Breakthrough Reading Speed

Speed reading is advertised on television programs and commercials and can really help students

Have you ever watched a program or commercial about breakthrough reading speed and wondered if it was real and if it was for you? The truth is that for students, class reading speed can be a huge advantage for keeping up with an instructor and of course reading speed makes homework assignments go much faster.

Daily reading tasks like magazines and newspapers can make those who aren't associated with the educational system wish for an enhanced reading speed. Reading for pleasure can be even more fun when you can get through more material in a smaller amount of time.

Speed reading just describes the ability to get through printed material faster than "normal" reading speed and has never been clearly defined as a set number of words per minute or second. The average adult without special training reads about two word per second or 120 words per minute. Some speed readers claim a breakthrough reading speed of over 10,000 words per minute and even more, but this is controversial.

All of us actually practice a technique of speed reading at times. This is called "skimming". Skimming is the process of quickly glancing over a document scanning for keywords, phrases, or words which catch your attention. You then get a sense of what the text content is about without a whole lot of detail and of course, a low degree of comprehension. Some speed reading methods are structured around skimming techniques but with emphasis placed on the reader trying to increase comprehension at the same time.

Some techniques in speed reading teach the reader to look at large segments of text as opposed to individual words, to train your eyes to take bigger "bites" of text at a time. This helps the person to see a wider line of typing at a single glance. This is based on old military studies which employed a tachistoscope. This device using a window, would flash text at the reader in a sequence. Research found that one could speed up the machines flash rate, without the subject losing much comprehension.

Rooting out bad habits in reading can also greatly increase reading speed. Many people do what is called "subvocalization" without being aware of it. That is, they are saying each word that is read without any sound being produced and this slows things down a great deal. When we first learn to read, this method likely helps by sounding out unfamiliar words letter by letter, and then by syllables. Later on, this learning tool can be counterproductive instead. Training can eliminate the subvocalizations.

Internal dialogue is another bad habit that can develop in a reader and slow down the speed reading process. Internal dialogue is saying each word mentally. Speed readers are trained to stop this habit and focus their attention to a complete section and then review it. You should not be going back over the same material.

Being able to read at speed is important for students as well as for every day life. Students must be able to read at the Class Reading Speed to keep up with the teacher. You may need to practice some speed reading techniques to develop your Course Reading Speed. Techniques such as skim reading for words or phrases that attract attention can help. Reading whole segments rather than words can help your speed, as can breaking any bad habits you've developed.

More speed reading articles

• Speed reading - breakthrough Reading Speed
• Speed reading - class reading speed
• Speed reading - course reading speed