Exercises to develop speed reading. Anyone can learn to speed read without courses and without wasting money

Looking for free speed reading lessons? Give me a little time - details at the end of the article and you will solve the main problems of new speed readers, who are often confused by the fact that they cannot pronounce while reading or, having a fairly wide angle of view, cannot proceed to zigzag reading.

With speed reading lessons you can develop memory, attention, intelligence and other valuable skills. Speed ​​reading lessons will be useful for those who have to process a lot of information due to their occupation, for those who want to do as much as possible in this life. But these exercises will only be beneficial if you do them not occasionally, but regularly for a long time.

There are many courses and special programs for speed reading. The methods may differ, but the essence of most of them is the same. Firstly, when speed reading, you should read not words, but paragraphs, and entire pages of text. This is possible if you learn to read not line by line, but vertically, along the text. Secondly, you must stop reciting what you read. In methods that do not interfere with internal pronunciation, additional time is spent on assimilation and memorization of the material. And the most important thing is the quality of the material read. That is, you will learn to better understand the text you read with significant time savings.

Selective reading technique

Follow the selective reading technique - within a maximum of twenty seconds, you should read only a couple of lines on the page. From the words you read, formulate phrases that reveal the entire essence of the text on the page. This will significantly save reading time;

Do not fixate your gaze on figures of speech that do not convey any useful information. For example, “thus”, “as a result of this”, “as a conclusion...”. They are needed to connect key ideas in the text, but when speed reading you should not pay attention to them;

Don't go back to text you've already read. This can be confusing. Try to remember as much as possible from a page, devoting equal amounts of time to each.

If you do not have the opportunity or special desire to master this technique on your own, you can enroll in special courses. Working with a professional will help you avoid the mistakes you might make when learning on your own.

Go back to what you've learned

Having read the fragment, mentally repeat what you learned and determine for yourself how you understood it.

Without notes in your notebook, you are unlikely to understand anything well. Therefore, students sign up for the teacher.

Read at your processing speed

In leisurely reading, abilities are developed. If we read at our usual speed, then understanding is complete.

Mastering a foreign language is not running from word to word according to the principle “the more you run, the more you learn.” Reading is learning, training, intimacy.

Haste is forgetting something. What doesn't go easily won't go at all. Great is the Lord, who has made everything complex difficult to understand, and the unnecessary very difficult.

While reading, stop at difficult parts of the book. What is clear is to quickly glance at it.

When we read slowly, we develop contact with the author, with the language, with the text.

Read important text very slowly.

The effect of speed reading is not to read as many books as possible, but to find solutions to difficult situations as easily as possible.

Are all the words in the text familiar?

The more unclear words, the lower the reading speed. You can skip one term, but if there are a lot of incomprehensibility, then reading comprehension will be zero.

Look for Alternatives to Reading

Sometimes it turns out that it is much better to ask another person for advice than to delve into the essence yourself. You can also reformulate the question and find out some of the information from alternative sources.

Computer training on expanding (measuring) the angle of view

Reading good books is
conversation with the brightest people
past, and very unusual,
because they only talk about the best
your thoughts.
(Descartes)

  • Exercise to expand the angle of vision - rotating numbers

Computer exercises on text perception

  • Training to master the skill of Speed ​​Reading - Find the word in the text

Fast reading and rhythm

Other computer trainings for mastering speed reading skills:

  • Reading backwards to front (vice versa)

Hello my curious ones. Concluding a small series about the ability to read quickly for children today, as promised, we will give exercises for speed reading to master this technique. So if you're looking to homeschool yourself, welcome to the training track!

Lesson plan:

Expanding the angle of view

First of all, exercises for developing speed reading skills for children should be aimed at the ability to concentrate on the necessary information and see as much as possible at one glance, that is, over and over again expand the scope of the text. Something that is difficult for children to do without special training.

Their small text capture is one of the reasons for the slow search and perception of information. To a large extent, it is precisely because of the small field of vision that children are taught to read first by syllables, and only then by whole phrases.

So, let's go! Our main assistant in this is Schulte tables. There are plenty of them on the Internet, you can print them out. There are even games based on these signs online for a while. Schulte tables can contain both letters and numbers, most often the latter.

The main goal is an unfocused gaze, which makes it possible to “take” a large area of ​​the page (on a computer, the screen). The exercise can be in different variations:

  • we look for identical elements with the help of an absent-minded glance,
  • remember the largest number of elements,
  • We look at the middle of the line, and with our eyes we try to see the signs on the far left and right.

