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Speed Reading Exercises: Two Powerful Speed Reading Exercises

admin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 17:52:57 +0000

ng>Two Powerful Speed Reading Exercises

Speed reading is all about breaking out of the old habits we have become accustomed to when we were children and just starting out to learn how to read. Over the years, we have become use to reading word by word and while this was good when we were first starting out to learn how to pronounce and comprehend each word in it’s written form, it is by all means not the most efficient way to read. In this article, I am going to provide you with two speed reading exercises that have helped me learn how to speed read.

1. For this first exercise, you will be focusing on improving your speed. Find some sort of timer or stopwatch and a book that is easy to read. Either use your index finger or a pen, and point to the words as you read them. Try and move your finger faster, establishing a smooth rhythm to your reading. While you are doing this, make an effort to take in more than one word at a time. After you have finished the first page stop and check the timer and see how long it took you to read it. Keep practicing this and see if you can improve your timing.

2. This next exercise will help improve your comprehension as well as speed. By practicing to read larger blocks of words at a time. Take an index card and practice reading three lines at a time for five minutes.

There you have it folks, these are two time-tested exercises for speed reading. If you keep practicing this, you will find that you can read through pages much quicker and also remember and comprehend what you just read as well.

Everyone would like to be able to read faster, reading is something that we all have to do everyday for the rest of our lives. Whether it be our favorite novels, studying text books for school, or even the morning newspaper. Considering all this, it is only natural we would want to become better at it. Learning how to speed read, is a valuable skill asset well worth taking the time to pursue. The good new is, it doesn’t have to take much time at all! In only nine days spending about ten minutes each day I was able to start reading at 1,000 words per minute using the simple but effective techniques at UltimateBrainPower.Net. Check out their website for more details. If your trying to learn how to speed read, don’t make it harder than it has to be!

Speed Reading Tips: 6 Speed Reading Myths Debunked

admin — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 22:45:02 +0000

There is so much misinformation about speed reading that as a user for over 30 years, and as an instructor of tens of thousands of learners from all walks of life and all levels of education, I feel compelled to debunk some of the most prevalent and popular myths. However, before we begin, it is essential to define what is reading.

Reading Defined

Although definitions may vary somewhat, reading can be defined as the act of interpreting visual symbols and deriving meaning from those symbols (letters, words, etc.).

If you accept this definition, then it follows that reading is a cognitive thinking skill. Therefore, one can read, as fast as one can think (or interpret) the visual symbols. So when someone wants to learn to speed read,there is a two-fold problem.

One is seeing the symbols more quickly (that’s the easy part), and secondly is getting the mind to respond more quickly. Said simply, there are 2 components to speed reading -developing the mechanical skills of getting the eyes to move more efficiently, and learning to push the mind to think and respond more quickly (comprehension).

Myth # 1 “It Doesn’t Really Work.”

This is both true and false. One of my biggest challenges with learners is the notion that if they enroll in a program, then magic will happen. Because of the nature of learning a new system of skills and habits is difficult, the learner must immerse themselves completely in the experience and let go of preconceived notions of what they believe about themselves as learners and loosen their attachment to the “see-say-hear-understand” habit they grew up with. What I tell learners is, “it doesn’t work, you work it.” In other words, Dynamic Speed Reading is a system, a methodology to be applied to the act of reading, but the reader has to bring themselves and their mind to the process. One technique outside of the process will not work for all reading situations.

Myth #2 “Speed Reading Is Merely About Moving Your Eyes Fast”

False. Although historically this is true, and most programs today focus almost exclusively on the speed of eye movements, this statement contradicts the definition of reading as stated earlier. In fact, this is the primary cause of cynicism and skepticism towards the concept of speed reading. It is not reading if you merely move your eyes and see all the print.

Learning the mechanics without learning the comprehension process is only part of the solution. If someone is serious about wanting to develop their efficient reading skills, a strong emphasis on how to build comprehension is critical for success.

