Feb
9
Speed Reading Tactics: How Do You Read Super Fast and Comprehend?
Filed Under Good read | Leave a Comment
Ed Caldwell asked:
The most often question I get asked is, “How can I read over 1500 words per minute and still understand, or comprehend the material?” Stated in another form, “Does speed reading really work?” Without writing an entire course, this article will try to answer these questions.
When people question about reading fast and not comprehending, there is a basic misunderstanding of terms. Reading is the mind’s response to print. If your mind is not responding when you are applying any speed reading technique, then you are in fact not reading. The word reading, then, always assumes some level of comprehension.
If you have been exposed to some program that teaches you how to move through materials at very high rates in the thousands of words per minute range and you are not comprehending, then the program has failed you. Recently I got an email from someone who told me they had been working with a computerized program and that they had increased their speed to over 2000 words per minute but were not comprehending much and asked if I could help. This was an excellent example of bad, misguided training.
There are two primary aspects of “speed reading.” The first is improving the mechanical aspect of reading. That happens with some sort of eye movement techniques. In fact, it is possible to physically move the eyes and see all the words in the material at rates of 10,000 - 100,000 words per minute. Naturally a speed reading program will contain this aspect. But unfortunately, this is about all that is trained, leaving the user frustrated as I so often hear.
The second aspect of speed reading is comprehension. Comprehension is the mind’s response to the symbols on the page. In effect, then, reading is thinking. You can read as fast as your mind can respond to the print. So, to truly speed read, you need to learn how to move your mind faster as well.
To answer the question, Does speed reading really work,” I say no! You work it! That means there are ways to train your brain to respond differently as you accelerate your speeds. What I have found to work best is to teach learners the mechanics first with some level of comprehension, but letting them relax and not worry about getting(memorizing) as they go thru this initial skill building stage.
After the learner is more comfortable with the physical/mechanical skills, then we build comprehension in a purposeful manner. When the learner has broken out of the old habits they have accumulated in the past, then they are taught how to monitor what the mind is doing as they don’t have to think so much about the eye mechanics.
One of the keys to comprehension is preparing the mind for reading. There are a wide assortment of tools to help this phase of training. The comprehension approach breaks the learner out from the traditional left brain approach they learned in early life and engage the whole brain. Or, in other words they learn how to activate the right hemisphere as well. One way of helping to do this is looking thru the material in a manner that gives you the “30,000 foot view” instead of the word-by-word view you were taught when first learning to read.
From that “high” view, you then learn to navigate at various levels depending on you needs and purposes. But remember, comprehension is you. It’s your mind’s response to print. As your eyes are moving through the material, ask yourself, “what am I thinking about?” If it has nothing to do with the print, you are not reading. You’re doing something else, possibly daydreaming, or criticizing yourself. Bring it back to the print. Again, speed reading does not work. You work it! Learn how to build better comprehension. Monitor what your mind is thinking about.
Caffeinated Content for WordPress
The most often question I get asked is, “How can I read over 1500 words per minute and still understand, or comprehend the material?” Stated in another form, “Does speed reading really work?” Without writing an entire course, this article will try to answer these questions.
When people question about reading fast and not comprehending, there is a basic misunderstanding of terms. Reading is the mind’s response to print. If your mind is not responding when you are applying any speed reading technique, then you are in fact not reading. The word reading, then, always assumes some level of comprehension.
If you have been exposed to some program that teaches you how to move through materials at very high rates in the thousands of words per minute range and you are not comprehending, then the program has failed you. Recently I got an email from someone who told me they had been working with a computerized program and that they had increased their speed to over 2000 words per minute but were not comprehending much and asked if I could help. This was an excellent example of bad, misguided training.
There are two primary aspects of “speed reading.” The first is improving the mechanical aspect of reading. That happens with some sort of eye movement techniques. In fact, it is possible to physically move the eyes and see all the words in the material at rates of 10,000 - 100,000 words per minute. Naturally a speed reading program will contain this aspect. But unfortunately, this is about all that is trained, leaving the user frustrated as I so often hear.
The second aspect of speed reading is comprehension. Comprehension is the mind’s response to the symbols on the page. In effect, then, reading is thinking. You can read as fast as your mind can respond to the print. So, to truly speed read, you need to learn how to move your mind faster as well.
To answer the question, Does speed reading really work,” I say no! You work it! That means there are ways to train your brain to respond differently as you accelerate your speeds. What I have found to work best is to teach learners the mechanics first with some level of comprehension, but letting them relax and not worry about getting(memorizing) as they go thru this initial skill building stage.
After the learner is more comfortable with the physical/mechanical skills, then we build comprehension in a purposeful manner. When the learner has broken out of the old habits they have accumulated in the past, then they are taught how to monitor what the mind is doing as they don’t have to think so much about the eye mechanics.
One of the keys to comprehension is preparing the mind for reading. There are a wide assortment of tools to help this phase of training. The comprehension approach breaks the learner out from the traditional left brain approach they learned in early life and engage the whole brain. Or, in other words they learn how to activate the right hemisphere as well. One way of helping to do this is looking thru the material in a manner that gives you the “30,000 foot view” instead of the word-by-word view you were taught when first learning to read.
From that “high” view, you then learn to navigate at various levels depending on you needs and purposes. But remember, comprehension is you. It’s your mind’s response to print. As your eyes are moving through the material, ask yourself, “what am I thinking about?” If it has nothing to do with the print, you are not reading. You’re doing something else, possibly daydreaming, or criticizing yourself. Bring it back to the print. Again, speed reading does not work. You work it! Learn how to build better comprehension. Monitor what your mind is thinking about.
Caffeinated Content for WordPress
Jan
26
Ed Caldwell asked:
There is so much misinformation about speed reading that as a user for over 30 years, and as an instructor of tens of thousands of learners from all walks of life and all levels of education, I feel compelled to debunk some of the most prevalent and popular myths. However, before we begin, it is essential to define what is reading.
Reading Defined
Although definitions may vary somewhat, reading can be defined as the act of interpreting visual symbols and deriving meaning from those symbols (letters, words, etc.).
If you accept this definition, then it follows that reading is a cognitive thinking skill. Therefore, one can read, as fast as one can think (or interpret) the visual symbols. So when someone wants to learn to speed read,there is a two-fold problem.
One is seeing the symbols more quickly (that’s the easy part), and secondly is getting the mind to respond more quickly. Said simply, there are 2 components to speed reading -developing the mechanical skills of getting the eyes to move more efficiently, and learning to push the mind to think and respond more quickly (comprehension).
Myth # 1 “It Doesn’t Really Work.”
This is both true and false. One of my biggest challenges with learners is the notion that if they enroll in a program, then magic will happen. Because of the nature of learning a new system of skills and habits is difficult, the learner must immerse themselves completely in the experience and let go of preconceived notions of what they believe about themselves as learners and loosen their attachment to the “see-say-hear-understand” habit they grew up with. What I tell learners is, “it doesn’t work, you work it.” In other words, Dynamic Speed Reading is a system, a methodology to be applied to the act of reading, but the reader has to bring themselves and their mind to the process. One technique outside of the process will not work for all reading situations.
Myth #2 “Speed Reading Is Merely About Moving Your Eyes Fast”
False. Although historically this is true, and most programs today focus almost exclusively on the speed of eye movements, this statement contradicts the definition of reading as stated earlier. In fact, this is the primary cause of cynicism and skepticism towards the concept of speed reading. It is not reading if you merely move your eyes and see all the print.
Learning the mechanics without learning the comprehension process is only part of the solution. If someone is serious about wanting to develop their efficient reading skills, a strong emphasis on how to build comprehension is critical for success.
I do not recommend software programs, or any other type of mechanical devices because of this. By definition, you can only read as fast as you can think or respond to the symbols on the page. Comprehension, or the cognitive skills, must be developed as well.
Myth # 3 “When Speed Reading You Lose Comprehension”
Again, false. Although the answer to this is included in myth 2, this needs additional explanation. As I explain this, keep in mind the premise that you are not reading if you are not comprehending. Comprehension means understanding.
The myth that speed reading and good comprehension don’t go together has developed not only because most programs focus on merely speed, but also because of the nature of the adult learner trying to change a lifetime of habits around.
Typically the adult learner has formed the belief/habit that in order to comprehend well, you need to start at the beginning and read word by word to the end in a linear fashion. This belief/habit was formed as a result of early reading training from school days. However, research has proven that comprehension is a process. In other words, we need to build comprehension like we build our learning of any other skill.
A useful analogy would be to take a trip to a new state, province, or country. You would start by looking at a map to get a general sense of direction of where you are to where you want to be. Next, you might look at the major highways that lead you there. Finally, you would focus on the specific streets that would get you to the point of your destination. Reading comprehension experts agree, comprehension must be built. Stated differently, you need to “prepare the mind to read.”
Another part of this myth’s development is due to the fact of the nature of the learning process in developing speed reading skills.
As the learner works on breaking the habit of focusing on individual words both visually and cognitively, a dynamic flow of eyes over stimuli (words) needs to be achieved in order to create meaning faster. Here we are talking about the mechanical skills. As the speed reading student first enters this phase of development, comprehension will decrease initially as he/she struggles to learn fluency of the mechanics.
This can be compared to first learning to drive a car. Remember? You had to focus on managing all various pedals, buttons, and mirrors while simultaneously navigating this ton of steel down the road safely. If you’ve been driving for years, you might not even be able to remember how clumsy you felt.
Another good comparison would be learning how to do a new dance. The learner needs ample time to build fluency.
Myth #4 “Speed Reading is Merely About Skimming, Scanning, Key-wording”
False. Skimming is sample reading portions of text - a sentence or two here and there, or some other approach. Skimming is a good “pre-reading” technique, but is not “dynamic speed reading” in itself.
Scanning, by definition, is to glance from point to point often hastily, casually, or in search of a particular item. We may scan the telephone book for a particular person’s number, scan the newspaper ads for a job, but we do not scan a new book, report, manual, etc. if we want to master it. Scanning may be used as an after reading technique, but is not speed reading.
Key-wording is an old speed reading technique where the learner was told “don’t focus on the unimportant words,” such as, “a”, “the,” “of.” This cannot be done.
Try this yourself: sit opposite someone who is about your height and look at their face. While you do this try to not see their nose. Sight, the mechanical part of reading, is impartial. Or in other words, you cannot not see something within your field of vision. Your mind may not register or respond to something your eyes see, but that is another issue. In fact, that again is the issue of comprehension which we have discussed.
Myth # 5 “You May Get Some Results At The End Of The Program, But They Don’t Last.”
This is both true and false. Reading is a skill like other skills, when you don’t do it for awhile, you will slow down. If you spent 5-10 years learning to play piano and then hadn’t touched the piano for 10-20 years, you would get rusty. All it takes once you have mastered it is occasional practice. When buying a program, look for long term support and follow-up.
Myth # 6 “If You Look At the Naturally Fast Readers, Only Really Smart People Can Speed Read”
The truth is one of the things that made these folks smart was the fact that they were voracious readers. They loved to read. When you develop more ease with reading, you’ll read more and enjoy it more, and learn more. When you read more, you’ll naturally get smarter!
Now that these 6 major falsehoods of speed reading have been explained, what will you commit to do to deal with your information overload? In today’s knowledge economy there is no other option but to learn a new approach to getting through the piles.
If you are committed to changing the old inefficient habits you are still dragging around with you, I encourage you to get help from a reputable organization that delivers the training with a personal touch. Trying to change your in-grained habits takes a dual commitment between the learner and the coach. A software program won’t do this. Neither will a book, cd, dvd, or trying to learn it piecemeal using free internet sources that often have misinformation and myths well mixed into the brew.
From our 30 years of experience, I know that it is not a myth to be able to read in thousands of words per minute. I know that almost anyone can double, triple, quadruple their reading performance with proper training and support.
We welcome to explore your capabilities of learning this important set of skills and help you “Master the Information.”
Caffeinated Content
There is so much misinformation about speed reading that as a user for over 30 years, and as an instructor of tens of thousands of learners from all walks of life and all levels of education, I feel compelled to debunk some of the most prevalent and popular myths. However, before we begin, it is essential to define what is reading.
Reading Defined
Although definitions may vary somewhat, reading can be defined as the act of interpreting visual symbols and deriving meaning from those symbols (letters, words, etc.).
