Train
yourself to speedread
How we learned to read slowly
Do you ever wonder why some people can go through books so rapidly,
and others take forever to finish a thin paperback novel?
Is the ability to read at an increased
pace something that a person is born with or something that
they develop
over time?
And what about that super slow reader is there still hope
for them?
Well, to go back to the source of this
issue, it has been assessed by reading experts that the way
we learn to read
as a child directly
affects the type of readers we become in the future.
It is usually during childhood that we
form bad reading habits that we carry on to ouradulthood.
This contributes
to why
some people are slow readers.
One of the earliest ways children learn
how to read is through subvocalization. This is when you read
the
words that you
hear out loud in your head. Some people even mouth
out the words to
themselves. Reading experts say that this is how we
learn to develop comprehension, and absorb the information
we are receiving.
Supporters of speed reading frown at subvocalization.
They claim that this slows down the speed of their
reading.
Certain words are so familiar to us that
we don't even unconsciously subvocalize. This is because we
naturally
make the connection
with the meanings of these words since they are so
familiar to us. Some examples of these words are:
brand name products
we
are familiar with, road signs, popular names, etc.
Individuals who want to try to read faster
consciously make an effort to lessen their subvocalization
during reading. The average
reading speed of a person is around 250 words per
minute accompanied by a reading comprehension level
of around
60%.
It is one thing to be able to read fast,
but another to actually comprehend and absorb the information
that you
are reading.
This is why there are a lot of people that are
opposed to speed reading
as a technique to be used for learning since
most speed readers' comprehension level fall under 50%.
That means
that plenty
of details about a given material, and its relevance
may be lost
when they attempt to get through these texts
through
the method of speed reading. Some of the bad reading habits that individuals
possess they have nurtured over a lifetime. Being
taught
by a slow reader
is especially detrimental to a child since he
or she might pass on some bad reading habits to the
child.
Some bad reading habits include:
1. Vocalizing while reading. Basically this means
reading the words out loud.
2. Reading a text one word at a time.
Not only does this decrease a person's reading speed.
Also, it
has been
said by reading experts
that reading word by word decreases a reader's
understanding of the material. Reading words
by grouping expand
a reader's understanding of the text as a
whole.
3. Regressing. This means going back to
reread words, or sentences that have been read
because it has become
a habit,
and not because
of necessity. This accounts a great deal
as to why some individuals are slow readers.
Another thing that contributes to a child
becoming a slow reader is fostering a
negative attitude
towards reading.
Thinking that
reading is boring, or that watching a
movie, or playing video games instead of reading
is not going
to help
a
child read
any faster.
A child will just become restless and
anxious to get the task of reading
over with if
he or she
is burdened
with
this type
of mentality. If this type of attitude does not get
corrected, a child would grow up harboring
these negative
feelings toward
reading.
Most children start learning how to
read at around 6 or 7 years of age.
It is
important that the
child is
not forced
to learn
how to read until he or she is ready,
because this will add
an additional burden and frustration
to the child, which may result
in reading problems.
Most people who are slow readers
are not so because they lack the
ability
to read
faster.
It is because
of these
bad habits
that they have formed over the
years that they have learned to become
slow readers.
Luckily, this is a problem that
can be remedied. By breaking
these bad
reading
habits, slow
readers can
slowly become
faster readers!
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