I do not recommend software programs, or any other type of mechanical devices because of this. By definition, you can only read as fast as you can think or respond to the symbols on the page. Comprehension, or the cognitive skills, must be developed as well.

Myth # 3 “When Speed Reading You Lose Comprehension”

Again, false. Although the answer to this is included in myth 2, this needs additional explanation. As I explain this, keep in mind the premise that you are not reading if you are not comprehending. Comprehension means understanding.

The myth that speed reading and good comprehension don’t go together has developed not only because most programs focus on merely speed, but also because of the nature of the adult learner trying to change a lifetime of habits around.

Typically the adult learner has formed the belief/habit that in order to comprehend well, you need to start at the beginning and read word by word to the end in a linear fashion. This belief/habit was formed as a result of early reading training from school days. However, research has proven that comprehension is a process. In other words, we need to build comprehension like we build our learning of any other skill.

A useful analogy would be to take a trip to a new state, province, or country. You would start by looking at a map to get a general sense of direction of where you are to where you want to be. Next, you might look at the major highways that lead you there. Finally, you would focus on the specific streets that would get you to the point of your destination. Reading comprehension experts agree, comprehension must be built. Stated differently, you need to “prepare the mind to read.”

Another part of this myth’s development is due to the fact of the nature of the learning process in developing speed reading skills.

As the learner works on breaking the habit of focusing on individual words both visually and cognitively, a dynamic flow of eyes over stimuli (words) needs to be achieved in order to create meaning faster. Here we are talking about the mechanical skills. As the speed reading student first enters this phase of development, comprehension will decrease initially as he/she struggles to learn fluency of the mechanics.

This can be compared to first learning to drive a car. Remember? You had to focus on managing all various pedals, buttons, and mirrors while simultaneously navigating this ton of steel down the road safely. If you’ve been driving for years, you might not even be able to remember how clumsy you felt.

Another good comparison would be learning how to do a new dance. The learner needs ample time to build fluency.

Myth #4 “Speed Reading is Merely About Skimming, Scanning, Key-wording”

False. Skimming is sample reading portions of text – a sentence or two here and there, or some other approach. Skimming is a good “pre-reading” technique, but is not “dynamic speed reading” in itself.

Scanning, by definition, is to glance from point to point often hastily, casually, or in search of a particular item. We may scan the telephone book for a particular person’s number, scan the newspaper ads for a job, but we do not scan a new book, report, manual, etc. if we want to master it. Scanning may be used as an after reading technique, but is not speed reading.

Key-wording is an old speed reading technique where the learner was told “don’t focus on the unimportant words,” such as, “a”, “the,” “of.” This cannot be done.

Try this yourself: sit opposite someone who is about your height and look at their face. While you do this try to not see their nose. Sight, the mechanical part of reading, is impartial. Or in other words, you cannot not see something within your field of vision. Your mind may not register or respond to something your eyes see, but that is another issue. In fact, that again is the issue of comprehension which we have discussed.

Myth # 5 “You May Get Some Results At The End Of The Program, But They Don’t Last.”

This is both true and false. Reading is a skill like other skills, when you don’t do it for awhile, you will slow down. If you spent 5-10 years learning to play piano and then hadn’t touched the piano for 10-20 years, you would get rusty. All it takes once you have mastered it is occasional practice. When buying a program, look for long term support and follow-up.

Myth # 6 “If You Look At the Naturally Fast Readers, Only Really Smart People Can Speed Read”

The truth is one of the things that made these folks smart was the fact that they were voracious readers. They loved to read. When you develop more ease with reading, you’ll read more and enjoy it more, and learn more. When you read more, you’ll naturally get smarter!

Now that these 6 major falsehoods of speed reading have been explained, what will you commit to do to deal with your information overload? In today’s knowledge economy there is no other option but to learn a new approach to getting through the piles.