All this is done using a non-movable view from a central table object. By the way, this Schulte technique is good for people too.

There are also graphic pyramids, at the top of which the visual angle is the smallest, and closer to the base it widens noticeably. You will have to go down from it to master “wide-format” vision.

You can turn it around:

Training concentration

The worked out one makes it possible to find the main idea among the “water”.

We turn on both hemispheres

To do this, we take a text that is not difficult for a child and begin to read it several sentences or one paragraph at a time. You just need to do this with one eye: either the right or the left. This simple trick involves both hemispheres of the brain.

Let's celebrate the main thing

This technique is often used by scientists, and other famous personalities too. Using a simple pencil, or better yet, a marker, they highlight for themselves the most important thing in the text - 2-3 thoughts, by which they can judge the entire text on the page. Moreover, they don’t just highlight, but put their notes in the form of “!”, “+” or “-”, thereby agreeing or doubting.

Name the colors

A very interesting exercise that even adults cannot always cope with right away. Here are the words for you.

When moving to each next one, you must name the color in which the word is written, and not read what is written!

Looking for words

A simple exercise, but quite effective in developing attention. You need to find all the words in the text starting with a given letter. Another option is possible: find a specific word or even phrase on the page. It's better to do this for a while.

Puzzles

This is the easiest way for children to practice concentration. So-called trick riddles and trick questions are good for speed reading. Well, for example,

Down with regression

In order not to return your eyes to the text you read, we do these exercises that will increase your reading speed.

Cut off half a line

While reading the text, cover half of the line with a piece of paper for the child. This will teach you to guess what is written and develop a pattern of moving forward, and not going back - “before it’s closed, take a peek.”

We indicate

Take a regular pencil or pen as a pointer. Well, if you really want to play teacher, you can use a real mini-pointer. What are we doing? As we read the text, we constantly move the pointer forward so that the child’s gaze follows it intuitively, “without turning” back.

Read at speed

Similar to school. Take a timer and improve your results. The peak will be reading with a metronome.

By clicking it you need to go to the next line. Instead of the device, a parent can sit and, after a set interval, which gets shorter each time of training, will slap his palm on the table. The claps have ended, which means the lines must also end. And now questions about the text!

Reading without articulation

Pronouncing words in children while reading is a real scourge for speed reading techniques, since additional articulation slows down the speed.

"Lips!"

This is the name of the command that must be used to train silent reading. Hearing the command “lips!”, the child presses his finger and reads to himself. Hearing “out loud!”, he begins to read aloud.

Occupying the mouth

Even if chewing a pencil is a bad habit, it’s better to put a cup of nuts. Some people recommend chewing gum, but I doubt it: you can swallow it without chewing.

Drumming on the table

Drumming with your fingers will help block speech. You just need to choose a tune and work it out in advance: first an easy one for “playing”, then you can make it more difficult.

To the music

Training your memory

The development of memory is of no small importance in learning to speed read.

Repairing the word

To read, we take a text with missing letters, which we will have to guess “as the play progresses.” This requires keeping in mind the words and meaning of what you have previously read.

Inside out

Let's turn the page upside down and try to read the text now from right to left. Such exercises for children are useful for developing letter standards in memory, and it does not matter how they are located.

Restoring the chain

A set of words is taken so that each previous one is preferably connected with the next one, for example, car-street-traffic light and so on, so that the child can line them up in a chain. You can start with 5, then increase their number to 10. The entire chain is listened to once, and then the words in the previously established order are restored simply out loud or on a piece of paper.

We write visual dictations

The dictations developed by Professor Fedorenko consist of 6 sentences, their length increases by one or two letters. The child is given time to read the text, doing it line by line. First, one line is opened, read, and played. Then only the second line opens from under the sheet of paper. And in this sequence the entire text is remembered.

Long live thinking

Do you regularly solve logic problems? So your thinking is fine. What does thinking give? It turns off the eyes regarding unnecessary information and separates the important from the unimportant.

Compose texts

We do this for a while according to a given scenario:

  • where all words begin only with a certain letter,
  • where the given words should be used.

Let's play

In “cities”, “vegetables”, “fruits” and the like, as well as simply in words for a certain letter of the alphabet, selecting the ones you need in the allotted period of time.

