Monday, January 22, 2007

All Types Of Information

The approach when reading different types of information is of course different. A medical journal cannot be read in the same way that a classic work of literature is read. Speed reading takes into account that different materials need to be read differently. This approach ensures that you get the maximum benefits from this method. After all there is no point in merely finishing a book or article without having learnt anything from it. This method is very flexible and suited to anything that you will come across. You will soon find that you can’t stop reading.

Crystal Clear Comprehension

People often make the assumption that when speed reading it is difficult to remember important details or that not much information is gathered from such a quick reading. Another assumption that is made is that the Evelyn Wood speed reading technique is only suitable for reading journals and articles that are technical in nature.

In actual fact this method is perfect for reading fiction and descriptive texts. This is because the pace that you are reading when using the Evelyn Wood speed reading technique is closer to that in real life. When you are reading at normal speeds the action seems stilted and fake. At a faster pace it feels like everything you are reading is really happening.

Using the Evelyn Wood Speed Reading Technique

Just as everyone has different talents everyone has different reading speeds. Some people are able to speed through an entire book before others have barely struggled through a few pages. What is the secret of those who are able to read so quickly and apparently with great comprehension? Evelyn Wood discovered speed reading 60 years ago when handing in her thesis and her professor was able to read it and grade it with remarkable speed. She decided that there must be a reason that some people could read faster than others. This epiphany has led to the Evelyn Wood speed reading techniques that are very popular.

The Root Of The Problem

The cause of slow reading speeds in adults is essentially the way we have been taught to read. When first learning to read we were thought to read aloud and so we have carried this tendency of pronouncing every word in our heads while reading into adulthood. This slows down our reading speeds. The first step when using the Evelyn Wood speed reading technique is to break out of this habit. Once you start reading each word on its own your skills will improve enormously.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Things to Watch out For

However, there are several things that you have to watch out for when you talk about your child speed reading. A child must first be able to read, and they must understand what reading is. They must have a good grasp over the concepts of reading in order to be able to be a child speed reader. So help your child understand the basics of reading and the fundamentals of reading before you help them learn how to speed read. It is going to make all of the difference, and be a great experience for both of you.

Speed Reading for Children

When a person learns to read, the first thing that they learn is how to group letters together into an individual word. Then, they put the words together to make a sentence. When a person reads, they look at the letters, sounding them out, in order to get to the words, and then they string the words together to make a sentence.
Your child speed reading would mean that your child was able to do this much quicker. When it comes to speed reading for a child, they will be able to look at the words as whole units, and not look at the letters that make up the words. If a person can look at a word and know what it means without having to sound it out, they are going to be able to know the meaning behind that word much better.
A child speed reading would be able to look at a word and simply know what it meant. Then, they would be able to start to have the ability to look at a sentence and know what it means, without having to string all of the words together. A child speed reading would be able to get the meaning of small sentences by simply looking at them together.
A child who can speed read is going to be able to complete assignments faster and is going to be able to do better in school.

Help Your Child with Speed Reading

There are many things that you can do to help your child with speed reading. A child who has a lower level of reading is going to be unable to have a lot of success when it comes to speed reading, so helping them read quicker might be something that you decide you want to do.

Friday, January 5, 2007

Doing The Math

You may, our of curiosity want to know what your average reading speed is. Find a book, or magazine that has longer, more flowing paragraphs. Stay away from anything with a lot of breaks in paragraphs. In other words, put down Cosmopolitan and try TIME magazine. You are going to be timing yourself based on how much you can read in an hour.

So you may want to get comfortable. Read until time is up, then count how many pages you were able to get through. You can approximate the number of words on a page by selecting a few random sentences and counting the words, then count the lines on that page and multiply.
Next, multiply your word count by the number of pages you read and divide by sixty minutes.

For example: You read five pages in one hour that had approximately 144 words on each page. Multiplying those two numbers together equals 720, divided by 60 and you get 12. Ta-da! Your average reading speed! You can read twelve words per minute. Is this good or bad? You can check your score against others by searching online. There is software available for those who desire to increase their average reading speed.

Average Reading Speed: Which Lane Are You In?

There are all different types, shapes, and flavors of people. That is what makes the world go ‘round, as the saying goes. That and gravitational pull from the sun. So really, it is gravity that makes the world go around. Everyone has their own unique flair in everything they do. As small and unimportant as it may seem, people even have their own reading style.
Does it really matter what your average reading speed is? For anyone in school, yes it is. Reading is an essential and necessary skill, not only in school but in everyday life. Studies conducted in recent years reflect the obvious neglect in reading for elementary students. Thanks to some newer reading intervention curriculums, elementary students can boost their average, or in most cases, below average reading speed.

High school students can calculate their average reading speed to figure out how long it would take them to read a book for an assignment. This is especially helpful for those students who like to work under pressure by procrastinating and waiting until the night before the report is due. You can figure out how little sleep you are going to get. Or even whether or not you should fake being sick. Just do not go with a cold; that thermometer will give you away every time. Stomach viruses cannot be substantiated either way.