HOW TO STUDY IN COLLEGEChapter 7 – Improving your reading speed and comprehension

Eye Movements during reading The average reader:

Eyes jerk across print – not smooth motion 4 fixations per second Average of 1.1 words per fixation (10

usable letters)

Limitation of the mind

MIT research suggests the mind can only process one word at a time . . . “even the skilled reader has considerable difficulty forming a perception of more than one word at a time.”

Common impression is seeing multiple words in one fixation – like still frames in a movie. words might be projected on the brain at 7-8

words a second, but the brain processes one at a time.

Speed Reading and Remembering If you could take in several thousand

WPM, you couldn’t comprehend the meaning of all words The brain wouldn’t have time to consolidate

(retain) the info before taking in the next batch of info

Vocalization while reading

Vocalizing most likely slows reading speeds Four types of vocalizers:

Whisper each word aloud Pronounce each word with lip movements Move vocal cords only - video Think the sound of the word

Thinking used to be to avoid all vocalization, but current research suggests some type of vocalization is a necessary part of all reading.

Vocalization while reading

Research shows that while people can read silently, the impulses for speech are still sent forth through nerves . . . These impulses are prevented only on the muscular level.

As the rate of reading increases, generally the level of impulse/muscular speech activity decreases . . . Until the going gets difficult

Attempts to knock out some form of vocalization seem to knock out comprehension as well

Increasing your reading speed Book – don’t eliminate vocalization or

use artificial eye-fixation schemes Do what you have been doing but do

more of it and try to do it more quickly Method doesn’t always work for textbook

reading (often requires reading and rereading slowly to get the full meaning)

Increasing your reading speed 5 things to keep in mind while practicing

faster reading: Establish a base – before reading, consider

title, content – know the nature of the book Be flexible – match reading speed to material

being read – slow down for central themes (names, places, circumstances) and speed up when you can – you don’t need to read at a constant rate

Follow ideas, not words – use words to visualize ideas

Increasing your reading speed

Ignore eye fixations – forget what your eyes are doing – this can break reading rhythm and concentration

Enjoy the concluding paragraph – slow down for the last paragraph – here the author usually connects facts/events/ideas from throughout the reading

Eight ways to improve reading 1. The intonation way

Establishing speech patterns (using silent vocalization) for what you read in your mind so you can “hear” them more readily as you read them silently. Reading with expression – brings stressing, emphasis, and pauses back into your reading, along with the meaning they convey

2. The vocabulary way Build a strong, precise vocabulary – learn words

as concepts . . . When you see the word in print, your knowledge of the word “flashes before you.”

Eight ways to improve reading 3. The background way

Read lots, read often: it’s good practice, and you start accumulating concepts, ideas, events, names, etc. that lend meaning to later reading.

“The most crucial prerequisite for learning is your already established background knowledge.”

Not limited to reading – books, movies, listening 4. Edward Gibbon’s way

Organized, intense use of your general background Try to recall what you know about the subject

before reading; good recall promotes concentration

Eight ways to improve reading 5. The paragraph way

stop at the end of each paragraph to summarize and condense it into a single sentence (for textbook reading)

Focus on topic, concluding and supporting sentences. Topic sentence provides direction, focus Supporting sentences develop the idea from topic

sentence Concluding sentences sums up; restates; emphasizes;

closes Paragraphs also serve similar functions – some

introduce, some support, and some conclude; all three types should alert you

Eight ways to improve reading 6. Page-at-a-time way

Stop at the bottom of the page and ask yourself what was covered on this page before moving on . . . Makes you think while you read

7. Daniel Webster’s way Before reading, check out the TOC, read the

preface or introduction Lists of: questions he expected answered in

book, knowledge expected to gain from book, where knowledge would take him

Eight ways to improve reading 8. The skimming way

Some consider it the “workhorse” of reading Can cover many speeds and uses – anything

from rapid reading to searching Needle in a haystack (rec. specific info – name,

date, word) Looking for clues (Paul Bunyan birthplace example) Getting the gist (helpful for research assignments) Overviewing a textbook chapter (for understanding

captions, headlines, subheadings to locate key info) Skimming to review (for previously read texts)