If you are committed to changing the old inefficient habits you are still dragging around with you, I encourage you to get help from a reputable organization that delivers the training with a personal touch. Trying to change your in-grained habits takes a dual commitment between the learner and the coach. A software program won’t do this. Neither will a boo
k, cd, dvd, or trying to learn it piecemeal using free internet sources that often have misinformation and myths well mixed into the brew.

From our 30 years of experience, I know that it is not a myth to be able to read in thousands of words per minute. I know that almost anyone can double, triple, quadruple their reading performance with proper training and support.

We welcome to explore your capabilities of learning this important set of skills and help you “Master the Information.”

Is Speeding Dangerous?

admin — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 22:00:20 +0000

Is Speeding Dangerous?

The title of this article is deliberately misleading. As a specialist motoring lawyer, the question is posed from a purely legal perspective and not from a political standpoint. Exceeding the speed limit in Scotland in a criminal offence and what I will attempt to do is highlight huge variations between jurisdictions as to the prosecution and subsequent sentencing of the hapless motorist who is caught speeding.

Take the following example: motorist A drives at 108 mph, for half a mile on a straight stretch of new motorway at dusk in conditions of good weather and visibility.

Now, putting aside the various technical defences that may exist in relation to the offence itself, legal authorities support the proposition that the charge should be libelled as dangerous driving (Abbas v Houston SCCR 1019). It is the speed per se that takes the offence into the realms of dangerous driving. With a twelve month minimum period of disqualification and a compulsory resit order, this is a very serious matter.

However, some jurisdictions will instigate proceedings under the Motorways Traffic (Speed Limit) Regulations 1974, Regulation 3 and the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, Section 17(4). In layman’s terms, a straight speeding charge. This is where the sentencing options alter dramatically. Presuming the case is before a Sheriff or Stipendiary Magistrate, the Court can endorse the licence with 3-6 penalty points or invoke powers of discretionary disqualification. Now, common sense would suggest that the Court would certainly be looking to impose something at the higher end although it must be observed that the sentencing options are more flexible.

Furthermore, section 37(1)(A) of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 as introduced by s.33 of the Road Traffic Act 1991 makes provision for a short-term ban which is defined as a period of disqualification of less than 56 days. The licence is effectively frozen during the disqualification period and becomes live upon expiry. This also saves the administrative hassle of reapplying to DVLA etc.

Now back to our hapless motorist. He would clearly rather be charged with straight speeding to allow for greater sentencing options. However if the same offence is prosecuted as a dangerous driving then an inevitable disqualification of at least twelve months will be imposed, regardless of his personal circumstances. This is assuming there were no special reasons, in the legal sense, relating to why the vehicle was driven at that speed.

The point of all this is to show that the same offence can be treated differently depending upon where the speeding offence took place. I like flexibility so, on the face of it, the fact that there are differences in way Dumfries and Glasgow deal with speeding offences is not a great concern. However the flexibility should work both ways. There is no prejudice to the Crown to libel charges that contain a prosecution based on speed as a straight statutory speeding charge. The Sheriff can still impose a hefty ban, and usually will for high speeds, but can also take into account persuasive mitigation that might merit a particular case being dealt with in a more lenient manner.

Historically, serious criminal charges can be devalued by overuse. Frequently my clients are aghast when they discover that they have been charged with dangerous driving rather than speeding and struggle to understand that it is the speed per se that makes the manner of driving dangerous. The common view is that this is not what the dangerous driving charge was intended for.

Routinely I have defended clients who are charged with dangerous driving with an alternative charge of speeding tagged on as a fall back for the Crown. I have never, in all my time of defending road traffic cases throughout Scotland, come across a charge of dangerous driving with an alternative drink driving charge libelled as a fall back.

I can see no cogent reason for using the dangerous driving provisions to prosecute a speeder. There may, of course, be exceptional cases and I make no mention of aggravating factors such as road and vehicle conditions that may make a dangerous driving charge appropriate.

So in answer to my initial question, is speeding dangerous?

Depends where you’re caught!