These simple exercises will help you master the technique of speed reading at home. The main thing is regularity of training, and then everything will definitely work out! Ready? Then let's get started, attention, let's go!

"ShkolaLa" wishes you good luck! It also offers to subscribe to blog news and join to our VKontakte group.

See you again!

According to Google estimates, today there are more than 130 million books in the world. Not all of them really deserve attention, however, a human life is not enough to read only the masterpieces of world literature, not to mention scientific, educational and other printed materials. Those who want to read more learn speed reading. T&P have put together 5 exercises and programs that will help you learn to read books in a day.

Development of peripheral vision

One of the main tools for speed reading is peripheral, or lateral vision. It is carried out by the peripheral areas of the retina and allows, instead of several letters, to see and perceive a word or even a whole line.

The classic way to train peripheral vision is to work with the Schulte table. Such a table is a field divided into 25 squares: five horizontally and five vertically. Each square contains a number, from 1 to 25 in total, in random order. The student’s task is to sequentially find all the numbers in ascending or descending order, while looking exclusively at the central square.

The Schulte table can be printed on paper, but today there are dynamic online generators and downloadable computer and mobile trainings, including those with a built-in timer. Those who use extensive speed reading training programs are advised to “warm up” with the Schulte table before training. If desired, you can switch from black and white 5x5 tables to more complex versions: for example, with colored fields.

Suppression of subvocalization

Another of the cornerstone principles of learning speed reading is the rejection of subvocalization: pronouncing words in the head and micro-movements of the tongue and lips. A person is able to pronounce on average no more than 180 words per minute - and it is no coincidence that this is the maximum number for ordinary reading. However, as text comprehension speed increases, words become more difficult to pronounce, and subvocalization begins to interfere with the development of a new skill.

There are several simple exercises to suppress mental recitation. For example, while reading, you can press your tongue to the roof of your mouth, hold the tip of a pencil between your teeth, or even simply put your finger to your lips, as if telling yourself: “Quiet.” There are also techniques in which the pronunciation of words is “confused” by chaotic tapping, the sound of a metronome, or music.

Refusal of regressions

Regressions in speed reading are called returns to already read parts of the text. They occur when the reader is distracted by extraneous thoughts, or if the speed of assimilation of information is too high for the brain to be able to perceive all the information.

In particular, the Best Reader training program helps to cope with regressions. It is based on dynamically highlighting parts of the text on the page in black. It is difficult for human eyes to make orderly movements without observing anything, and this feature allows you to better focus your gaze on the desired fragments. When reading a regular book or document on the screen of an electronic device, you can also use a simple trick that we all know from our preschool days: drag your finger across the page. It also helps to get rid of regressions by understanding that further text often makes it possible to fill in all the short information gaps that arose during the reading process.

Concentration of attention

Reading quickly requires high concentration. To develop it and not read texts superficially, there are several exercises. For example, you can use a sheet on which the names of the colors will be printed in colored font, but in such a way as to confuse the reader. The word “yellow” will be written in red letters, the word “red” in blue, etc. To practice, you need to name the color of the ink, and not the word that is written on the sheet, and at first it is quite difficult to do this.

For another exercise, you only need a blank sheet of paper and a pen. You need to focus your attention on some subject and not be distracted from it by extraneous thoughts for two or three minutes. Every time extraneous thoughts arise, you need to make a note on the sheet. Over time, there should be fewer such marks, and then they will disappear altogether.

You can also train your concentration while reading: just count the words in the text. It is important to carry out calculations exclusively in your head, without helping yourself with your fingers, tapping your feet, etc. After two or three minutes you need to stop and check yourself by counting the words without reading them. At first, the first result will differ from the second, but with regular training, the differences between them will quickly become minimal.

Reading whole words

The Spritz app also aims to develop peripheral vision. For training, only one line is used here, on which words with a red highlighted letter in the middle appear at different speeds. In this way, you can learn to perceive words without reading them from beginning to end, but all at once. This allows you to save up to 80% of the time that would normally be spent on eye movements and increase your reading speed to 500–1000 words per minute.

On the official website of the application there is a demo version of Spritz, including in Russian. You can choose a speed from 250 to 600 words per minute and other languages: English, German, Spanish and French. In the future, the developers plan to create not only a version for websites and smartphones, but also an option for use within the interface of electronic glasses, smart watches and other compact devices, because the application requires only one line to work.

