An Introduction To Speed Reading
Speed reading is all about reading faster than you normally read, and is also called 'accelerated reading'. Speed reading is no rocket science and it is possible for everyone to master the art of speed reading. Only that a few choose to read at a higher pace and other refuse to move a step further. Speed reading is a group effort put in by the eyes and the mind, involving "glancing through" words in a passage, mainly useful to locate essential information or to get an overview of the text.
The reason that today "speed reading" is considered as a smarter method of reading is because of the fact that we are taught to read at a slower pace when kids. We are taught to concentrate on every word we read. When taught to read aloud, we are taught stoppage time for each punctuation and preference to bolded words. The combined effort of the jaw, vocal cords and mouth tend to slow our reading rate even more. Well, our mind is equipped to work much faster than we expect. It is we who tend to slow it down.
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As children we are taught to read slowly and we are taught that it is the right way to read. And the right way to read is, as a matter of fact, the slowest possible way. We are taught to listen to what we read- aloud or in our mind. Today, it is all about speed- the higher it is the better it is. But, things that we are taught as children tend to stay back. Not only are many adults found to read slowly, some are even found mumbling to themselves since they have been taught to read aloud. Speed reading does just the opposite to what we are taught in our elementary days. Speed reading is all about gathering the main essence of the text rather than the nitty gritty details in grammar and punctuation.
Reading and understanding the main thing is what speed reading stresses upon- the right way of reading. Once the speed of reading increases, one even gets the opportunity to read more. To know more is the key to success, and that is exactly what speed reading is about- more of reading and more of knowing But, it is also believed that speed reading decreases the comprehension level of readers. When reading rate is increased to beyond the reading for comprehension rate (over approximately 400 word/min), comprehension is found to drop to an unacceptable level (below 50% comprehension) as measured on standardized reading tests. Various types of speed reading courses available on the net guarantees to retain comprehension levels. Courses are available on the net and various books have also been published. Speed reading is definitely the most "in" thing in the reading circuit today.
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