Speed reading: does it work or not? Part 3: simple tips
Summary of the second part : we reviewed one of the most popular speed reading mechanics (reading diagonally, reading without pauses, suppression of sub-vocalization and RSVP) and came to the conclusion that all these techniques are “not without flaw”. Reading diagonally is unlikely to have any effect, reading without pauses and the suppression of subvocalization in its pure form are impossible, the RSVP method works, but is not suitable for all texts.
In this (final) part we will talk about what tips (including those approved by Skorchetets) will help not only quickly read, but also better understand what you read - without complicated schemes and long trainings.
/ Photo by Ulisse Albiati / CC
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So, we found out that applications and most speed reading techniques have one significant drawback: the faster we read (and the more intensively we use this or that technique), the less we memorize and the worse we understand the text. So what is guaranteed to help us read faster without losing reading quality?
It all depends on what limiting factor is considered the most serious. We were convinced that speaking the text silently, pauses and eye movements take time away from us, but the desire to completely eliminate these factors worsens the perception of the text - as a result, we fix ourselves on the process (reading), but we miss the point (understanding the material). Therefore, scientists suggest focusing not on form, but on content: our ability to recognize words as quickly as possible and understand their meaning.
What do researchers suggest in return for a technician and tricks? For a start, just read more, paying attention to different genres and styles . This approach will expand the internal dictionary of easily recognizable words and their combinations (we just talked about it in the second part of the material). This, in turn, will help to quickly pronounce the words to himself and, as a result, will increase not only the speed, but also the quality of reading.
The second rather obvious tip that helps you read faster is to focus on the text . In fact, most of the problems with reading and perception of the material arise not because the reader does not use certain “special techniques”, but because he is often distracted - as a result, the same sentence or paragraph has to be re-read several times. .
Such problems are characteristic not only of children who learn to read, but too complex materials have to be re-read in order to catch their essence. While reading something important, but boring, many people find themselves on the fact that the gaze continues to slide along the page, while thoughts are somewhere far away.
Such problems are often experienced by those who learn speed reading: focusing on the process of reading, a person stops thinking about the text as such. Therefore, “scattered reading” harms the reader much more than the lack of knowledge of special techniques.
Quora users, for example, advise you to try to take a few deep breaths, tune in to the process, and think in advance about what you expect to get from an article or a book before starting to read (especially useful for difficult ones, such as scientific texts), and think in advance what to expect from the article or book: find out the answer to a specific question, to get a general idea of the topic, etc.
It is useful to assess in advance the level of their basic knowledge, as well as to estimate how much time you have to read. This approach helps to keep the focus and give the brain a signal that you have to work hard. These are simple tips that we usually apply when solving more serious, complex tasks, but they are also excellent for reading.
Another working technique that does not require the development of special skills is to start reading at a slightly faster (compared to normal) pace and gradually slow down to its “standard” speed. This is a particularly good reception for those who are really having trouble reading - whose speed is below the average of 300 words per minute.
Despite the fact that scholars who deal with reading problems are often called speed reading ineffective, one of the tenets of many speed reading technicians is still important to take into account: sometimes our desire to return to an already read text is really a bad habit. Observe for yourself: if now you do not need to study a large amount of text, and you have the opportunity to conduct an experiment, see how often you return to what you already read.
It is best to check it on a “neutral” passage - not too difficult for perception (to go back to difficult passages and “hang” on new words - this is our natural reaction, there is nothing harmful in it). If you feel that you have a problem with “returns” - you are still drawn to re-read the same thing over and over again - try using a childish trick and driving along the line with your finger or a pencil . This will not only “gently” remind you that you don’t need to return to what you’ve read so often, but it will also help you focus better on reading.
In fact, this is one of the least aggressive speed reading techniques that really helps to read faster and at the same time better understand what is read. Moreover, it helps not only scattered readers, but also those who are really hard to read without "special techniques."
Speed reading is not just a set of unusual mechanics: sometimes it is one of the few opportunities to read with pleasure for those who have difficulty with “ordinary” reading. This group includes those who find it difficult to be fixed on large texts, as well as people suffering from various forms of dyslexia.
For example, Ann Jones ( Anne Jones ), a six-time world champion in speed reading (she is known to many for reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hearts in 2007 for 47 minutes while sitting in a London bookstore), teaches fast reading techniques to those who just reading is hard. The speed of reading for such people really increases several times - but, considering that before that it was not great, it’s more a matter of raising it to the norm of “ordinary reading”:
Anne herself, by the way, also failed to avoid criticism - some of her records, according to the researchers, are due to the fact that she reads relatively familiar material. In particular, they explain the story of Harry Potter as follows: Jones read the previous books in the series and was generally familiar with the plot, characters, and the vocabulary of the novel, which made it easier for her.
The achievements of most skorchetets are also often questioned, arguing that the pursuit of speed leads to the fact that the reader "sees only what he wants to see" or can read quickly without loss of perception only on those topics that are already familiar to him.