When mentioning the speed reading technique, most people have the following questions: what causes an increase in reading speed?

But they are all based on a few basic rules. So:

Some readers, unnoticed by themselves, read any text twice - both easy and difficult, as if to be sure. The areas of such repeated eye fixations that occur during traditional reading are sometimes very large.

As our research has shown, when reading slowly, regressions are a fairly common occurrence, and their number is usually from 10 to 15 for a text of 100 words. It is clear that such frequent recurrent eye movements sharply reduce reading speed.

The main goal of reception is a deeper understanding of a text that has already been read once. The speed reading technique recommends re-reading only after finishing reading the entire text.

When reading a text with regressions, the eyes move backward, for example, from point 2 to point 3, although there is no need for this. If this happens on every line of text, then obviously the reader reads the entire text twice.

It is this kind of regression that is considered one of the main disadvantages of traditional slow reading. Along with regressions during slow reading, recurrent eye movements were also noticed, caused by the apparent difficulties of the text.

These returns are also a disadvantage of reading. Very often, further reading resolves the questions that have arisen and makes returns unnecessary. What is the nature of regression?

The first reason is force of habit. Record the reasons for repeated reading: is the text really difficult or lack of attention?

Remember: eliminating regressions increases your reading speed by two times and the quality of your reading comprehension by three times.



2. READ WITHOUT ARTICULATION

Articulation- these are involuntary movements of the lips, tongue, and elements of the larynx when reading a text to oneself. The movements of the speech organs when reading silently are inhibited only externally, but in fact they are in constant hidden movement.

The intensity of these micro-movements depends, first of all, on the level of development of reading skills and the complexity of the text. The less developed the skill of reading silently (in children) and the more complex the text, the more pronounced the articulation.

Many people say they have no articulation or don't know what it is. Others, on the contrary, claim that they constantly hear someone muttering next to them when they read the text.

Even if the reader declares that he does not have articulation, special measurements can be used to detect it. X-ray filming of pharyngeal modulations during reading showed the presence of intracavitary articulation even in people who read relatively quickly.

Indeed, eliminating the internal pronunciation of words is the most important source of increasing speed reading.

Moreover, even if it seems to you that you are not pronouncing words, then this is not so, the method of teaching reading that has been hammered into our heads since elementary school - that is, reading aloud - makes itself felt and, as we know, relearning is much harder than learning .

The defect in pronunciation of readable words can be divided into the following components:

1. When speaking is accompanied by mechanical movements: moving the lips, moving the tongue, or, even worse, audio - mechanical effects - muttering, etc. To combat this is quite simple - hold something in your teeth, or even better, hold your tongue teeth - no matter how funny, but by changing the pain sensation (the degree of compression by the teeth), you can control the entire process of eradicating this inhibitory factor.

2. The most difficult thing to eradicate is pronouncing words in the brain, i.e., the speech center. The method used here is to knock out a wedge with a wedge. The center that controls movement is located somewhere next to the speech center, and you can try to suppress the speech center with the motor center - it’s super difficult to fight this - holding something in your teeth won’t help, but you can try the following. You record some kind of rhythm (but not music) on a cassette - for example, a metronome. Moreover, there should be several records with different beat frequencies and combined with a variable beat frequency. You need to read to this beat (rhythm) and make movements while reading.

The main thing in the problem of fast reading is not so much speed as optimality, the efficiency of obtaining meaningful information thanks to the correct choice of a program for the semantic perception of the text.

Readers, as a rule, do not think about how to read a particular text. As a result, it is equally slow to read.

This or that reading speed and technique is subject, first of all, to the goals, objectives and guidelines that the reader sets for himself. It is the development of appropriate programs, the ability to flexibly use each of them at the right time, that determine the ability to read quickly.

Typically, traditional reading uses a small field of view. The field of view is understood as a section of text that is clearly perceived by the eyes during one fixation of the gaze.

In traditional reading, when at best 2-3 words are perceived, the field of view is very small. As a result, the eyes make many unnecessary jumps and fixations (stops).

This technique can be called fragmentation of the gaze. The wider the field of view, the more information is perceived at each stop of the eyes, the fewer these stops, and as a result, reading becomes more effective. A fast reader, in one fixation of his gaze, manages to perceive not 2-3 words, but an entire line, an entire sentence, sometimes an entire paragraph.