If you accept this definition, then it follows that reading is a cognitive thinking skill. Therefore, one can read, as fast as one can think (or interpret) the visual symbols. So when someone wants to learn to speed read,there is a two-fold problem.
One is seeing the symbols more quickly (that’s the easy part), and secondly is getting the mind to respond more quickly. Said simply, there are 2 components to speed reading -developing the mechanical skills of getting the eyes to move more efficiently, and learning to push the mind to think and respond more quickly (comprehension).
Myth # 1 “It Doesn’t Really Work.”
This is both true and false. One of my biggest challenges with learners is the notion that if they enroll in a program, then magic will happen. Because of the nature of learning a new system of skills and habits is difficult, the learner must immerse themselves completely in the experience and let go of preconceived notions of what they believe about themselves as learners and loosen their attachment to the “see-say-hear-understand” habit they grew up with. What I tell learners is, “it doesn’t work, you work it.” In other words, Dynamic Speed Reading is a system, a methodology to be applied to the act of reading, but the reader has to bring themselves and their mind to the process. One technique outside of the process will not work for all reading situations.
Myth #2 “Speed Reading Is Merely About Moving Your Eyes Fast”
False. Although historically this is true, and most programs today focus almost exclusively on the speed of eye movements, this statement contradicts the definition of reading as stated earlier. In fact, this is the primary cause of cynicism and skepticism towards the concept of speed reading. It is not reading if you merely move your eyes and see all the print.
Learning the mechanics without learning the comprehension process is only part of the solution. If someone is serious about wanting to develop their efficient reading skills, a strong emphasis on how to build comprehension is critical for success.
I do not recommend software programs, or any other type of mechanical devices because of this. By definition, you can only read as fast as you can think or respond to the symbols on the page. Comprehension, or the cognitive skills, must be developed as well.
Myth # 3 “When Speed Reading You Lose Comprehension”
Again, false. Although the answer to this is included in myth 2, this needs additional explanation. As I explain this, keep in mind the premise that you are not reading if you are not comprehending. Comprehension means understanding.
The myth that speed reading and good comprehension don’t go together has developed not only because most programs focus on merely speed, but also because of the nature of the adult learner trying to change a lifetime of habits around.
Typically the adult learner has formed the belief/habit that in order to comprehend well, you need to start at the beginning and read word by word to the end in a linear fashion. This belief/habit was formed as a result of early reading training from school days. However, research has proven that comprehension is a process. In other words, we need to build comprehension like we build our learning of any other skill.
A useful analogy would be to take a trip to a new state, province, or country. You would start by looking at a map to get a general sense of direction of where you are to where you want to be. Next, you might look at the major highways that lead you there. Finally, you would focus on the specific streets that would get you to the point of your destination. Reading comprehension experts agree, comprehension must be built. Stated differently, you need to “prepare the mind to read.”
Another part of this myth’s development is due to the fact of the nature of the learning process in developing speed reading skills.
As the learner works on breaking the habit of focusing on individual words both visually and cognitively, a dynamic flow of eyes over stimuli (words) needs to be achieved in order to create meaning faster. Here we are talking about the mechanical skills. As the speed reading student first enters this phase of development, comprehension will decrease initially as he/she struggles to learn fluency of the mechanics.
This can be compared to first learning to drive a car. Remember? You had to focus on managing all various pedals, buttons, and mirrors while simultaneously navigating this ton of steel down the road safely. If you’ve been driving for years, you might not even be able to remember how clumsy you felt.
Another good comparison would be learning how to do a new dance. The learner needs ample time to build fluency.
Myth #4 “Speed Reading is Merely About Skimming, Scanning, Key-wording”
False. Skimming is sample reading portions of text - a sentence or two here and there, or some other approach. Skimming is a good “pre-reading” technique, but is not “dynamic speed reading” in itself.
Scanning, by definition, is to glance from point to point often hastily, casually, or in search of a particular item. We may scan the telephone book for a particular person’s number, scan the newspaper ads for a job, but we do not scan a new book, report, manual, etc. if we want to master it. Scanning may be used as an after reading technique, but is not speed reading.
Key-wording is an old speed reading technique where the learner was told “don’t focus on the unimportant words,” such as, “a”, “the,” “of.” This cannot be done.
Try this yourself: sit opposite someone who is about your height and look at their face. While you do this try to not see their nose. Sight, the mechanical part of reading, is impartial. Or in other words, you cannot not see something within your field of vision. Your mind may not register or respond to something your eyes see, but that is another issue. In fact, that again is the issue of comprehension which we have discussed.
Myth # 5 “You May Get Some Results At The End Of The Program, But They Don’t Last.”
This is both true and false. Reading is a skill like other skills, when you don’t do it for awhile, you will slow down. If you spent 5-10 years learning to play piano and then hadn’t touched the piano for 10-20 years, you would get rusty. All it takes once you have mastered it is occasional practice. When buying a program, look for long term support and follow-up.
Myth # 6 “If You Look At the Naturally Fast Readers, Only Really Smart People Can Speed Read”
The truth is one of the things that made these folks smart was the fact that they were voracious readers. They loved to read. When you develop more ease with reading, you’ll read more and enjoy it more, and learn more. When you read more, you’ll naturally get smarter!
Now that these 6 major falsehoods of speed reading have been explained, what will you commit to do to deal with your information overload? In today’s knowledge economy there is no other option but to learn a new approach to getting through the piles.
If you are committed to changing the old inefficient habits you are still dragging around with you, I encourage you to get help from a reputable organization that delivers the training with a personal touch. Trying to change your in-grained habits takes a dual commitment between the learner and the coach. A software program won’t do this. Neither will a book, cd, dvd, or trying to learn it piecemeal using free internet sources that often have misinformation and myths well mixed into the brew.
From our 30 years of experience, I know that it is not a myth to be able to read in thousands of words per minute. I know that almost anyone can double, triple, quadruple their reading performance with proper training and support.
We welcome to explore your capabilities of learning this important set of skills and help you “Master the Information.”
Caffeinated Content
Jan
8
What Is A Speed Reading Machine
Filed Under Good read | Leave a Comment
Jon Kelly asked:
When I first heard about the speed reading machine I could not quite understand how it worked. Speed reading is all about reading faster and not loosing any of the comprehension of the text.
So I thought that perhaps a speed reading machine was a way of guiding your reading with the techniques of spread reading i.e. the line and card technique and encouraging you to read each line at a glance from the middle of the line, by somehow focusing your attention down the middle of the page and then revealing the text line by line Well, dream on. The speed reading machine has nothing to do with speed reading!
What was described to me as a speed reading machine is in fact just a text converter. It takes text and converts it into audio files which can then be played on your computer, or walkman or MP3 player.
This machine is very useful and allows one to be absorbing reading material while on the move, and if you are a slow reader, it is faster than ploughing through the text. Also if children are dyslexic or have been diagnosed with either ADD or ADHD, then it is a good way for the child to get through their studies at a more comparable speed to the other children, and will hopefully stop the child from falling behind in class.
However, it will not speed up their reading. If anything, a child who gets used to absorbing text in this manner will not be practicing reading and will probably therefore get slower at reading!
As with all inventions there is definitely a use for it, but probably as an addition to reading, perhaps it should be targeted at those who travel a lot, but maybe not at children.
When I first heard about the speed reading machine I could not quite understand how it worked. Speed reading is all about reading faster and not loosing any of the comprehension of the text.
So I thought that perhaps a speed reading machine was a way of guiding your reading with the techniques of spread reading i.e. the line and card technique and encouraging you to read each line at a glance from the middle of the line, by somehow focusing your attention down the middle of the page and then revealing the text line by line Well, dream on. The speed reading machine has nothing to do with speed reading!
What was described to me as a speed reading machine is in fact just a text converter. It takes text and converts it into audio files which can then be played on your computer, or walkman or MP3 player.
This machine is very useful and allows one to be absorbing reading material while on the move, and if you are a slow reader, it is faster than ploughing through the text. Also if children are dyslexic or have been diagnosed with either ADD or ADHD, then it is a good way for the child to get through their studies at a more comparable speed to the other children, and will hopefully stop the child from falling behind in class.
However, it will not speed up their reading. If anything, a child who gets used to absorbing text in this manner will not be practicing reading and will probably therefore get slower at reading!
As with all inventions there is definitely a use for it, but probably as an addition to reading, perhaps it should be targeted at those who travel a lot, but maybe not at children.
Recent research has suggested that children under the age of 7 should not use a computer as this can delay their reading as they are not training their eyes to focus at the correct distance; also, children learn to read by following their fingers across the page, this teaches the brain the movement of the eyes from left to right.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how much equipment there is to help our children, they all need to learn to read. Hence the reading machine, which converts text to audio, may not be doing children any favours.
As an adult however, if you are forever having to sit and dredge through the latest articles in your chosen field, then the a reading machine may allow you to get through more of these as are you can continue to absorb the information when walking, jogging or even at the gym.
It seems that although all these gadgets can help, there is nothing like actually being able to read, from there learning to speed read, and then if you really want to maximize your time efficiency, then add a reading machine for times when you are on the move.
Unfortunately a reading machine will not teach you to speed read, but it will present information in a readily absorbable format. Perhaps the type of person who is interested in this type of machine is the perfect person to learn to speed read!
; also, children learn to read by following their fingers across the page, this teaches the brain the movement of the eyes from left to right.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how much equipment there is to help our children, they all need to learn to read. Hence the reading machine, which converts text to audio, may not be doing children any favours.
As an adult however, if you are forever having to sit and dredge through the latest articles in your chosen field, then the a reading machine may allow you to get through more of these as are you can continue to absorb the information when walking, jogging or even at the gym.
It seems that although all these gadgets can help, there is nothing like actually being able to read, from there learning to speed read, and then if you really want to maximize your time efficiency, then add a reading machine for times when you are on the move.
Unfortunately a reading machine will not teach you to speed read, but it will present information in a readily absorbable format. Perhaps the type of person who is interested in this type of machine is the perfect person to learn to speed read!
Kansieo.com
When I first heard about the speed reading machine I could not quite understand how it worked. Speed reading is all about reading faster and not loosing any of the comprehension of the text.
So I thought that perhaps a speed reading machine was a way of guiding your reading with the techniques of spread reading i.e. the line and card technique and encouraging you to read each line at a glance from the middle of the line, by somehow focusing your attention down the middle of the page and then revealing the text line by line Well, dream on. The speed reading machine has nothing to do with speed reading!
What was described to me as a speed reading machine is in fact just a text converter. It takes text and converts it into audio files which can then be played on your computer, or walkman or MP3 player.
This machine is very useful and allows one to be absorbing reading material while on the move, and if you are a slow reader, it is faster than ploughing through the text. Also if children are dyslexic or have been diagnosed with either ADD or ADHD, then it is a good way for the child to get through their studies at a more comparable speed to the other children, and will hopefully stop the child from falling behind in class.
However, it will not speed up their reading. If anything, a child who gets used to absorbing text in this manner will not be practicing reading and will probably therefore get slower at reading!
As with all inventions there is definitely a use for it, but probably as an addition to reading, perhaps it should be targeted at those who travel a lot, but maybe not at children.
When I first heard about the speed reading machine I could not quite understand how it worked. Speed reading is all about reading faster and not loosing any of the comprehension of the text.
So I thought that perhaps a speed reading machine was a way of guiding your reading with the techniques of spread reading i.e. the line and card technique and encouraging you to read each line at a glance from the middle of the line, by somehow focusing your attention down the middle of the page and then revealing the text line by line Well, dream on. The speed reading machine has nothing to do with speed reading!
What was described to me as a speed reading machine is in fact just a text converter. It takes text and converts it into audio files which can then be played on your computer, or walkman or MP3 player.
This machine is very useful and allows one to be absorbing reading material while on the move, and if you are a slow reader, it is faster than ploughing through the text. Also if children are dyslexic or have been diagnosed with either ADD or ADHD, then it is a good way for the child to get through their studies at a more comparable speed to the other children, and will hopefully stop the child from falling behind in class.
However, it will not speed up their reading. If anything, a child who gets used to absorbing text in this manner will not be practicing reading and will probably therefore get slower at reading!
