Speed reading is easy to learn how to do, takes very little time to practice, and is a viable way to add time to your day. By learning to discern the relevant from the irrelevant when it comes to information, and by increasing the rate at which we read, processing information becomes much faster and prioritized. The successful practice of speed reading is based on the simple fact that our brains can handle much more information than we think if we approach information differently. “How” we read and “what” we read do matter. With so much information within our reach, it is very important to know what is valuable to read and what is not.
Speed reading includes scanning techniques that teach the reader to pick up quickly on the content, its key points, and the value given to the information by the author. This aids in filtering out the information that can be reviewed when you have more time if you desire, but lets the reader focus on the high-priority data for learning and application. Additionally, reading can be done on a variety of levels-inspectional, elementary, analytical, etc., but when we add speed reading into the process and we read intentionally on the correct level, we can much more readily work through important information. Mortimer Adler goes into great detail on these levels of reading in his work, How to Read a Book. It is an exceptional resource on this subject and recommended for serious learners of any subject matter.
Another key part of the process is the conversion of words on the page into pictures that our minds can easily “see” and process. Visual images are quickly scanned by our brains. Reading visually, as opposed to listening to a little voice in our heads that speaks each word for us, increases our comprehension and retention of the information at hand. We can also very quickly assimilate mental pictures. We do this every day as we drive down the road passing signs and images all along. Think of the billboards on the roads near your home or office. Are they richer in words or pictures? I would suggest that they will be dense with visual images and pictures, logos or graphics, rather than words and text. The reason for this is two-fold. First, we have little time to see the words as we drive by, but more importantly, we will hold on to the visual images longer in our memories. Reading can be done in the same way and by doing so, we can change the way we process, study and learn information. We can literally “drive by” our reading when we have trained our brains to do so.
Finally, when speed reading, it is important to engage your sensory learning. The more that you can imagine how you would feel the information or what something would taste or smell like, the more quickly your brain can compare the new material to what it already knows and add to its knowledge base. It is much more efficient to add to what you know than to have to start from an unknown point. For instance, if you are reading about computer marketing, perhaps you could imagine the sound of the keyboard going in your mind as you try the new techniques, or the whirring of the hard drive in the background.
If learning about medical issues, you will learn faster if you can feel the symptoms and recreate them in your mind than if the information is not made real to you. If the information is on the process of aging, imagine the smell of a grandparent or the way their house looked as you read about the aging process. Speed reading, when done correctly, can be used to incorporate all of these strategies and when used regularly, it can become a tool with which to approach all learning. There is much to know out there, much to learn, and on our quest for knowledge, tools, and strategies for success, accelerated learning and comprehension cannot be underrated.
If you need more information on our products, including Speed Reading, our services or coaching options, visit the National Homeschool Academy website, http://www.nationalhomeschoolacademy.com or contact Camille Rodriquez – camille@nationalhomeschoolacademy.com.
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