On the other hand, unique cases are also possible here - for example, there is a compromise view that “the statements of course organizers on speed reading are noticeably exaggerated” (by the way, Ann’s course does not make promises to increase the reading speed to some given value), “including because that people reading at standard speed and skorchetets should not be combined into one group. Perhaps the "real" scribes really work with information differently than regular readers. "
By the way, the method of RSVP (fast sequential visual presentation) Ann Jones does not favor - in her opinion, it deprives the reader of the context, as a result, the information obtained becomes impossible to remember. From her point of view, the best assistant in the matter of fast reading is a ruler or pencil, which you need to drive along the lines.
An important point: in order to achieve her super-records, Ann also follows one of the above tips - she reads really a lot of varied literature (according to her, “she trains like an athlete before competitions”). It is difficult to say that in this case it has a decisive influence on the result: Ann's innate abilities, “extensive vocabulary” and the habit of reading a lot or “secret” techniques of speed reading.
Many experts agree on one thing: to read easily and quickly, you should first learn to read slowly. That is, carefully and thoughtfully work with the text, adding to the internal dictionary. The growth of the popularity of the so-called slow reading ( slow reading , close reading - both of these terms are usually translated as “slow reading”) in recent years is also connected with the criticism of speed reading techniques.
However, despite the fact that "slow reading" is called part of the "slow movement", which calls for "stop fussing and start living," and appeared in the 80s of the last century, slow reading techniques existed for a long time, including many peoples in the form of institutions interpreting sacred texts.
Slow reading in its “classic” version implies not only careful attention to the text, but also work with an expert on this topic. The expert can explain difficult and incomprehensible places to the reader and give him the missing context - to tell about features (historical, cultural, etc.) that are not reflected in the text directly, but have led to the fact that it looks that way and not otherwise.
Another interesting format of slow reading is “reading like a writer,” that is, the desire to read as if you yourself wrote this book along with its author. This approach assumes exceptional attention to detail, text, paragraph formation, the study of dialogues, the author’s specific vocabulary — all this allows the reader to accumulate a wealth of knowledge helping to write books on the basis of the “best practices” of world literature.
To read complex texts faster and at the same time it is better to memorize and understand them, you should definitely try a few simple tips:
PS Part 1 and Part 2 .
PPS Other materials from ITMO University:
In this (final) part we will talk about what tips (including those approved by Skorchetets) will help not only quickly read, but also better understand what you read - without complicated schemes and long trainings.
/ Photo by Ulisse Albiati / CC')
How to do [almost] without speed reading
So, we found out that applications and most speed reading techniques have one significant drawback: the faster we read (and the more intensively we use this or that technique), the less we memorize and the worse we understand the text. So what is guaranteed to help us read faster without losing reading quality?
It all depends on what limiting factor is considered the most serious. We were convinced that speaking the text silently, pauses and eye movements take time away from us, but the desire to completely eliminate these factors worsens the perception of the text - as a result, we fix ourselves on the process (reading), but we miss the point (understanding the material). Therefore, scientists suggest focusing not on form, but on content: our ability to recognize words as quickly as possible and understand their meaning.
What do researchers suggest in return for a technician and tricks? For a start, just read more, paying attention to different genres and styles . This approach will expand the internal dictionary of easily recognizable words and their combinations (we just talked about it in the second part of the material). This, in turn, will help to quickly pronounce the words to himself and, as a result, will increase not only the speed, but also the quality of reading.
The second rather obvious tip that helps you read faster is to focus on the text . In fact, most of the problems with reading and perception of the material arise not because the reader does not use certain “special techniques”, but because he is often distracted - as a result, the same sentence or paragraph has to be re-read several times. .
Such problems are characteristic not only of children who learn to read, but too complex materials have to be re-read in order to catch their essence. While reading something important, but boring, many people find themselves on the fact that the gaze continues to slide along the page, while thoughts are somewhere far away.
Such problems are often experienced by those who learn speed reading: focusing on the process of reading, a person stops thinking about the text as such. Therefore, “scattered reading” harms the reader much more than the lack of knowledge of special techniques.
Quora users, for example, advise you to try to take a few deep breaths, tune in to the process, and think in advance about what you expect to get from an article or a book before starting to read (especially useful for difficult ones, such as scientific texts), and think in advance what to expect from the article or book: find out the answer to a specific question, to get a general idea of the topic, etc.
It is useful to assess in advance the level of their basic knowledge, as well as to estimate how much time you have to read. This approach helps to keep the focus and give the brain a signal that you have to work hard. These are simple tips that we usually apply when solving more serious, complex tasks, but they are also excellent for reading.
Another working technique that does not require the development of special skills is to start reading at a slightly faster (compared to normal) pace and gradually slow down to its “standard” speed. This is a particularly good reception for those who are really having trouble reading - whose speed is below the average of 300 words per minute.
Despite the fact that scholars who deal with reading problems are often called speed reading ineffective, one of the tenets of many speed reading technicians is still important to take into account: sometimes our desire to return to an already read text is really a bad habit. Observe for yourself: if now you do not need to study a large amount of text, and you have the opportunity to conduct an experiment, see how often you return to what you already read.
