Techniques of Achieving Speed in Reading: Success in 30 Days
By Imran Ali April 7, 2023 Update on : April 7, 2023
Developing reading skills is the best thing since sliced bread for learners of a second language. It is the preliminary job of a learner or a teacher to make reading easy and understandable. Sometimes readers try to get the whole idea of a text or comprehension so eloquently. Their curiosity kills the cat as it is very common that people would not know all the terms or meanings of reading comprehension. One should not spend the whole day to understand a reading comprehension. Students often face the jeopardy of having a lack of time when they try to solve the questions of a reading passage as they spend a lot of time getting every meaning of the words. This is utterly a wrong process of reading. Here we will discuss some exuberant techniques for achieving speed in reading. Following these tips, one can achieve a fantastic skill to boost his or her capacity for reading. This acceleration of reading will slowly but surely put an impact on his or her journey of gearing up the reading speed. The ultimate success can come to you within just 30 days. You heard it right. It is possible in just 30 days. Let’s have a look at the techniques. This is an important topic so don’t cut any corners on this one.
Before we go into the details of the techniques for achieving speed in reading, we should know what challenges learners commonly face in reading.
i) Understanding vocabulary
ii) Intention to understand every word
iii) Time
iv) Idiomatic expression and multi-word verbs
v) False friends
vi) Text structure and the cohesive devices
These are very common among the readers. They often find these things difficult and obstacles to the path of their goal of achieving a good reading speed.
We should focus on the techniques now as none would like to be a fish out of the water while having reading comprehension.
A good reader should have some qualities and these qualities do not get developed overnight. The first technique for enhancing reading speed is applying ‘Schema theory while reading comprehension. Schema is a heuristic technique. It refers to getting a new idea with their previous knowledge or idea about the given topic. It can also be described as a mental structure of preconceived ideas, a framework representing some aspect of the world, or a system of organizing and perceiving new information. Examples of schemata include mental models, social schemas, stereotypes, social roles, scripts, worldviews, heuristics, and archetypes.
In Piaget’s theory of development, children construct a series of schemata, based on the interactions they experience, to help them understand the world.
People can quickly organize new perceptions into schemata and act without effort. Readers should not get stuck with a word or idiomatic expression and waste time while going through a reading passage. They must use their previous experience with the topic and get the main idea of the reading comprehension. Accessibility is how easily a schema can come to mind and is determined by personal experience and expertise. So, previous experience and expertise also play a vital role here.
Secondly, practice is a must to do for the readers. This technique is crystal clear. The more you read, the more you know. However, there might be a question- What would be the procedure for practicing reading? You should keep an ear to the ground for getting reading comprehension properly. The easiest and most effective way is to record your reading and practice it again and again. You should try to beat your previous record.
This process is a fantastic way to gain a decent speed in reading. Fighting against all odds, it is very possible to get over the fear of reading. Then, record yourself reading, play back the audio, and critique your performance. You should identify areas to improve. It helps practice more effectively.
You should read a wide range of things to get an idea of many things. Good readers reflect on what they read. You should do the same thing. Record and read regularly. You must set a goal to speed up your reading capacity. Don’t be hopeless if you fail to reach the goal initially. Try harder to get the best out of the process. Reading is not a piece of cake. Reading is a complex process that draws on many different skills. You need to practice regularly.
Skimming can be used to gain a shallow understanding of a text. It can be used to scan a newspaper for interesting material or to get the important concepts out of a textbook in preparation for a test. It’s not a good replacement for thorough reading.
You should examine pictures and diagrams. These often present a lot of information without much reading required. Take a minute or two to make sure you fully understand each diagram.
Track your progress by timing yourself daily, or each time you try these exercises. Trying to beat your best speed can provide great motivation. You should know how to time your reading in words per minute (wpm).
Your reading speed should improve if you practice the reading methods daily. Many people can double their reading speed within 30 days following these steps.
It is said that 300 wpm is the reading speed of the average college student. On the other hand, 1,000 wpm and above is the level of competitive speed readers. It requires extreme techniques. You should set your level and practice to gain more speed in reading. Know also about the secrets of developing a great personality.