As with all inventions there is definitely a use for it, but probably as an addition to reading, perhaps it should be targeted at those who travel a lot, but maybe not at children.
Recent research has suggested that children under the age of 7 should not use a computer as this can delay their reading as they are not training their eyes to focus at the correct distance; also, children learn to read by following their fingers across the page, this teaches the brain the movement of the eyes from left to right.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how much equipment there is to help our children, they all need to learn to read. Hence the reading machine, which converts text to audio, may not be doing children any favours.
As an adult however, if you are forever having to sit and dredge through the latest articles in your chosen field, then the a reading machine may allow you to get through more of these as are you can continue to absorb the information when walking, jogging or even at the gym.
It seems that although all these gadgets can help, there is nothing like actually being able to read, from there learning to speed read, and then if you really want to maximize your time efficiency, then add a reading machine for times when you are on the move.
Unfortunately a reading machine will not teach you to speed read, but it will present information in a readily absorbable format. Perhaps the type of person who is interested in this type of machine is the perfect person to learn to speed read!
; also, children learn to read by following their fingers across the page, this teaches the brain the movement of the eyes from left to right.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how much equipment there is to help our children, they all need to learn to read. Hence the reading machine, which converts text to audio, may not be doing children any favours.
As an adult however, if you are forever having to sit and dredge through the latest articles in your chosen field, then the a reading machine may allow you to get through more of these as are you can continue to absorb the information when walking, jogging or even at the gym.
It seems that although all these gadgets can help, there is nothing like actually being able to read, from there learning to speed read, and then if you really want to maximize your time efficiency, then add a reading machine for times when you are on the move.
Unfortunately a reading machine will not teach you to speed read, but it will present information in a readily absorbable format. Perhaps the type of person who is interested in this type of machine is the perfect person to learn to speed read!
Kansieo.com
Dec
15
News Paper Reading Habit Among the Professional College Staff Members for Various Points of View: a Survey
Filed Under Good read | Leave a Comment
arulraj and viji asked:
INTRODUCTION
News papers have collected information from all directions. It helps to improve reading habit, knowledge skills and current awareness about world. Most of the people wish they read more. It is an activity that is both fun and enlightening. It can help us be more knowledgeable and successful. However, it is an activity that many people don’t engage in very much. According to the 1999 National Household Education Survey, 50% of the U.S. population aged 25 and over read a newspaper at least once a week, read one or more magazines regularly, and had read a book in the past 6 months. What does this mean? It means that 50% of the population hasn’t read a book in the last six months! And most of the staff members read the news papers for various purposes it’s clearly defined this article. So now a day news papers reading habit important for all the staff members because more information’s exist and to identify the latest development in their subject or field.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Begum and Ramesh (1991) investigated the Factors inhibiting the public library use; A case study of city central library, Mysore. This article “Factors inhibiting the public library use” analyzed the responses gathered from the users of the City central library, Mysore, India. Assesses the reading interests, factors inimical to the use of City central library, availability of reading materials and the necessary improvements suggested by the users to the existing conditions of City central library ., Mysore.
Somsong(1999), Reading habit promotion in ASEAN libraries. This paper described the different activities that ASEAN Libraries had undertaken to promote reading by increasing awareness among their people. Firstly, factors limiting reading habit in ASEAN Libraries had been approached. Secondly roles of local institutes or organizations in helping libraries conducting reading habit promotion had been acknowledged. Finally some suggestions on effective methods and successful programs of reading habit promotion by ASEAN Libraries had been collected
Bndaka(2007) investigated the using newspaper articles to develop students’ Reading skills in senior high school that the aim of this paper is to present a reading lesson which was initially designed for the students of Peiramatiko Senior High School (Experimental Senior High School) of Patras, Greece and more specifically for class A of Senior High School. The main aim of the lesson was to develop the students’ reading skills using a newspaper article and help student’s gain confidence when faced with authentic texts. The planning of the lesson was based on the belief that students should be exposed as much as possible to authentic reading texts so that they are given the chance to encounter real language and not only the language made up of course books
RESEARCH DESIGN
This topic deals with the content and the meaning of the undertaking study in terms of objectives and process of analyzing the formation of hypothesis. It also explains the methodology of study with respect to sampling from interview schedule, sources of data, method of data analysis and limitation of study.
Objectives
The main aim of the study is to analyze the News paper reading habit among the professional college staff members for various points of view: A survey. The following are the subsequent objectives:
1. To study the socio economic conditions of professional college staff members.
2. To study the news reading habit among the professional college staff communities.
3. To observed the professional college staff members read the news paper for various purpose
4. To make suggestions for the effective reading of news papers in the professional college staff community.
Methodology
For realizing the objectives of any study data, it is required and in turn, for the collection of data, a field is selected to realize the objectives of the study to collect data required for the purpose, the researcher choose News paper reading habit among the professional college staff members for various points of view: A survey
Method of data collection
For collecting the data the researcher has prepared interview schedule for the users and distributed to them. The empirical research design and random sampling technique was applied to select the sample.110 questioners were distributed to the sample and 105 were received back. Out of the 105 samples taken from professional college staff members in Einstein college of Engineering, Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu. 11 samples were from professor and 24 samples were from Asst. professor. 39 samples were from lecturer, 28 samples were from Non teaching staff and 3 samples were from others staff community.
Data Analysis
The collected data were entered in the master table and sub-tables were created. The statistical tools like average and weighted percentage have been used.
ANALYSIS
SOCIO ECONOMIC BACKGROUND OF THE STAFF MEMBERS
Table.1
Distribution of professional college staff community according to ***.
S.No Occupation Male Female Total
1 Professor 6
(54.5)
5
(45.5) 11
(10.5)
2 Asst. Professor 14
(58.3) 10
(41.7)
24
(22.8)
3 Lecturer 31
(79.5)
8
(20.5) 39
(37.1)
4 Non teaching staff 22
(78.6)
6
(21.4) 28
(26.7)
5 Others 2
(66.7)
1
(33.3) 3
(2.9)
Total 75
(71.4) 30
(28.6) 105
(100)
Note: * Source computed
** Entries within parenthesis denote percentage
The data in table 1 indicate the distribution of professional college staff members according to ***. Out of all the respondents, 71.4 percent are male followed by Female (28.6).
Among all the professional staff members, more than 75 percent of the respondents from male are seen in Lecturer (79.5) and Non teaching (78.6) staff communities and more female respondents are seen in Professor (45.5) and Asst. Professor (41.7) staff communities.
It is clearly seen from the above discussion that the more than 75 percent of male staff members in lecturer and Non teaching staff are reading the news paper then female.
Table.2
Distribution of professional college staff community according to their occupation wise.
S.No Occupation No. of Response No response
1 Professor 11(10.5) -
2 Asst. Professor 24(22.8) -
3 Lecturer 39(37.1) -
4 Non teaching staff 28(26.7) -
5 Others 3(2.9) -
Total 105(100) -
Note: * Source computed
** Entries within parenthesis denote percentage
The data in table 2 indicate the distribution of professional college staff according to their occupation wise. Out of all the respondents, Most of the respondents are lecturers (37.1) and followed by the non teaching staff (26.7), Asst. Professor (22.8), Professor (10.5) and few respondents (2.9) are others staff member
NEWS PAPER READING HABIT
Table.3
Distribution of professional college staff members according to the habit of reading news papers.
S.No
Professional college staff Habit of reading news papers
Total
Yes No
1 Professor 7
(63.6) 4
(36.4) 11
(10.5)
2 Asst..Professor 19
(79.2) 5
(20.8) 24
(22.8)
3 Lecturer 30
(76.9) 9
(23.1) 39
(37.1)
4 Non teaching staff 26
(92.8) 2
(7.2) 28
(26.7)
5 Others 1
(33.3) 2
(66.7) 3
(2.9)
Total 83
(79.0) 22
(21.0) 105
(100)
Note: * Source computed
** Entries within parenthesis denote percentage
The data in table 3 indicate the distribution of professional college staff members according to the habit of reading news papers. Out of all the total respondents, 79.0 percent are having the habit of reading news papers and (21.0) respondents do not have the habit of reading news papers.
Among all the professional college staff members , majority of respondents are from non teaching staff who are having the habit of reading news papers followed by Asst.Professor (79.2), and Professor (63.6). More respondents from others (66.2) do not have the habit of reading news papers.
Table.4
S.No Frequency Response Percentage
1 Daily 35 33.3
2 Twice or Thrice per week 31 29.5
3 Once in a week 22 21.0
4 Very rarely 17 16.2
5 Never 0 0.0
Total 105 100
Distribution of professional course staff members according to frequency of reading news papers
Source: computed
The data in table 4 indicate the distribution of professional course staff members according to the frequency of reading news papers. Among all the total respondents, 33.3 percent are to read the news papers ‘daily’ and followed by the persons are Twice or thrice per week (29.5), once in a week (21.0), very rarely (16.2) and no one (0.0) never read the news papers.
Table.5
Distribution of professional college staff community according to the reading habit of news papers from various points of view.
Professional college staff Reading News papers for various point of view
Total
Main heading Important news Political news Employment
news Entertainment news
Professor 2
(28.6) 2
(8.6) 2
(28.6) 1
(14.2) 0
(0.0) 7
(8.4)
Asst..Professor 5
(26.3) 4
(21.1) 0
(0.0) 10
(52.6) 0
(0.0) 19
(22.9)
Lecturer 7
(23.3) 2
(6.7) 6
(20.0) 15
(50.0) 0
(0.0) 30
(36.1)
Non Teaching staff 0
(0.0) 0
(0.0) 2
(7.7) 16
(61.5) 8
(30.8) 26
(31.3)
Others 0
(0.0) 0
(0.0) 0
(0.0) 0
(0.0) 1
(10.0) 1
(1.3)
Total 14
(16.9) 8
(9.6) 10
(12.1) 42
(50.6) 9
(10.8) 83
(100)
Note: * Source computed
** Entries within parenthesis denote percentage
The data in table 4 indicate the distribution of professional college staff members from various points of view. Out of all the total respondents, 50.6 percent read news papers for employment news, followed by the Main headings (16.9), Political news (12.1), Entertainment (10.8) and important news (9.6).
Among all categories of the college staff members, more than half of respondents are lecturers (50.0), ***. Professors (52.6) and Non teaching staff community read the news paper for employment news. Others staff community read entertainment news only. Few respondents who are professor (28.6) and Asst.Professor (26.3) read main headings and important news in the news papers.
FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSION
SOCIO ECONOMIC BACKGROUND OF THE STAFF MEMBERS
The findings on distribution of professional college staff members according to *** revealed the following facts. The staff members from male read the news papers than female.
NEWS PAPER READING HABIT AND VARIOUR PURPOSE
The findings on distribution of professional college staff members according to habit of reading news papers revealed following facts. More than 75 percent of the professional college staff members are having the habit of reading news papers. More Non teaching staff communities have the habit of reading news paper. More others group staff community do not have the habit of reading news paper.
The findings on distribution of professional college staff members according to frequency of reading news papers revealed following facts most of staff members read the news papers daily and twice or thrice per week. Some staff members read the news papers once in a week and very rarely.
The findings on distribution of professional college staff members according to the reading habit of news papers from various points of views revealed following facts. More than half of the staff members are Non teaching, Asst. professor and lecturer read the news papers for employment news purpose .Others staff community read only entertainment news from the news paper.
Constraints:
Most of the staff members have felt that news papers must be read completely but time is too short for them to read the news paper.
SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
In order to maintain and raise the News paper reading habit among the professional college staff members for various points of view the following suggestions may be found useful.
1. To promote news paper reading habit among the others staff community in professional college.
2. Electronic news papers are more help to read all information very short period.
3. Online news papers may help to find out latest development in various field, employment news, and other important news.
4. Now day’s professional college staff members must read the news papers for improve their knowledge skills.
5. The educational institutions should motivate and give opportunity to the professional college staff members for read online news papers and improve their knowledge skills.
6. The following are some suggestions to help you strengthen your reading habit ways to find and make more time for reading, always have a book around, set a reading goal, keep a log, keep a list, turn off the television, listen when you can’t read, Join a reading group or book club, Join a reading group or book club, build your own strategy and drop everything read
CONCLUSION
In this study the researcher concluded that the staff members from male read the news papers than female. More than 75 percent of the professional college staff members are having the habit of reading news papers. More Non teaching staff communities have the habit of reading news paper. Majority of the staff members read the news papers for employment and entertainment news only.
