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Speed Reading As A Study Aid
by Brandon C. Hall
Any high school or college student will tell you that they spend many hours lost in their books, studying for exams. In order to ace the exam, it’s essential that they know the material. In order to know the material that may mean reading it over and over again until the key details become ingrained in their mind. For a student who reads at a normal pace, this process can take hours and they may lose interest before they are adequately prepared.
A great investment for any student regardless of age is to spend some time learning speed reading. The process itself is relatively easy; it involves taking the reading skills that you already have, and boosting them up through the use of specific techniques. The goal with speed reading is to have your mind and eyes working in unison so that you are reading at a much faster pace while absorbing the meaning of what you are reading.
Students tend to pick up reading habits young. It is those habits that will influence how they read for the remainder of their lives. Some of the habits that children adopt that slow down their reading rate include:
Reading in a noisy environment. Many children play music loudly or have the television on while they are studying. Any loud noise is a distraction to the reading and although the child may read an entire passage or chapter of a book in one evening, they may not absorb any of the information if they are doing it while distracted.
Reading in bed. When anyone reads in bed, they may not be getting the most out of what they are reading. Body position is important to reading and being in bed doesn’t afford you the concentration you could get if you were sitting at a table or at a desk with the book directly in front of you.
Losing their place in the text. Reading an entire page of text can be laborious and a bit overwhelming especially for younger readers. Unless they are following with a bookmark or their finger, they may easily lose their place and either reread entire blocks of text, or miss entire lines of text. Incorporating a method of following text into their reading routine can make a remarkable difference.
Children can learn to adopt new methods of reading that will greatly improve both their reading speed and their comprehension. The younger these techniques are introduced the more beneficial it is to the student. Parents can help by encouraging the child to read, while seated at a desk or a table in a quiet room. If the child becomes accustomed to reading this way, they will already be well on their way to learning the basics needed for speed reading. Studying is a fundamental part of learning, and making it easier and more enjoyable will guarantee more success for the student.