It is best to check it on a “neutral” passage - not too difficult for perception (to go back to difficult passages and “hang” on new words - this is our natural reaction, there is nothing harmful in it). If you feel that you have a problem with “returns” - you are still drawn to re-read the same thing over and over again - try using a childish trick and driving along the line with your finger or a pencil . This will not only “gently” remind you that you don’t need to return to what you’ve read so often, but it will also help you focus better on reading.
In fact, this is one of the least aggressive speed reading techniques that really helps to read faster and at the same time better understand what is read. Moreover, it helps not only scattered readers, but also those who are really hard to read without "special techniques."
Who is important, however, is the speed reading and the case of Ann Jones
Speed reading is not just a set of unusual mechanics: sometimes it is one of the few opportunities to read with pleasure for those who have difficulty with “ordinary” reading. This group includes those who find it difficult to be fixed on large texts, as well as people suffering from various forms of dyslexia.
For example, Ann Jones ( Anne Jones ), a six-time world champion in speed reading (she is known to many for reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hearts in 2007 for 47 minutes while sitting in a London bookstore), teaches fast reading techniques to those who just reading is hard. The speed of reading for such people really increases several times - but, considering that before that it was not great, it’s more a matter of raising it to the norm of “ordinary reading”:
I am very proud of the dyslexic boy [with whom I was practicing]. At 10 years old, he read at the level of a six-year-old child, but he was able to “accelerate” in one hour from 26 to 60 words per minute. It changed his life.
- Ann Jones
Anne herself, by the way, also failed to avoid criticism - some of her records, according to the researchers, are due to the fact that she reads relatively familiar material. In particular, they explain the story of Harry Potter as follows: Jones read the previous books in the series and was generally familiar with the plot, characters, and the vocabulary of the novel, which made it easier for her.
The achievements of most skorchetets are also often questioned, arguing that the pursuit of speed leads to the fact that the reader "sees only what he wants to see" or can read quickly without loss of perception only on those topics that are already familiar to him.
On the other hand, unique cases are also possible here - for example, there is a compromise view that “the statements of course organizers on speed reading are noticeably exaggerated” (by the way, Ann’s course does not make promises to increase the reading speed to some given value), “including because that people reading at standard speed and skorchetets should not be combined into one group. Perhaps the "real" scribes really work with information differently than regular readers. "
By the way, the method of RSVP (fast sequential visual presentation) Ann Jones does not favor - in her opinion, it deprives the reader of the context, as a result, the information obtained becomes impossible to remember. From her point of view, the best assistant in the matter of fast reading is a ruler or pencil, which you need to drive along the lines.
An important point: in order to achieve her super-records, Ann also follows one of the above tips - she reads really a lot of varied literature (according to her, “she trains like an athlete before competitions”). It is difficult to say that in this case it has a decisive influence on the result: Ann's innate abilities, “extensive vocabulary” and the habit of reading a lot or “secret” techniques of speed reading.
Alternative approach: slow reading
Many experts agree on one thing: to read easily and quickly, you should first learn to read slowly. That is, carefully and thoughtfully work with the text, adding to the internal dictionary. The growth of the popularity of the so-called slow reading ( slow reading , close reading - both of these terms are usually translated as “slow reading”) in recent years is also connected with the criticism of speed reading techniques.
However, despite the fact that "slow reading" is called part of the "slow movement", which calls for "stop fussing and start living," and appeared in the 80s of the last century, slow reading techniques existed for a long time, including many peoples in the form of institutions interpreting sacred texts.
Slow reading in its “classic” version implies not only careful attention to the text, but also work with an expert on this topic. The expert can explain difficult and incomprehensible places to the reader and give him the missing context - to tell about features (historical, cultural, etc.) that are not reflected in the text directly, but have led to the fact that it looks that way and not otherwise.
Another interesting format of slow reading is “reading like a writer,” that is, the desire to read as if you yourself wrote this book along with its author. This approach assumes exceptional attention to detail, text, paragraph formation, the study of dialogues, the author’s specific vocabulary — all this allows the reader to accumulate a wealth of knowledge helping to write books on the basis of the “best practices” of world literature.
So briefly:
To read complex texts faster and at the same time it is better to memorize and understand them, you should definitely try a few simple tips:
- Pay attention to the preparation for working with the text (give yourself the answer to the question why you will read the material and what you want to get from it), tune in and remember that not being distracted and keep focused is more important than the knowledge of “special techniques”.
- Start reading at a pace slightly above average (for you). This will not lose the "fuse" and not "hang" in the middle of a paragraph after a couple of pages.
- Check whether you have the habit of returning to the already read (and understood) passage. If you are often "pulled back", try to read with a pencil - the effectiveness of this unobtrusive method confirms the world champion in fast reading.
- Read more varied literature . This will increase your “inner vocabulary” and help you spend less time on sub-vocalization of words in the future. With the same purpose, it is worth paying attention to slow reading - this approach helps not only to read faster (paradox), but also to write better.
PS Part 1 and Part 2 .
PPS Other materials from ITMO University:
- How technological entrepreneurship and science fiction are related
- Postgraduate Studies at ITMO University: the main thing about entering and studying in 2017
- Polymer holograms with “runaway” nanoparticles were developed by university scientists
- EMI life hacking: how to teach in English if you are not a native speaker
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/331750/
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