REFERENCES
BOOKS
Allen, Harrell.T. New methods in Social Science Research. New york: Praeger Publishers, 1978
Kothari, C.P. Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques. New Delhi: Wishwa prakashan, 1990.
Kumaresan, S.C and Swaminathan,S. Library science unleashed. Trichy: Rock City Publications, 2003
JOURNALS
Begum, Khaiser Jahan and Ramesh, C.P. “Factors inhibiting the public library use: A case study of city central library, Mysore.” Library Review. (1991): 332-350.
Bertot,John Carlo, Mcclure, Charles R and Ryan ,Joe Statistics. “Performance Measures for Public Library Networked Services.” Library and Information Science Research.23 (3)2001:299-300
Bndaka ,Eleni. “Using newspaper articles to develop students’ Reading skills in senior high school”. The Reading Matrix 7 (1)(2007)
Somsong, Sangkaeo . “Reading habit promotion in ASEAN libraries.” 65th IFLA Council and General Conference Bangkok, Thailand. 28August1999.
Yilmaz ,Bülent. “Reading and library usage habits of the students whose mother tongue is Turkish in Vienna, Austria.”66thIFL council and General conference Jerusalem, Israel. (2000): 13-18.
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INTRODUCTION
News papers have collected information from all directions. It helps to improve reading habit, knowledge skills and current awareness about world. Most of the people wish they read more. It is an activity that is both fun and enlightening. It can help us be more knowledgeable and successful. However, it is an activity that many people don’t engage in very much. According to the 1999 National Household Education Survey, 50% of the U.S. population aged 25 and over read a newspaper at least once a week, read one or more magazines regularly, and had read a book in the past 6 months. What does this mean? It means that 50% of the population hasn’t read a book in the last six months! And most of the staff members read the news papers for various purposes it’s clearly defined this article. So now a day news papers reading habit important for all the staff members because more information’s exist and to identify the latest development in their subject or field.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Begum and Ramesh (1991) investigated the Factors inhibiting the public library use; A case study of city central library, Mysore. This article “Factors inhibiting the public library use” analyzed the responses gathered from the users of the City central library, Mysore, India. Assesses the reading interests, factors inimical to the use of City central library, availability of reading materials and the necessary improvements suggested by the users to the existing conditions of City central library ., Mysore.
Somsong(1999), Reading habit promotion in ASEAN libraries. This paper described the different activities that ASEAN Libraries had undertaken to promote reading by increasing awareness among their people. Firstly, factors limiting reading habit in ASEAN Libraries had been approached. Secondly roles of local institutes or organizations in helping libraries conducting reading habit promotion had been acknowledged. Finally some suggestions on effective methods and successful programs of reading habit promotion by ASEAN Libraries had been collected
Bndaka(2007) investigated the using newspaper articles to develop students’ Reading skills in senior high school that the aim of this paper is to present a reading lesson which was initially designed for the students of Peiramatiko Senior High School (Experimental Senior High School) of Patras, Greece and more specifically for class A of Senior High School. The main aim of the lesson was to develop the students’ reading skills using a newspaper article and help student’s gain confidence when faced with authentic texts. The planning of the lesson was based on the belief that students should be exposed as much as possible to authentic reading texts so that they are given the chance to encounter real language and not only the language made up of course books
RESEARCH DESIGN
This topic deals with the content and the meaning of the undertaking study in terms of objectives and process of analyzing the formation of hypothesis. It also explains the methodology of study with respect to sampling from interview schedule, sources of data, method of data analysis and limitation of study.
Objectives
The main aim of the study is to analyze the News paper reading habit among the professional college staff members for various points of view: A survey. The following are the subsequent objectives:
1. To study the socio economic conditions of professional college staff members.
2. To study the news reading habit among the professional college staff communities.
3. To observed the professional college staff members read the news paper for various purpose
4. To make suggestions for the effective reading of news papers in the professional college staff community.
Methodology
For realizing the objectives of any study data, it is required and in turn, for the collection of data, a field is selected to realize the objectives of the study to collect data required for the purpose, the researcher choose News paper reading habit among the professional college staff members for various points of view: A survey
Method of data collection
For collecting the data the researcher has prepared interview schedule for the users and distributed to them. The empirical research design and random sampling technique was applied to select the sample.110 questioners were distributed to the sample and 105 were received back. Out of the 105 samples taken from professional college staff members in Einstein college of Engineering, Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu. 11 samples were from professor and 24 samples were from Asst. professor. 39 samples were from lecturer, 28 samples were from Non teaching staff and 3 samples were from others staff community.
Data Analysis
The collected data were entered in the master table and sub-tables were created. The statistical tools like average and weighted percentage have been used.
ANALYSIS
SOCIO ECONOMIC BACKGROUND OF THE STAFF MEMBERS
Table.1
Distribution of professional college staff community according to ***.
S.No Occupation Male Female Total
1 Professor 6
(54.5)
5
(45.5) 11
(10.5)
2 Asst. Professor 14
(58.3) 10
(41.7)
24
(22.8)
3 Lecturer 31
(79.5)
8
(20.5) 39
(37.1)
4 Non teaching staff 22
(78.6)
6
(21.4) 28
(26.7)
5 Others 2
(66.7)
1
(33.3) 3
(2.9)
Total 75
(71.4) 30
(28.6) 105
(100)
Note: * Source computed
** Entries within parenthesis denote percentage
The data in table 1 indicate the distribution of professional college staff members according to ***. Out of all the respondents, 71.4 percent are male followed by Female (28.6).
Among all the professional staff members, more than 75 percent of the respondents from male are seen in Lecturer (79.5) and Non teaching (78.6) staff communities and more female respondents are seen in Professor (45.5) and Asst. Professor (41.7) staff communities.
It is clearly seen from the above discussion that the more than 75 percent of male staff members in lecturer and Non teaching staff are reading the news paper then female.
Table.2
Distribution of professional college staff community according to their occupation wise.
S.No Occupation No. of Response No response
1 Professor 11(10.5) -
2 Asst. Professor 24(22.8) -
3 Lecturer 39(37.1) -
4 Non teaching staff 28(26.7) -
5 Others 3(2.9) -
Total 105(100) -
Note: * Source computed
** Entries within parenthesis denote percentage
The data in table 2 indicate the distribution of professional college staff according to their occupation wise. Out of all the respondents, Most of the respondents are lecturers (37.1) and followed by the non teaching staff (26.7), Asst. Professor (22.8), Professor (10.5) and few respondents (2.9) are others staff member
NEWS PAPER READING HABIT
Table.3
Distribution of professional college staff members according to the habit of reading news papers.
S.No
Professional college staff Habit of reading news papers
Total
Yes No
1 Professor 7
(63.6) 4
(36.4) 11
(10.5)
2 Asst..Professor 19
(79.2) 5
(20.8) 24
(22.8)
3 Lecturer 30
(76.9) 9
(23.1) 39
(37.1)
4 Non teaching staff 26
(92.8) 2
(7.2) 28
(26.7)
5 Others 1
(33.3) 2
(66.7) 3
(2.9)
Total 83
(79.0) 22
(21.0) 105
(100)
Note: * Source computed
** Entries within parenthesis denote percentage
The data in table 3 indicate the distribution of professional college staff members according to the habit of reading news papers. Out of all the total respondents, 79.0 percent are having the habit of reading news papers and (21.0) respondents do not have the habit of reading news papers.
Among all the professional college staff members , majority of respondents are from non teaching staff who are having the habit of reading news papers followed by Asst.Professor (79.2), and Professor (63.6). More respondents from others (66.2) do not have the habit of reading news papers.
Table.4
S.No Frequency Response Percentage
1 Daily 35 33.3
2 Twice or Thrice per week 31 29.5
3 Once in a week 22 21.0
4 Very rarely 17 16.2
5 Never 0 0.0
Total 105 100
Distribution of professional course staff members according to frequency of reading news papers
Source: computed
The data in table 4 indicate the distribution of professional course staff members according to the frequency of reading news papers. Among all the total respondents, 33.3 percent are to read the news papers ‘daily’ and followed by the persons are Twice or thrice per week (29.5), once in a week (21.0), very rarely (16.2) and no one (0.0) never read the news papers.
Table.5
Distribution of professional college staff community according to the reading habit of news papers from various points of view.
Professional college staff Reading News papers for various point of view
Total
Main heading Important news Political news Employment
news Entertainment news
Professor 2
(28.6) 2
(8.6) 2
(28.6) 1
(14.2) 0
(0.0) 7
(8.4)
Asst..Professor 5
(26.3) 4
(21.1) 0
(0.0) 10
(52.6) 0
(0.0) 19
(22.9)
Lecturer 7
(23.3) 2
(6.7) 6
(20.0) 15
(50.0) 0
(0.0) 30
(36.1)
Non Teaching staff 0
(0.0) 0
(0.0) 2
(7.7) 16
(61.5) 8
(30.8) 26
(31.3)
Others 0
(0.0) 0
(0.0) 0
(0.0) 0
(0.0) 1
(10.0) 1
(1.3)
Total 14
(16.9) 8
(9.6) 10
(12.1) 42
(50.6) 9
(10.8) 83
(100)
Note: * Source computed
** Entries within parenthesis denote percentage
The data in table 4 indicate the distribution of professional college staff members from various points of view. Out of all the total respondents, 50.6 percent read news papers for employment news, followed by the Main headings (16.9), Political news (12.1), Entertainment (10.8) and important news (9.6).
Among all categories of the college staff members, more than half of respondents are lecturers (50.0), ***. Professors (52.6) and Non teaching staff community read the news paper for employment news. Others staff community read entertainment news only. Few respondents who are professor (28.6) and Asst.Professor (26.3) read main headings and important news in the news papers.
FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSION
SOCIO ECONOMIC BACKGROUND OF THE STAFF MEMBERS
The findings on distribution of professional college staff members according to *** revealed the following facts. The staff members from male read the news papers than female.
NEWS PAPER READING HABIT AND VARIOUR PURPOSE
The findings on distribution of professional college staff members according to habit of reading news papers revealed following facts. More than 75 percent of the professional college staff members are having the habit of reading news papers. More Non teaching staff communities have the habit of reading news paper. More others group staff community do not have the habit of reading news paper.
The findings on distribution of professional college staff members according to frequency of reading news papers revealed following facts most of staff members read the news papers daily and twice or thrice per week. Some staff members read the news papers once in a week and very rarely.
The findings on distribution of professional college staff members according to the reading habit of news papers from various points of views revealed following facts. More than half of the staff members are Non teaching, Asst. professor and lecturer read the news papers for employment news purpose .Others staff community read only entertainment news from the news paper.
Constraints:
Most of the staff members have felt that news papers must be read completely but time is too short for them to read the news paper.
SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
In order to maintain and raise the News paper reading habit among the professional college staff members for various points of view the following suggestions may be found useful.
1. To promote news paper reading habit among the others staff community in professional college.
2. Electronic news papers are more help to read all information very short period.
3. Online news papers may help to find out latest development in various field, employment news, and other important news.
4. Now day’s professional college staff members must read the news papers for improve their knowledge skills.
5. The educational institutions should motivate and give opportunity to the professional college staff members for read online news papers and improve their knowledge skills.
6. The following are some suggestions to help you strengthen your reading habit ways to find and make more time for reading, always have a book around, set a reading goal, keep a log, keep a list, turn off the television, listen when you can’t read, Join a reading group or book club, Join a reading group or book club, build your own strategy and drop everything read
CONCLUSION
In this study the researcher concluded that the staff members from male read the news papers than female. More than 75 percent of the professional college staff members are having the habit of reading news papers. More Non teaching staff communities have the habit of reading news paper. Majority of the staff members read the news papers for employment and entertainment news only.
REFERENCES
BOOKS
Allen, Harrell.T. New methods in Social Science Research. New york: Praeger Publishers, 1978
Kothari, C.P. Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques. New Delhi: Wishwa prakashan, 1990.