Reading text in whole phrases Not only is it more efficient in terms of speed, it also promotes deeper reading comprehension. This happens because the perception of large fragments of text during moments of fixation with the gaze evokes visual-figurative ideas that clearly clarify the meaning of the text.

The reading speed is also significantly reduced by the unproductive transition of the eyes from the end of each line read to the beginning of a new one. How many lines there are on the page, there are so many unnecessary transitions, i.e., idle eye movements, which are spent on; not only time, but also energy.

When reading quickly, eye movement is more economical: vertically, from top to bottom in the center of the page.

5. ALWAYS HIGHLIGHT THE DOMINANT - THE MAIN MEANING OF THE TEXT

Problem understanding the text has been studied fruitfully by psychologists for quite a long time. What is understanding? Psychologists call understanding the establishment of a logical connection between objects by using existing knowledge.

When reading a simple text, understanding seems to merge with perception - we instantly recall previously acquired knowledge (we realize the known meaning of words) or select from the existing knowledge what is needed at the moment and connect it with new impressions.

But very often, when reading an unfamiliar and difficult text, understanding the subject (application of knowledge and establishing new logical connections) is a complex process that unfolds over time.

To comprehend the text in such cases, it is necessary not only to be attentive when reading, to have knowledge and be able to apply it, but also to master certain thinking techniques. If it is necessary to remember a text, a person first tries to understand it better and uses various techniques for this.

Most often, readers use two main techniques: highlighting semantic reference points And anticipation.

Identification of supporting semantic points is as follows. Dividing the text into parts, their semantic grouping leads to the identification of semantic support points that deepen understanding and facilitate subsequent memorization of the material.

Psychologists have found that the basis of understanding can be everything that we associate with, what is remembered or what itself “pops up” as connected with it. These may be some minor words, additional details, definitions, etc.

Any association can be a support in this sense. A semantic support point is something short, compressed, but at the same time serving as the basis for some broader content. Understanding comes down to grasping the main ideas, significant words, and short phrases in the text that predetermine the text of subsequent pages.

The technique of highlighting semantic reference points is like a process of filtering and compressing the text without losing the basis.

Another technique used to further comprehend the text being read is called anticipation or anticipation, i.e. a semantic guess. What is anticipation? This is the psychological process of orientation towards a foreseeable future.

It is based on knowledge of the logic of the development of an event, assimilation of the results of the analysis of signs, previously carried out by operational thinking. Anticipation is provided by the so-called hidden reaction of expectation, which sets the reader up for certain actions when, according to the text, there seems to be no sufficient reason for these reactions.

The phenomenon of anticipation is possible only when thinking actively works in a productive mode. With this type of reading, the reader relies more on the content of the text as a whole than on the meaning of individual words. The main thing is to comprehend the idea of ​​content, to identify the main intention of the author of the text.

Thus, when learning to read quickly, the ability to anticipate is the main factor in the formation of a unique sense of phrasal stereotypes and the accumulation of a sufficient vocabulary of text cliches. Identification of phrase stereotypes is one of the first prerequisites for developing automaticity of semantic text processing.

6. CONSTANTLY DEVELOP YOUR ATTENTION AND MEMORY

What is attention? Attention- this is the selective orientation of consciousness when performing certain work. Fast reading requires increased attention. Unfortunately, we are not always organized and do not know how to manage our attention when reading.

Most readers' reading speed is far below what they could achieve without compromising comprehension. For a slow reader, attention often switches to extraneous thoughts and objects, and interest in the text decreases. Therefore, large fragments are read mechanically and the meaning of what is read does not reach consciousness.

Such a reader, noticing that he is thinking about extraneous things, is often forced to re-read the passage again. A person who reads quickly is able to control his attention.


Ability to concentrate focusing on a problem is one of the components of successful mental work. Try training your ability to concentrate by mentally reading words back to front.

When you mentally read a word backwards, you have to picture it letter by letter and then read those letters. For example - “word” - “ovols”, “road” - “agorod”. If your consciousness is distracted by a third-party object, then the thread is instantly lost and you have to do the exercise again. This way you can train your attention.

This exercise can be done in public transport and thereby use wasted time to your advantage. Start with simple four-letter words. Gradually try to operate with longer words.

7. COMPLETE THE DAILY MANDATORY STANDARD:

read two newspapers, one magazine (scientific, technical or popular science) and 50-100 pages of any book. Mastering the technique of speed reading really is a process of complex influence on various aspects of human mental activity.

