The age that children usually learn to read is between 5 and 7 years old, but that’s only when they’re getting started. Individuals’ reading levels will evolve and improve over time, developing a larger vocabulary, and a deeper understanding of language over the years.
if you could double or triple your reading speed,
would you? The average American reads between 200-300 words per minute (wpm). A college reads on
average reads about 325 wpm. They have been
reading at that same rate since their mid-teenage years.
If you fall within this category, a 300 page
novel takes you approximately 7-8 hours to read. However, if you doubled your
reading rate, you would read that same novel in 3.5-4 hours. If you tripled
your reading rate, you would breeze through it in about 2.5 hours.
Now, think about all the reading you
do every single day (magazines, Facebook,
newspapers, blogs) and how much time you could save. It adds up to hundreds of hours a year. Successful
people read a lot because
the key to being successful in any field is learning all you can about it.
Aside
from the obvious benefits of saving time, learning how to speed read will
enable you to learn more in a
shorter amount of time. This is a huge competitive edge. Contrary
to popular belief, you don’t have to be
a genius to learn how to speed read.
The main concept behind speed
reading deals with human cognition and conditioning your fine motor skills to
be able to process information quicker. It’s a very learnable skill,
but one that very few people have.
Accomplishing
a faster way to read isn’t simply about getting through more material faster,
it’s about comprehending information quicker and better than before. If you
want to learn more efficiently by speed reading, the four areas outlined below
will help you get to there.
1. Concentration: “People think focus means
saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at
all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You
have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as
the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things. ” (Steve
Jobs) Basically
concentration is the key to speed reading, which means saying no to your phone,
social media, or any kind of
multi-tasking. Reading has to be your only focus.
2. Memorization: 50% of what we learn in an hour
(unless it’s practiced or gone over it
regularly) is lost. Remember, repetition is the foundation of learning, but
questioning is how to accomplish this. For this there are several methods:
Taking notes is one of the most common and effective forms of repetition.
Teaching someone else will show whether you understand what
you’ve read. Mind Maps help you put
everything in perspective so you can create new connections and ideas. Using mnemonics is a great trick for better retaining information
3. Speed: Here are some tips to help with
this: Focus on speed first. Your level of understanding will improve with
practice. Use a guide (a finger or a pen) to avoid
losing your spot. Increase your field of vision.
Reduce eye movement.
Don’t read out loud to yourself because your brain is faster than your tongue.
4. Understanding: Different types of reading
material require different levels of comprehension. For example, it’s not
the same thing to read a fiction novel as it is to read a
textbook. Before you begin to read, you should assess what kind of text you’re facing, and what your end goal is.
“The art of reading is the
art of adopting the pace the author has set. Some books are fast and some are
slow, but no book can be understood if it is taken at the wrong speed.” (Mark Van Doren) [i]
[i] Sources used:
·
5 Steps to Learning How to Speed Read in 20
Minutes” by Stefano Ganddini
·
“Speed Reading: 4
Tricks to Learn More Efficiently” by GoCongr
No comments:
Post a Comment