Kumaresan, S.C and Swaminathan,S. Library science unleashed. Trichy: Rock City Publications, 2003
JOURNALS
Begum, Khaiser Jahan and Ramesh, C.P. “Factors inhibiting the public library use: A case study of city central library, Mysore.” Library Review. (1991): 332-350.
Bertot,John Carlo, Mcclure, Charles R and Ryan ,Joe Statistics. “Performance Measures for Public Library Networked Services.” Library and Information Science Research.23 (3)2001:299-300
Bndaka ,Eleni. “Using newspaper articles to develop students’ Reading skills in senior high school”. The Reading Matrix 7 (1)(2007)
Somsong, Sangkaeo . “Reading habit promotion in ASEAN libraries.” 65th IFLA Council and General Conference Bangkok, Thailand. 28August1999.
Yilmaz ,Bülent. “Reading and library usage habits of the students whose mother tongue is Turkish in Vienna, Austria.”66thIFL council and General conference Jerusalem, Israel. (2000): 13-18.
Create a video blog…instantly.
Oct
28
Kevin Sinclair asked:
Whether the book you choose to read is one that will have you looking into the future world of Big Brother, going back to the days or prehistoric monsters, or the kind which will make you drift off with the sounds of small silver waves lapping on a white sandy beach, reading the book is sure to be a great help in reducing your stress levels.
Along with reducing the stress in your life, reading a good book can open all sorts of doors leading to visions and aspirations of things you would never have dreamed possible before. It can also be a great aide when you have problems which you need to solve.
Reading is an excellent escape and provides a good way to relax. Curl up with a good book and all your worries and cares go out of the window, at least for a short while, as you are taken off to far away places, maybe in a different time period, bringing new ideas and thoughts to your mind. It’s almost like awarding your mind with a vacation but without incurring the huge costs, especially if you take advantage of your local library.
A great deal of knowledge to help you with problem solving can be gleaned from reading, and this in turn will help to reduce the stress in your life. Lets say, for example you have put on a bit of weight and you are stressed out about this. The more you put on, the more stressed you become, so what do you do? Yes, eat more! No! That’s not the way to do it! You could read a book about nutrition. This will not only show you how to plan your meals, making sure they are low in calories and fat, but if you adhere to what the book teaches you, you will also lose weight, and consequently the stress factor will disappear too.
Reading also gives hope and inspiration in a way which will relieve stress. Stories of rags to riches and biographies of famous people, which detail how they got to where they are today can only encourage you to overcome your struggles and take on the challenges you are faced with.
Books on self help are an effective stress reliever too. They encourage you to explore and discover how you feel about yourself and suggest learning how to play or just listening to music or performing deep breathing exercises can help you to cope with stressful situations.
There are, of course, times where reading can actually boost your levels of stress. You may be studying for a test or examination and panicking about whether or not you are going to reach the pass mark, or maybe you are reading about a tragic event involving someone or something close to your heart. This is why you should choose carefully the material you intend reading to reduce your stress levels. An interesting novel is possibly the best medicine you can take and there are no risks of side effects either. A good book, whatever the subject matter, can transport you away from your frustrations and anxieties, allowing a free rein on your imagination, and exercising your mind which in turn will leave you refreshed and ready to take on the world.
Once you become a book reader you will understand the affects reading has on reducing stress. Pick up a book of poetry, a travel guide or a cookery book. You never know, you may decide to put the words of the cookbook into practice and have a go at a new recipe in the book. Just remember to make it low in fat and calories if you do!
Website content
Whether the book you choose to read is one that will have you looking into the future world of Big Brother, going back to the days or prehistoric monsters, or the kind which will make you drift off with the sounds of small silver waves lapping on a white sandy beach, reading the book is sure to be a great help in reducing your stress levels.
Along with reducing the stress in your life, reading a good book can open all sorts of doors leading to visions and aspirations of things you would never have dreamed possible before. It can also be a great aide when you have problems which you need to solve.
Reading is an excellent escape and provides a good way to relax. Curl up with a good book and all your worries and cares go out of the window, at least for a short while, as you are taken off to far away places, maybe in a different time period, bringing new ideas and thoughts to your mind. It’s almost like awarding your mind with a vacation but without incurring the huge costs, especially if you take advantage of your local library.
A great deal of knowledge to help you with problem solving can be gleaned from reading, and this in turn will help to reduce the stress in your life. Lets say, for example you have put on a bit of weight and you are stressed out about this. The more you put on, the more stressed you become, so what do you do? Yes, eat more! No! That’s not the way to do it! You could read a book about nutrition. This will not only show you how to plan your meals, making sure they are low in calories and fat, but if you adhere to what the book teaches you, you will also lose weight, and consequently the stress factor will disappear too.
Reading also gives hope and inspiration in a way which will relieve stress. Stories of rags to riches and biographies of famous people, which detail how they got to where they are today can only encourage you to overcome your struggles and take on the challenges you are faced with.
Books on self help are an effective stress reliever too. They encourage you to explore and discover how you feel about yourself and suggest learning how to play or just listening to music or performing deep breathing exercises can help you to cope with stressful situations.
There are, of course, times where reading can actually boost your levels of stress. You may be studying for a test or examination and panicking about whether or not you are going to reach the pass mark, or maybe you are reading about a tragic event involving someone or something close to your heart. This is why you should choose carefully the material you intend reading to reduce your stress levels. An interesting novel is possibly the best medicine you can take and there are no risks of side effects either. A good book, whatever the subject matter, can transport you away from your frustrations and anxieties, allowing a free rein on your imagination, and exercising your mind which in turn will leave you refreshed and ready to take on the world.
Once you become a book reader you will understand the affects reading has on reducing stress. Pick up a book of poetry, a travel guide or a cookery book. You never know, you may decide to put the words of the cookbook into practice and have a go at a new recipe in the book. Just remember to make it low in fat and calories if you do!
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Oct
23
Improve Your Reading Speed
Filed Under Good read | Leave a Comment
Francis Hesse asked:
There are a number of ways by which to improve your reading speed One of the simplest method is knowing how to skim the content before you actually read it. It is always a good idea for you to speed read for the main themes in any text or work of non-fiction. You can achieve this simply by going over the table of contents , the first and the last sentence of each paragraph before reading the main text.
Contrasting Priorities
Differentiating your material according to priority consisting of most important, slightly important and very unimportant is another way in which you can improve your reading speed. Also try reading one category at a time according to its priority. In addition, it also pays to do your reading in an harmonious environment and it is never a good idea to read important subjects or anything that is hard to comprehend while lying in bed, it is far better to use a desk.
Another way in which you can improve reading speed is to read in the early hours of the day because that is when your mind will be clearest and it is also a very good reason why many people choose to read during the early hours of the day rather than in the evenings.
You can also improve reading speed by treating the headings as questions, especially when reading reference books or textbooks and then you can scan the rest of the text and look for answers to these questions this way you will be able to remain more focused as well as improve your reading speed.
Highlighting text is not a good idea this will not allow improvement in reading speed and although many people tend to highlight certain parts of a text; the end result are lower comprehension and reading speed, in fact, it can even cause you to have to read the text twice. However, it is not a bad idea to preview the material before actually reading it. You should spend a short period of time previewing a chapter before actually reading it so that you get a sense of significant as well as relevant text .This will then help to improve your reading speed.
In fact, nearly everyone that does a fair amount of reading will wonder just how to speed read and for them a simple answer is that you can achieve your goals by simply enrolling in a speed reading course. There, you will learn the best method to increase your reading speed and learn flexibility when it comes to reading speed and learning to pace your speed according to the kind of material that you are reading.
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There are a number of ways by which to improve your reading speed One of the simplest method is knowing how to skim the content before you actually read it. It is always a good idea for you to speed read for the main themes in any text or work of non-fiction. You can achieve this simply by going over the table of contents , the first and the last sentence of each paragraph before reading the main text.
Contrasting Priorities
Differentiating your material according to priority consisting of most important, slightly important and very unimportant is another way in which you can improve your reading speed. Also try reading one category at a time according to its priority. In addition, it also pays to do your reading in an harmonious environment and it is never a good idea to read important subjects or anything that is hard to comprehend while lying in bed, it is far better to use a desk.
Another way in which you can improve reading speed is to read in the early hours of the day because that is when your mind will be clearest and it is also a very good reason why many people choose to read during the early hours of the day rather than in the evenings.
You can also improve reading speed by treating the headings as questions, especially when reading reference books or textbooks and then you can scan the rest of the text and look for answers to these questions this way you will be able to remain more focused as well as improve your reading speed.
Highlighting text is not a good idea this will not allow improvement in reading speed and although many people tend to highlight certain parts of a text; the end result are lower comprehension and reading speed, in fact, it can even cause you to have to read the text twice. However, it is not a bad idea to preview the material before actually reading it. You should spend a short period of time previewing a chapter before actually reading it so that you get a sense of significant as well as relevant text .This will then help to improve your reading speed.
In fact, nearly everyone that does a fair amount of reading will wonder just how to speed read and for them a simple answer is that you can achieve your goals by simply enrolling in a speed reading course. There, you will learn the best method to increase your reading speed and learn flexibility when it comes to reading speed and learning to pace your speed according to the kind of material that you are reading.
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Oct
9
Why we Read a book?
Filed Under Good read | Leave a Comment
Aarti Narang asked:
Why reading is important?
Reading is a way where one travels to get the information on subjects. There are others tools who can provide them the knowledge but why you do reading. Why writers write a book or article? Have you ever thought about it? The answer to the above question is very simple, while reading your aim to get the maximum benefit from your reading in the minimum efforts.
Reading a book, magazine presents relevant and useful information which one mouth can’t give. Good reading strategies help you to read in a very efficient way. Writers write a book because they know people takes interests in reading not for pleasure but to get the information on important topics. While write a book his/her aim is to include all the relevant information which will be beneficial for the reader, they try to add everything in their writings. Reader reading a book his/her aim is to collect all the appropriate information which will be valuable for them; they read the book carefully so that nothing should be left. So in this sense we can say that the writer and the reader have an interrelated and independent relationship. They depend on each other.
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go. Dr. Seuss quotes (American Writer and Cartoonist)
Reading is beneficial when one needs some information about any topic he/she can discuss their problems with many people but when he/she desires not to share his problem with any one and tries to make it confidential then what they do. The option of reading will be the best for them. Books of all materials and topics are present today in the market. It can give you any thing you wish, craving for a shallowest knowledge or a summary or a full article, everything and every type of book are there.
Teachers and writers always advise that when do reading from any source, try to be active and open your all mind shutters, from this techniques you will not only get to understand the each and everything about the writers view also you can develops your awareness level. When you are reading a book try to highlight, underline and annotate the important text. This emphasizes information in your mind, and helps you to review important points later. Doing this also helps to keep your mind focused on the material and stops it wandering.
A home without books is a body without soul.” Marcus Tullius Cicero quotes
Sometimes when one person reads a book for some purpose or he/she needs any urgent information about something he/she finds himself in the sea without a rudder. Though they have the sources of reading but to get the best knowledge in the minimum efforts is the big worry for them. Today in the market different sorts of documents hold information in different places and in different ways. They have different depths and wideness of coverage. By understanding the layout of the material you are reading, you can extract useful information much more efficiently.
If searching for a sensational and alluring related information then go for magazine and newspapers, the reason is these source of information basically concentrate on attractively and interesting stuff. if need any educative information then go for those articles which are based on opinion or news or feature. Want any urgent tips on something then go for websites on net as on websites the main aim of writer is to stress on the informational value though they use their creativity to understand you the same topic from the different aspects but you can achieve the desired things at the earliest. If you know what you want from an article, and recognize its type, you can extract information from it quickly and efficiently.
To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.”– Victor Hugo quotes
Reading a book for yourself or someone else, you can help make the reading more relevant and valuable by being a little prepared and having a clear question or purpose for the reading. Reading on any topic give something from it, your reading never gets fail to give you nothing as while reading a story book a reader can get the morale from it, reading a traveling book the reader can aware about the tourist places and the weather conditions and more and more reading never lets you down always try to give everything from it.
Key points One should keep in mind following strategies and techniques to make their reading more effective:-
These are: •Purpose of reading must be clear in your mind, not reading purposefully try to get the morale of the reading. •Read the document carefully and focus fully •Give 100% attention to the reading document •Use pen, pencil or marker to highlight the important topics •Study the document again if not getting any point •Creating your own table of contents for reviewing material
..