Figuratively speaking, in the learning process it is realized program for technical re-equipment of the brain. A restructuring of consciousness is taking place, existing stereotypes of thinking are being broken. There are good books on teaching speed reading. For example, the book by Andreev O. A. and Khromov L. N. “Learning to read quickly.”

But the most effective option for learning to read quickly is special training and group classes.

The main thing is to remember that speed reading is not for the elite. Diligence and consistency of training are important.

Surely, you have heard the expression “fast reading technique” more than once. But have you done anything to improve your speed reading skills? And what is normal reading speed and how to measure it? Let's talk about what reading speed is and how exactly you can increase it. In addition, we will also touch upon such issues as checking reading technique, its types, and also consider the most effective exercises that will help to significantly increase the speed of perception of text information.

What is reading technique?

Before we figure out how you can read quickly while memorizing the material, let's talk about what reading speed is and how exactly it is measured. We will also touch on the technique of speed reading, which allows you to process texts quite quickly and efficiently. Let us also note that speed reading and memory development are quite closely related.

Reading speed is the ratio of characters read to the time it takes to read them. This takes into account the understanding of the text, that is, how carefully the reader read it and remembered it.

In school practice, reading speed is measured in words, but experts recommend measuring it in characters, since the length of words varies.

Speed ​​reading is a set of special techniques and techniques that can significantly increase reading speed and perception of text content. People who master the technique of speed reading have a wide ability to filter the material they read and highlight the main points in it. And most importantly, they can quickly find the necessary information in the text. That is why it is quite important to know what speed reading technique is and how to master it in a short time.

Types of reading

Before we talk about reading techniques and that, let’s say a few words about the types of reading. By the way, we note that most of them are ways to quickly read.

Psycholinguists and people involved in teaching speed reading distinguish several types of familiarization with the text. Thus, we can distinguish in-depth, fast, panoramic, selective, as well as reading-viewing and reading-scanning.

Let's briefly describe each of these types and analyze their features.

  • Thus, during in-depth reading, all details are analyzed, what is read is criticized, and conclusions are formulated. This is how scientific literature is usually processed.
  • Fast reading implies not only high speed of the process, but also excellent understanding of what you read. This may include familiarization with fiction.
  • Panoramic reading uses a technique to expand peripheral vision. That is, a person reading in this way covers a fairly large area of ​​the text with his eyes, which significantly affects speed. This way you can study almost any book.
  • In selective reading, only certain parts of the text are processed. These can be individual chapters, sections, paragraphs, and even sentences. This is used by students when preparing for exams.
  • Reading-viewing is usually used by specialists and students when selecting a particular literature. Looking through a book - annotation, preface, table of contents, a person decides whether he needs it or not.
  • When reading-scanning, pages are quickly scanned in order to search for individual definitions, dates, surnames and names.

Basic components of reading speed

Before we look at what the speed reading technique is, let's talk about the components of the speed of this process. In order to check your reading speed, you first need to know about them.

So, the formula by which reading speed is usually calculated is as follows:

  • V = Q x K: T.

Let's now decipher each of these conventions.

Reading speed standards

There are several reading speeds. It is measured in signs, since such a parameter is more objective than such measurements in words.

At the same time, a speed of 900 characters per minute is considered very slow. Slow is equivalent to 1200 characters per minute. A person who reads 1500 characters per minute reads at an average speed. 1800 characters are considered above average. Fast reading implies a speed of 3,000 characters, very fast - 5,000, and people who master more than 10,000 characters per minute are considered to have mastered ultra-fast reading speed.

Checking reading speed

Before we talk about exercises that will help you significantly improve your reading speed, it’s worth checking it out. To do this, you can either use special programs or check it yourself, although this may not be entirely accurate data. If you decide to use the second option, then you will definitely need the help of someone from your family or friends, a text, a stopwatch.

We start by picking up an unfamiliar text, then ask you to time the time it takes you to read it. Let's start reading. Upon completion, you should be asked a couple of questions about the text. If you answered them, that's very good. If not, it’s worse. By the way, we note that speed reading and memory development are two inseparable things. If you read fairly quickly and do not remember what you read, then speed reading is out of the question.

Next, we count the number of characters read in the text (this can be done using the Word program (Statistics) by highlighting the desired segment). Then we use the above formulas and calculate our reading speed. Here we note that the understanding coefficient is not worth calculating.

