the procedures will seem obvious.

Activate Reading Method

During activation, you stimulate the brain, probing the mind with questions and exploring parts of the text to which you feel most attracted. You then concentrate on the most important parts of the text by scanning quickly down the center of each page or column of type. When you feel it is appropriate, you dip into the text for more focused reading to comprehend the details. When you activate, you involve your whole brain, connect the text with your conscious awareness, and achieve your goals for reading

About the Author

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