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Why reading is important?
Reading is a way where one travels to get the information on subjects. There are others tools who can provide them the knowledge but why you do reading. Why writers write a book or article? Have you ever thought about it? The answer to the above question is very simple, while reading your aim to get the maximum benefit from your reading in the minimum efforts.
Reading a book, magazine presents relevant and useful information which one mouth can’t give. Good reading strategies help you to read in a very efficient way. Writers write a book because they know people takes interests in reading not for pleasure but to get the information on important topics. While write a book his/her aim is to include all the relevant information which will be beneficial for the reader, they try to add everything in their writings. Reader reading a book his/her aim is to collect all the appropriate information which will be valuable for them; they read the book carefully so that nothing should be left. So in this sense we can say that the writer and the reader have an interrelated and independent relationship. They depend on each other.
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go. Dr. Seuss quotes (American Writer and Cartoonist)
Reading is beneficial when one needs some information about any topic he/she can discuss their problems with many people but when he/she desires not to share his problem with any one and tries to make it confidential then what they do. The option of reading will be the best for them. Books of all materials and topics are present today in the market. It can give you any thing you wish, craving for a shallowest knowledge or a summary or a full article, everything and every type of book are there.
Teachers and writers always advise that when do reading from any source, try to be active and open your all mind shutters, from this techniques you will not only get to understand the each and everything about the writers view also you can develops your awareness level. When you are reading a book try to highlight, underline and annotate the important text. This emphasizes information in your mind, and helps you to review important points later. Doing this also helps to keep your mind focused on the material and stops it wandering.
A home without books is a body without soul.” Marcus Tullius Cicero quotes
Sometimes when one person reads a book for some purpose or he/she needs any urgent information about something he/she finds himself in the sea without a rudder. Though they have the sources of reading but to get the best knowledge in the minimum efforts is the big worry for them. Today in the market different sorts of documents hold information in different places and in different ways. They have different depths and wideness of coverage. By understanding the layout of the material you are reading, you can extract useful information much more efficiently.
If searching for a sensational and alluring related information then go for magazine and newspapers, the reason is these source of information basically concentrate on attractively and interesting stuff. if need any educative information then go for those articles which are based on opinion or news or feature. Want any urgent tips on something then go for websites on net as on websites the main aim of writer is to stress on the informational value though they use their creativity to understand you the same topic from the different aspects but you can achieve the desired things at the earliest. If you know what you want from an article, and recognize its type, you can extract information from it quickly and efficiently.
To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.”– Victor Hugo quotes
Reading a book for yourself or someone else, you can help make the reading more relevant and valuable by being a little prepared and having a clear question or purpose for the reading. Reading on any topic give something from it, your reading never gets fail to give you nothing as while reading a story book a reader can get the morale from it, reading a traveling book the reader can aware about the tourist places and the weather conditions and more and more reading never lets you down always try to give everything from it.
Key points One should keep in mind following strategies and techniques to make their reading more effective:-
These are: •Purpose of reading must be clear in your mind, not reading purposefully try to get the morale of the reading. •Read the document carefully and focus fully •Give 100% attention to the reading document •Use pen, pencil or marker to highlight the important topics •Study the document again if not getting any point •Creating your own table of contents for reviewing material
..
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Oct
9
Speed Reading: Fact or Fiction?
Filed Under Good read | Leave a Comment
Michael Ford asked:
Monday Rush
Julie is running late. It’s Monday morning and she can’t miss her class. There is no time for her to relax. She rushes to the subway and takes a seat. The other passengers are starring blankly straight ahead. Suddenly, Julie remembers that she was supposed to read the first chapter in her history book. She pulls out her book opens it to the first chapter. She flips a page. Then the second, third, — page twenty, — two hundred. Before she realizes it, the subway doors open and she has finished an entire book.
Fact or Fiction
Is this a dream or science fiction? Can someone actually read a book in 30 minutes? First, let’s ask where the idea of speed reading originated. A woman named Evelyn Wood turned in an 80 page paper to her college professor expecting him to read and return it the next day. To her surprise he read the entire paper in seconds and graded it immediately. She was stunned. How could anyone read so much so fast? Her professor was one of a select few people at the time. He was a natural speed reader. Evelyn Wood went on to study this phenomena and eventually founded a speed reading institute in Australia. That was 40 years ago. Since then, speed reading has become popular in many countries. However, the technique is almost unknown in the USA.
Air Force Research
A device called a tachistoscope was used during WWII to help fighter pilots identify aircraft silhouettes. The device flashed an image on a projection screen for a fraction of a second. Psychologists and educational specialists working on visual acuity created an experiment where the images were gradually reduced in size and the flash rate was increased. An average person could identify small images of different planes when flashed on the screen for only one-five-hundredth of a second.
The U.S. Air Force modified the system by changing the images to single words. Then up to four words flashed simultaneously on the screen at rates of one five-hundredth of a second. The participants were able to recognize and understand the words. This experiment demonstrated that, with some practice, words can be recognized and understood at much higher speeds than normal reading rates.
Misconceptions
Unfortunately, the term speed reading received a black eye in the 1990’s when a number of unscrupulous companies made outrageous claims about their speed reading products. These were often combined with useless memory enhancement packages and sold by snake oil salesmen that exaggerated the benefits of their systems. Many of the systems promoted completely different methods which often conflicted with each other. These systems relied on pseudo-science claims that were so far out that they make crystal healing look like cutting edge technology. Some unblinkingly claimed the subconscious could extract unnoticed content from the printed page. Confusion and frustration resulted when people tried to follow their bad advice. In spite of these obstacles, speed reading is making a comeback. Today we have a better understanding of how speed reading works in the brain. New and improved teaching techniques and the ability to use computers for training have made speed reading a hot topic again.
Before we see what speed reading is, let’s look at what speed reading is not. Speed reading is not skimming. Skimming is an inaccurate reading method. Imagine trying to skim the instructions for your new hair-dryer and thinking it said ‘use in shower’ when it actually said ‘do not use in shower’. Missing that all important word, not, changes the entire meaning. Skimming simply does not work. Speed reading is not skimming. A speed reader actually reads every word.
Speed reading is not pushing harder. Anyone can push harder to read faster but this only works for a few sentences before falling back to regular speed. Speed reading is a technique that allows you to read an entire magazine or book at speeds two to ten times faster than average reading speed.
Some speed reading systems go to great lengths to teach hand motion techniques or eye movement techniques. Research conducted during the development of Speed Reader-X™ has not shown these techniques to work in themselves. Some people find hand motions distracting while others use hand motions to stay focused. The best rule about hand motion is to use it if it helps and forget it otherwise. There is no magic hand motion that will increase your reading speed. Books can spend chapters explaining eye movement patterns. You move your eyes all day every day. It is not something that requires practice. Eye motions will come naturally.
Speed Readers
Speed reading has been part of big business and government for years. It has been taught to executives of many major companies such as IBM, Microsoft, Xerox, and Hewlett Packard. Even presidents have been speed readers including John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and Jimmy Carter. President Carter took speed reading lessons while at the white house and he read two books per week even with his Presidential duties.
Reading Speeds
According to SpeedReaderX.com, the average person reads around 250 words per minute. This is the speed of the little voice in your head that pronounces words as you read. Speed readers can read from 600 to 1500 words per minute or faster.
It is not uncommon for people to immediately double their reading speed when first learning speed reading techniques. Children eight years and older are the best candidates to learn speed reading. At this age they have a fairly large vocabulary and are familiar with reading. Speed reading becomes more difficult for adults. Just like learning a foreign language comes easy to children, so does speed reading. Adults have been reading the old fashioned way much longer so it takes longer to learn a new reading technique. Adults can still benefit from speed reading. They simply have to put a little more effort into it.
Speed reading can provide many benefits. It makes children want to read more. Speed reading fills a child’s short attention span by fully immersing them in the material. They actually enjoy reading. This makes children much more likely to read for pleasure. Many studies have shown that children who read perform better in school and to have fewer behavioral problems.
ADD/ADHD/Dyslexia
Children with ADD, ADHD, and Dyslexia have trouble reading because these conditions make them right brain dominant. Most people are left brain dominant when it comes to reading. Speed reading uses the visual centers of the right side of the brain. This makes learning speed reading easier for these otherwise disadvantaged children.
George Stancliffe, founder of The American Speed Reading Project, has reported success in teaching speed reading to students that have ADD, ADHD, and Dyslexia.
Mr. Stancliffe said, “…many people with ADD or Dyslexia find speed reading easier than normal reading. Their brains take to the new, visual intake of words much more easily.” He continued to say, “If you have a child who may have either ADD or Dyslexia, and you want him/her to be a better reader, one of the best things that you could do is to teach him/her to speed read.”
The Secret
Now that we know speed reading reaches all the way to the Whitehouse, how does it work? The whole concept is actually quite simple. We learn to read in the first grade. By the second grade we recognize whole words. We learn more words and some grammar but that is the end of the teaching process. From this point on, we are effectively reading at a first or second grade level for the rest of our lives.
The human brain can take in information much faster than this. When you read this page, you are likely seeing one or two words at a time. But when you look at a friends face you do not look at individual features to determine who you are looking at. You see their entire face and you immediately recognize them. The brain processes images much faster than it can process words. When you watch a movie, you take in massive amounts of visual information. When a car zooms by on the big screen, do you say to yourself ‘C-A-R, car’? Of course not. You see it and you know what it is. You do not have to sound it out or hear it in your head to know what you are seeing. But, when you see the word ‘car’, the little voice in your head says ‘C-A-R, car’. This sub-vocalization slows reading to a snails pace. To speed read, you must learn to see words as images. You must re-learn to process what you read with the right side of your brain instead of the left side.
Speed reading is a technique that allows you to take in the printed word just like you take in images while watching a movie. You learn to change how you view words so they are seen as images by the right side of the brain instead of using the voice in your head with the left side. This completely changes how your brain processes information.
Bored Brains
How many times have you read a page and by the end realized you had no idea what you just read? This happens because the brain becomes bored with the slow reading pace and tunes out that little voice. Your brain wants to go faster than the voice in your head can read. This sub-vocalization is creating a reading speed limit.
Simply silencing this voice can dramatically increase reading speed. You are switching the reading responsibility from the left side of your brain to the right side. You must switch from using the reading and cognition centers to visual centers of the brain
Sub-vocalization is still important in the understanding of complex concepts but, it is not necessary and is undesirable for most of what we read. E-mail, magazine articles, and news articles simply do not require deep comprehension to understand. Subjects like mathematics, philosophy and complex concepts are not suited to speed reading techniques. Speed reading techniques are still useful in covering reviews and summaries of these topics.
Novels are read for enjoyment and are usually read in real time as if the events are happening in the reader’s head. The voice in your head becomes the narrator. Zooming through lengthy descriptions that would otherwise cause the story to drag makes the overall novel reading experience more enjoyable. The reader can then return to normal reading speeds for the interesting parts of the novel.
Speed reading is always a useful tool for any type of reading. It is used when appropriate and gives way to normal reading when deeper understanding is needed.
Skeptics
There are some people that are still anti-speed-reading. It is important to be wary of skeptics who claim they have tried some or all speed reading programs and have failed. These people often make claims without going into details or citing methods they have tried. They do not reveal how long they tried the programs or if they followed the recommended practice sessions seriously. They frequently misapply speed reading techniques then claim failure without mentioning the fact they are reading the book upside down. They claim they cannot remember what they read at 2,500 words per minute but, forget to mention they have not developed the skill to read at that speed. They try to use maximum speed techniques on complex material which is contrary to the teachings of modern speed reading methods. Most of these people will be extremely negative towards speed reading and try to convince others it is a fake or a scam. These people often refer to the older snake oil systems from the 90’s which provide a rich source for skeptics.
Comprehension rates determine how much we understand of what we read. It is easy to have 100% comprehension of one sentence. Longer articles or books may have unfamiliar words or concepts. This results in less than full comprehension by any reading method.
Comprehension levels of under 50%* are generally cited by skeptics as a failure in speed reading yet, this level is not uncommon in normal reading tests of high school and junior high children when reading adult level materials. Low comprehension for extremely high reading speeds is often cited as a reason for its failure but, this assertion ignores how modern speed reading works. Reading speed varies depending on the material. Maximum reading speed is not used constantly. This is no different than normal reading. You read faster when you need less comprehension and slower when you need more understanding.