This way, you can determine for yourself whether you should improve your reading speed or not.

Why improve your reading speed?

The main reason why you should develop speed reading skills is to increase your perception of information. We are constantly surrounded by various messages, and it is quite important that we have time to perceive and remember them in time. And if the perception of audio and visual information occurs quite quickly and it is almost impossible to develop this skill, then the perception of text messages occurs quite slowly and directly depends on our reading speed. That is why speed reading skills should be developed, and this should be done not only for adults, but also for children. And that is why speed reading for children is quite a necessary skill.

In addition, this process develops memory and attention. It is reliably known that the more a person reads, the more literate and developed he is. And in order to read a lot, you need to be able to read quickly.

Let us also note that people always strive to master special skills that not everyone has. So, speed reading also applies to them. Having mastered it, you will be able to tell your acquaintances and friends about your achievements with a clear conscience.

Reasons for low reading speed


These and many other things significantly reduce the ability to quickly master speed reading. There are special exercises for children and adults that help solve these problems.

Methods for developing reading technique

If you want to master any speed reading method, then you definitely need to know about a variety of techniques and methods that will help you significantly improve your perception of information.

In principle, every psycholinguist and specialist in this field develops his own method of teaching speed reading, focusing on one or another set of exercises.

The most famous of them are the quick reading method of Oleg Andreev and Andrey Spodin.

All of them are based on the same principles - to expand a person’s field and angle of vision, teach him to avoid regressions and articulatory movements when reading, develop memory and thinking, and the ability to critically perceive and remember text.

It doesn’t matter whose technique you choose, the main thing is that it is easy and interesting for you to practice it.

Below we offer you exercises that form the basis of almost every speed reading course.

Exercises to develop reading speed

If you want to develop your speed reading skills, we recommend that you work on it daily. To do this, you need to set aside at least an hour of free time for studying and perform simple exercises, which we will now tell you about.

  • When reading the text, cover each line you read with a blank sheet of paper. You can use your hand instead of a piece of paper. The main thing is not to go back and open lines you have already read.
  • Work with gradually expanding your angle of view. By the way, the fast reading technique also implies the presence of a wide angle of view.
  • When reading, be sure to keep your index finger on your lips - this will help prevent articulation, that is, pronouncing the text you read with your lips.
  • Do not be distracted by extraneous sounds, try to read in silence and concentrate your attention on the text as much as possible.
  • After reading, retell to yourself what you read, check whether you remember everything or whether something escaped you.

Install special programs that help you quickly read texts. This way you can change the pace of reading and gradually get used to it. Below we will offer you several such programs and talk a little about what speed reading techniques exist for children.

Programs for developing speed reading skills

We figured out what reading is, its speed, and remembered a few fairly simple exercises that will help us improve our performance. Let's now look at programs for quick reading. Here are three of the most famous and used ones.

  • The Spritz program helps you read texts quickly. You enter the piece you need into the field and set the speed at which the program reads it. It is very good for testing not only your reading speed, but also mastering the material in record time.
  • The second program is Psy games. This is a whole set of various exercises that will help expand your field of vision, improve memory, attention, and reaction.
  • We also note another complex for improving reading skills - Speed ​​reading software. With its help you can also significantly improve your reading speed.

Teaching children speed reading

The last thing worth mentioning is teaching children how to speed read. As we have already said, this skill will be quite useful both for the development of memory and attention of your son or daughter, and for further studies at school or university.

Some tips for those who want to know how to teach a child to read quickly. In order to teach children to read quickly, you must first show them that they can do it. To do this, you can conduct the following experiment. Let the text be read, but you should limit the reading time to one minute. Then count the number of words in the read section of the text and ask the child to read it again. At the same time, note the time again. The text will be read faster the second time, which means you can prove to your child that the more he reads, the more his reading speed increases.

Be sure to ask your child after reading what exactly he learned from the text. This will help teach you to read not only quickly, but also carefully.

Let us note that any method of quick reading for children will be interesting only if you try to interest the child, engage with him in a playful way, without forcing him to do something he does not want.

conclusions

So, we have figured out what the speed reading technique is and how important it is to master it. We found out what types of reading exist, what prevents us from reading quickly and how we can overcome these obstacles. We also talked about how to teach a child to read and develop his skills.

We hope our article was useful.


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