Speed reading is a structured process which calls for some materials, such as text books, to be read at high speed, then a lower speed, and then reviewed at a highest possible speed. A 50% comprehension rate when reading 2500 words per minute is excellent. At this reading rate the reader can read an entire book twice in less time than they could read one chapter at a normal rate. On the second reading the comprehension rate can increase to 75% or 90%. A rate of 80% comprehension is common at normal reading speeds. With practice, comprehension at lower speeds, 600 to 1000 words per minute, can meet or exceed regular comprehension rates.
Skeptics often target systems that claim 10,000 words per minute. Such outrageous numbers do make easy targets. Those making 10,000 word per minute claims often fail to mention that comprehension at that speed is 0% to 5%, which is no different than skimming. This rate may be perfectly acceptable if you are looking for some specific information in a long report but, not if you want to remember what you are reading. Rates of 600 to 1500 words per minute are more common and provide the best speed/comprehension balance.
Retention is important. There would be no point in speed reading if you could not remember what you read. This is where many of the products from the snake oil salesmen fell short. People learned basic speed reading techniques but could not remember what they read. Retention and comprehension are actually improved by speed reading but, only after the reader becomes comfortable with speed reading. It takes practice to reach this level. You can easily recall dialog free action sequences of a movie after the movie is over. This information was taken in visually and very rapidly. Your brain is already trained to take in the information from a movie. After the brain is re-trained to take in written words visually, it actually becomes easier to recall and understand what is being read.
Training Products
New research has updated speed reading techniques since Evelyn Wood’s discovery of speed reading in the 1950’s. Computers now make it easier to learn and practice speed reading. The original books or audio programs on speed reading required you to time yourself while reading passages, write down the results, and repeat this process many times. Research during the development of the Speed Reader-X speed reading software showed that most people skipped over these sections which negated the effectiveness of these early speed reading books. With computer training software, the computer takes care of the timing and keeps track of your progress. The computer training programs show charts and statistics of your reading speed so you can see your progress. They also increase the difficulty as you progress and your skills improve. These new techniques and improvements in teaching methods make learning speed reading much easier and more reliable. There are new products that use the latest techniques such as Speed Reader-X speedreaderx.com and Eye-Q eyeq.tv which are among the leaders in the field of computer training software.
Mastering the Skill
Speed reading is a skill. It is a skill that takes practice. It is also a skill that can make a profound difference in someone’s life. Very few people are natural speed readers but, almost anyone can learn the skills needed. Speed reading may not be for everyone, just as learning a foreign language is not for everyone. Today there are inexpensive software programs that make it easy and fun to practice speed reading. Speed reading results vary from person to person and can depend on many factors, not the least of which is the amount of effort put into it. Children stand to benefit the most, especially those with certain learning disabilities. Adults willing to learn a new skill can also benefit. Speed reading is more than simply reading fast. When proper techniques are ignored or remain unpracticed, the results can be disappointing. When the techniques of modern speed reading are applied and used correctly, the results can be astonishing.
For more information visit www(dot)speedreaderx(dot)com
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Monday Rush
Julie is running late. It’s Monday morning and she can’t miss her class. There is no time for her to relax. She rushes to the subway and takes a seat. The other passengers are starring blankly straight ahead. Suddenly, Julie remembers that she was supposed to read the first chapter in her history book. She pulls out her book opens it to the first chapter. She flips a page. Then the second, third, — page twenty, — two hundred. Before she realizes it, the subway doors open and she has finished an entire book.
Fact or Fiction
Is this a dream or science fiction? Can someone actually read a book in 30 minutes? First, let’s ask where the idea of speed reading originated. A woman named Evelyn Wood turned in an 80 page paper to her college professor expecting him to read and return it the next day. To her surprise he read the entire paper in seconds and graded it immediately. She was stunned. How could anyone read so much so fast? Her professor was one of a select few people at the time. He was a natural speed reader. Evelyn Wood went on to study this phenomena and eventually founded a speed reading institute in Australia. That was 40 years ago. Since then, speed reading has become popular in many countries. However, the technique is almost unknown in the USA.
Air Force Research
A device called a tachistoscope was used during WWII to help fighter pilots identify aircraft silhouettes. The device flashed an image on a projection screen for a fraction of a second. Psychologists and educational specialists working on visual acuity created an experiment where the images were gradually reduced in size and the flash rate was increased. An average person could identify small images of different planes when flashed on the screen for only one-five-hundredth of a second.
The U.S. Air Force modified the system by changing the images to single words. Then up to four words flashed simultaneously on the screen at rates of one five-hundredth of a second. The participants were able to recognize and understand the words. This experiment demonstrated that, with some practice, words can be recognized and understood at much higher speeds than normal reading rates.
Misconceptions
Unfortunately, the term speed reading received a black eye in the 1990’s when a number of unscrupulous companies made outrageous claims about their speed reading products. These were often combined with useless memory enhancement packages and sold by snake oil salesmen that exaggerated the benefits of their systems. Many of the systems promoted completely different methods which often conflicted with each other. These systems relied on pseudo-science claims that were so far out that they make crystal healing look like cutting edge technology. Some unblinkingly claimed the subconscious could extract unnoticed content from the printed page. Confusion and frustration resulted when people tried to follow their bad advice. In spite of these obstacles, speed reading is making a comeback. Today we have a better understanding of how speed reading works in the brain. New and improved teaching techniques and the ability to use computers for training have made speed reading a hot topic again.
Before we see what speed reading is, let’s look at what speed reading is not. Speed reading is not skimming. Skimming is an inaccurate reading method. Imagine trying to skim the instructions for your new hair-dryer and thinking it said ‘use in shower’ when it actually said ‘do not use in shower’. Missing that all important word, not, changes the entire meaning. Skimming simply does not work. Speed reading is not skimming. A speed reader actually reads every word.
Speed reading is not pushing harder. Anyone can push harder to read faster but this only works for a few sentences before falling back to regular speed. Speed reading is a technique that allows you to read an entire magazine or book at speeds two to ten times faster than average reading speed.
Some speed reading systems go to great lengths to teach hand motion techniques or eye movement techniques. Research conducted during the development of Speed Reader-X™ has not shown these techniques to work in themselves. Some people find hand motions distracting while others use hand motions to stay focused. The best rule about hand motion is to use it if it helps and forget it otherwise. There is no magic hand motion that will increase your reading speed. Books can spend chapters explaining eye movement patterns. You move your eyes all day every day. It is not something that requires practice. Eye motions will come naturally.
Speed Readers
Speed reading has been part of big business and government for years. It has been taught to executives of many major companies such as IBM, Microsoft, Xerox, and Hewlett Packard. Even presidents have been speed readers including John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and Jimmy Carter. President Carter took speed reading lessons while at the white house and he read two books per week even with his Presidential duties.
Reading Speeds
According to SpeedReaderX.com, the average person reads around 250 words per minute. This is the speed of the little voice in your head that pronounces words as you read. Speed readers can read from 600 to 1500 words per minute or faster.
It is not uncommon for people to immediately double their reading speed when first learning speed reading techniques. Children eight years and older are the best candidates to learn speed reading. At this age they have a fairly large vocabulary and are familiar with reading. Speed reading becomes more difficult for adults. Just like learning a foreign language comes easy to children, so does speed reading. Adults have been reading the old fashioned way much longer so it takes longer to learn a new reading technique. Adults can still benefit from speed reading. They simply have to put a little more effort into it.
Speed reading can provide many benefits. It makes children want to read more. Speed reading fills a child’s short attention span by fully immersing them in the material. They actually enjoy reading. This makes children much more likely to read for pleasure. Many studies have shown that children who read perform better in school and to have fewer behavioral problems.
ADD/ADHD/Dyslexia
Children with ADD, ADHD, and Dyslexia have trouble reading because these conditions make them right brain dominant. Most people are left brain dominant when it comes to reading. Speed reading uses the visual centers of the right side of the brain. This makes learning speed reading easier for these otherwise disadvantaged children.
George Stancliffe, founder of The American Speed Reading Project, has reported success in teaching speed reading to students that have ADD, ADHD, and Dyslexia.
Mr. Stancliffe said, “…many people with ADD or Dyslexia find speed reading easier than normal reading. Their brains take to the new, visual intake of words much more easily.” He continued to say, “If you have a child who may have either ADD or Dyslexia, and you want him/her to be a better reader, one of the best things that you could do is to teach him/her to speed read.”
The Secret
Now that we know speed reading reaches all the way to the Whitehouse, how does it work? The whole concept is actually quite simple. We learn to read in the first grade. By the second grade we recognize whole words. We learn more words and some grammar but that is the end of the teaching process. From this point on, we are effectively reading at a first or second grade level for the rest of our lives.
The human brain can take in information much faster than this. When you read this page, you are likely seeing one or two words at a time. But when you look at a friends face you do not look at individual features to determine who you are looking at. You see their entire face and you immediately recognize them. The brain processes images much faster than it can process words. When you watch a movie, you take in massive amounts of visual information. When a car zooms by on the big screen, do you say to yourself ‘C-A-R, car’? Of course not. You see it and you know what it is. You do not have to sound it out or hear it in your head to know what you are seeing. But, when you see the word ‘car’, the little voice in your head says ‘C-A-R, car’. This sub-vocalization slows reading to a snails pace. To speed read, you must learn to see words as images. You must re-learn to process what you read with the right side of your brain instead of the left side.
Speed reading is a technique that allows you to take in the printed word just like you take in images while watching a movie. You learn to change how you view words so they are seen as images by the right side of the brain instead of using the voice in your head with the left side. This completely changes how your brain processes information.
Bored Brains
How many times have you read a page and by the end realized you had no idea what you just read? This happens because the brain becomes bored with the slow reading pace and tunes out that little voice. Your brain wants to go faster than the voice in your head can read. This sub-vocalization is creating a reading speed limit.
Simply silencing this voice can dramatically increase reading speed. You are switching the reading responsibility from the left side of your brain to the right side. You must switch from using the reading and cognition centers to visual centers of the brain
Sub-vocalization is still important in the understanding of complex concepts but, it is not necessary and is undesirable for most of what we read. E-mail, magazine articles, and news articles simply do not require deep comprehension to understand. Subjects like mathematics, philosophy and complex concepts are not suited to speed reading techniques. Speed reading techniques are still useful in covering reviews and summaries of these topics.
Novels are read for enjoyment and are usually read in real time as if the events are happening in the reader’s head. The voice in your head becomes the narrator. Zooming through lengthy descriptions that would otherwise cause the story to drag makes the overall novel reading experience more enjoyable. The reader can then return to normal reading speeds for the interesting parts of the novel.
Speed reading is always a useful tool for any type of reading. It is used when appropriate and gives way to normal reading when deeper understanding is needed.
Skeptics
There are some people that are still anti-speed-reading. It is important to be wary of skeptics who claim they have tried some or all speed reading programs and have failed. These people often make claims without going into details or citing methods they have tried. They do not reveal how long they tried the programs or if they followed the recommended practice sessions seriously. They frequently misapply speed reading techniques then claim failure without mentioning the fact they are reading the book upside down. They claim they cannot remember what they read at 2,500 words per minute but, forget to mention they have not developed the skill to read at that speed. They try to use maximum speed techniques on complex material which is contrary to the teachings of modern speed reading methods. Most of these people will be extremely negative towards speed reading and try to convince others it is a fake or a scam. These people often refer to the older snake oil systems from the 90’s which provide a rich source for skeptics.
Comprehension rates determine how much we understand of what we read. It is easy to have 100% comprehension of one sentence. Longer articles or books may have unfamiliar words or concepts. This results in less than full comprehension by any reading method.
Comprehension levels of under 50%* are generally cited by skeptics as a failure in speed reading yet, this level is not uncommon in normal reading tests of high school and junior high children when reading adult level materials. Low comprehension for extremely high reading speeds is often cited as a reason for its failure but, this assertion ignores how modern speed reading works. Reading speed varies depending on the material. Maximum reading speed is not used constantly. This is no different than normal reading. You read faster when you need less comprehension and slower when you need more understanding.
Speed reading is a structured process which calls for some materials, such as text books, to be read at high speed, then a lower speed, and then reviewed at a highest possible speed. A 50% comprehension rate when reading 2500 words per minute is excellent. At this reading rate the reader can read an entire book twice in less time than they could read one chapter at a normal rate. On the second reading the comprehension rate can increase to 75% or 90%. A rate of 80% comprehension is common at normal reading speeds. With practice, comprehension at lower speeds, 600 to 1000 words per minute, can meet or exceed regular comprehension rates.
Skeptics often target systems that claim 10,000 words per minute. Such outrageous numbers do make easy targets. Those making 10,000 word per minute claims often fail to mention that comprehension at that speed is 0% to 5%, which is no different than skimming. This rate may be perfectly acceptable if you are looking for some specific information in a long report but, not if you want to remember what you are reading. Rates of 600 to 1500 words per minute are more common and provide the best speed/comprehension balance.
Retention is important. There would be no point in speed reading if you could not remember what you read. This is where many of the products from the snake oil salesmen fell short. People learned basic speed reading techniques but could not remember what they read. Retention and comprehension are actually improved by speed reading but, only after the reader becomes comfortable with speed reading. It takes practice to reach this level. You can easily recall dialog free action sequences of a movie after the movie is over. This information was taken in visually and very rapidly. Your brain is already trained to take in the information from a movie. After the brain is re-trained to take in written words visually, it actually becomes easier to recall and understand what is being read.
Training Products
New research has updated speed reading techniques since Evelyn Wood’s discovery of speed reading in the 1950’s. Computers now make it easier to learn and practice speed reading. The original books or audio programs on speed reading required you to time yourself while reading passages, write down the results, and repeat this process many times. Research during the development of the Speed Reader-X speed reading software showed that most people skipped over these sections which negated the effectiveness of these early speed reading books. With computer training software, the computer takes care of the timing and keeps track of your progress. The computer training programs show charts and statistics of your reading speed so you can see your progress. They also increase the difficulty as you progress and your skills improve. These new techniques and improvements in teaching methods make learning speed reading much easier and more reliable. There are new products that use the latest techniques such as Speed Reader-X speedreaderx.com and Eye-Q eyeq.tv which are among the leaders in the field of computer training software.
Mastering the Skill
Speed reading is a skill. It is a skill that takes practice. It is also a skill that can make a profound difference in someone’s life. Very few people are natural speed readers but, almost anyone can learn the skills needed. Speed reading may not be for everyone, just as learning a foreign language is not for everyone. Today there are inexpensive software programs that make it easy and fun to practice speed reading. Speed reading results vary from person to person and can depend on many factors, not the least of which is the amount of effort put into it. Children stand to benefit the most, especially those with certain learning disabilities. Adults willing to learn a new skill can also benefit. Speed reading is more than simply reading fast. When proper techniques are ignored or remain unpracticed, the results can be disappointing. When the techniques of modern speed reading are applied and used correctly, the results can be astonishing.
For more information visit www(dot)speedreaderx(dot)com
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Oct
6
Duane Shinn asked:
Sight reading is the act of reading and playing a piece of music before having ever seen it: on sight. This technique is a vital one for musicians to learn. Being skilled in sight reading makes reading a piece of music easier; the musician doesn’t have to labor over every note and re-teach themselves the common patterns. Sight reading, after a decent amount of practice, becomes like second nature.
A solid knowledge of music theory is absolutely crucial to a musician who wants to become proficient in sight reading. Besides acting as the basis for understanding the notes, a music theory education provides the ability to see patterns within the piece of music, a large part of the sight reading puzzle. Sight reading, after all, doesn’t require the musician to read every single note. Most musicians rarely see the entire piece of music, but rather the patterns that emerge from it. They understand notes and how they function in relation to each other and are therefore able to deduce most of the chords and changes — all from just glancing at the basic structure of the piece.
For example, musicians who know music theory will first determine the key of the song from the key signature, which in turn gives them strong hints about which chords will probably be used most in the song. This knowledge alone enables the sight reader to be mentally prepared when those chords occur, and to be alert for chords which are unexpected.
They will also be aware of intervals such as 3rd and 6ths and 7ths, and they will look for the form of the song - ABA, AABA, ABACA, or whatever. They will be aware of the probably rhythm patterns based on the time signture, and they will quickly scan the score for repeats, tempo signs, volume changes, and so on.
In fact, most sight reading mistakes typically happen when a piece of music takes an unexpected turn, deviates from the common pattern. These mistakes, however, are few and far between with those proficient in sight reading. An experienced sight reader will have learned to not only see patterns but also to read ahead in a piece of music while they are playing it. Looking several bars ahead to catch anything tricky or unexpected is often done while holding a sustain or resting.
Sight reading plays a large role in music education, and students are frequently tested on their ability to do it well. Some sight reading exams will allow the student a few minutes to look over the piece and prepare; he or she will be able to make notes, mark up tricky time signatures or changes. Tempo is rarely a consideration in these sight reading exams as playing the piece well is far more important than playing the piece up to speed.
Advanced sight reading exams, however, aren’t quite as forgiving. These exams give the student minimal, if any, time to prepare, and tempo is absolutely considered into the final grade. Advanced sight reading exams prepare a student for work as a studio musician, a career where near-perfect sight reading is a must. The majority of studio musicians record a piece of music after only seeing it once — sometimes not at all. A flawed skill in sight reading will only prove to be a hindrance to the working musician; it is for that reason considered one of the most important parts of a music theory education.
This does not mean, of course, that a musicians can’t reach the top rungs without good sight-reading skills. After all, many top jazz pianists don’t read music at all, but are gifted with incredible ears and improvisational skills. But for most of us it is a helpful skill to develop to the best of our ability.
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Sight reading is the act of reading and playing a piece of music before having ever seen it: on sight. This technique is a vital one for musicians to learn. Being skilled in sight reading makes reading a piece of music easier; the musician doesn’t have to labor over every note and re-teach themselves the common patterns. Sight reading, after a decent amount of practice, becomes like second nature.
A solid knowledge of music theory is absolutely crucial to a musician who wants to become proficient in sight reading. Besides acting as the basis for understanding the notes, a music theory education provides the ability to see patterns within the piece of music, a large part of the sight reading puzzle. Sight reading, after all, doesn’t require the musician to read every single note. Most musicians rarely see the entire piece of music, but rather the patterns that emerge from it. They understand notes and how they function in relation to each other and are therefore able to deduce most of the chords and changes — all from just glancing at the basic structure of the piece.
For example, musicians who know music theory will first determine the key of the song from the key signature, which in turn gives them strong hints about which chords will probably be used most in the song. This knowledge alone enables the sight reader to be mentally prepared when those chords occur, and to be alert for chords which are unexpected.
They will also be aware of intervals such as 3rd and 6ths and 7ths, and they will look for the form of the song - ABA, AABA, ABACA, or whatever. They will be aware of the probably rhythm patterns based on the time signture, and they will quickly scan the score for repeats, tempo signs, volume changes, and so on.
In fact, most sight reading mistakes typically happen when a piece of music takes an unexpected turn, deviates from the common pattern. These mistakes, however, are few and far between with those proficient in sight reading. An experienced sight reader will have learned to not only see patterns but also to read ahead in a piece of music while they are playing it. Looking several bars ahead to catch anything tricky or unexpected is often done while holding a sustain or resting.
Sight reading plays a large role in music education, and students are frequently tested on their ability to do it well. Some sight reading exams will allow the student a few minutes to look over the piece and prepare; he or she will be able to make notes, mark up tricky time signatures or changes. Tempo is rarely a consideration in these sight reading exams as playing the piece well is far more important than playing the piece up to speed.
Advanced sight reading exams, however, aren’t quite as forgiving. These exams give the student minimal, if any, time to prepare, and tempo is absolutely considered into the final grade. Advanced sight reading exams prepare a student for work as a studio musician, a career where near-perfect sight reading is a must. The majority of studio musicians record a piece of music after only seeing it once — sometimes not at all. A flawed skill in sight reading will only prove to be a hindrance to the working musician; it is for that reason considered one of the most important parts of a music theory education.
This does not mean, of course, that a musicians can’t reach the top rungs without good sight-reading skills. After all, many top jazz pianists don’t read music at all, but are gifted with incredible ears and improvisational skills. But for most of us it is a helpful skill to develop to the best of our ability.
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Sep
29
How to Encourage your Children to Read
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Scott Hughes asked:
Most people already know the benefits of reading. People learn by reading. People also have fun and feel fulfilled by reading. As a person reads more and more, the person’s literary skills improve. Reading makes people into better readers, writers, and speakers.
Unfortunately, children do not read much anymore. Because most people never get interested in reading as children, as adults they also do not read much. Some polls even say that the majority of people in the United States do not read anymore. You probably want your children to pick up the beneficial hobby of reading. Let me suggest a few ways that you can get children interested in reading.
Less TV - You can get children to read more by getting them to watch less TV. Children read less because they lazily waste their time rotting their mind in front of a TV–a behavior they usually pick up from their parents. Consider deciding not to have a TV, or at least do not have cable. Even if you do have a TV, watch less yourself because children model their behavior after the adults in their life.
Suggest Books That Would Interest The Child - You can also get children to read by helping them find books they like. You can do this by bringing the children to a library or book store and letting them pick out books that interest them. You can also suggest books about topics of interest to the child. For example, if you have a child who likes to play soccer, consider suggesting a book about soccer to the child.
Do Not Push Too Hard - If you try to force children to read, or if you otherwise pressure them to much, you will make them dislike reading. Try not to make reading seem like a chore. Instead, you want to get the children to read on their own free-will. You want them to read voluntarily because they see the fun and self-benefit of it. Forcing your children to read will make them into good slaves who like to obey orders, but it will not make them into good readers who like to read.
Teach Children To Read Well - Children will not want to read if they cannot do it or if they cannot do it well. People like to do what they do well. If you have a talent for singing, you would like to sing. In contrast, if you sing horribly, you will not waste your time embarrassing yourself at it. Children will want to read more if they feel like they read well. Teach them how to read better in a positive environment. Additionally, compliment their reading abilities so that they feel proud and confident of their reading abilities. If they feel proud and confident of their reading abilities, the children will want to read more.
Use those methods to get your children to read more. Also, feel free to think of more methods.
Whatever you do, good luck and have fun!
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Most people already know the benefits of reading. People learn by reading. People also have fun and feel fulfilled by reading. As a person reads more and more, the person’s literary skills improve. Reading makes people into better readers, writers, and speakers.
Unfortunately, children do not read much anymore. Because most people never get interested in reading as children, as adults they also do not read much. Some polls even say that the majority of people in the United States do not read anymore. You probably want your children to pick up the beneficial hobby of reading. Let me suggest a few ways that you can get children interested in reading.
Less TV - You can get children to read more by getting them to watch less TV. Children read less because they lazily waste their time rotting their mind in front of a TV–a behavior they usually pick up from their parents. Consider deciding not to have a TV, or at least do not have cable. Even if you do have a TV, watch less yourself because children model their behavior after the adults in their life.
Suggest Books That Would Interest The Child - You can also get children to read by helping them find books they like. You can do this by bringing the children to a library or book store and letting them pick out books that interest them. You can also suggest books about topics of interest to the child. For example, if you have a child who likes to play soccer, consider suggesting a book about soccer to the child.
Do Not Push Too Hard - If you try to force children to read, or if you otherwise pressure them to much, you will make them dislike reading. Try not to make reading seem like a chore. Instead, you want to get the children to read on their own free-will. You want them to read voluntarily because they see the fun and self-benefit of it. Forcing your children to read will make them into good slaves who like to obey orders, but it will not make them into good readers who like to read.
Teach Children To Read Well - Children will not want to read if they cannot do it or if they cannot do it well. People like to do what they do well. If you have a talent for singing, you would like to sing. In contrast, if you sing horribly, you will not waste your time embarrassing yourself at it. Children will want to read more if they feel like they read well. Teach them how to read better in a positive environment. Additionally, compliment their reading abilities so that they feel proud and confident of their reading abilities. If they feel proud and confident of their reading abilities, the children will want to read more.
Use those methods to get your children to read more. Also, feel free to think of more methods.
Whatever you do, good luck and have fun!
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