Memletics - Effective Speed Reading Course

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Memletics® Effective Speed Reading Course

Sean Whiteley

SERIAL NUMBER:

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Contents

Contents

Module 1:

Introducing Introducing Memletics® Memletics® Effective Speed Speed Reading .. ..............7 .............. 7

More common speed reading reading myths ...................................... ...................................... 8 Reading for comprehension comprehension and speed .................................. .................................. 9 Six parts to effecti effective ve reading reading ... .............................................. ...........................................10 10 Additional course course materials ... ................................................. ..............................................10 10 Check your current reading speed........................................ speed........................................11 11 Summary......................................................................... Summary.........................................................................12 12 Module 2:

Optimize your Alphabetics Alphabetics... .................................................. ...............................................13 13

Check and protect protect your your eyesight ... ......................................... ......................................14 14 To print or read on screen?................................................. screen?.................................................23 23 Optimize printed printed text ... ......................................................... ......................................................23 23 Optimize your computer computer monitor ... ......................................... ......................................24 24 Summary......................................................................... Summary.........................................................................31 31 Module 3:

Increase your your vocabulary vocabulary ................................................... ...................................................33 33

Two top techniques techniques for improving vocabulary vocabulary ... ........................ .....................34 34 Learn common common prefixes prefixes and and suffixes ... .................................... .................................35 35 Understand the history of words.......................................... words..........................................36 36 More tips for improving vocabulary ... ...................................... ...................................37 37 Summary......................................................................... Summary.........................................................................37 37 Module 4:

Develop your your fluency .......................................................... ... .......................................................39 39

Check Check your basic fluency fluency skills ... ............................................ .........................................39 39 Support Support your your fluency fluency ... ......................................................... ......................................................40 40 Develop Develop your fluency fluency ... ......................................................... ......................................................41 41 Summary......................................................................... Summary.........................................................................44 44 Module 5:

Learn to skim read.............................................................. read... ...........................................................45 45

Skim reading structured content.......................................... content..........................................46 46 Skim reading unstructu unstructured red content content ... ...................................... ...................................51 51 Skim reading reading on a computer computer monitor monitor ... ................................... ................................51 51 Skim reading reading exercise exercises s ... ...................................................... ...................................................52 52 Summary......................................................................... Summary.........................................................................53 53 Module 6:

Use reading strategies........................................................ strategies... .....................................................55 55

Analyze your objectives and material material ... ................................... ................................55 55 Use reading paths and and reading modes ... .................................. ...............................56 56 Vary your speed when you read ... .......................................... .......................................59 59 Reading strategy exercises ... ................................................. ..............................................62 62 Summary......................................................................... Summary.........................................................................63 63 5

Memletics Effective Speed Reading Course

Module 7:

Improve your comprehension comprehension... ............................................. ..........................................65 65

Improve your attention and concentration... concentration............................. ..........................66 66 Locate and use content content from multiple multiple sources ... ....................... ....................68 68 Explore content content to comprehend comprehend it ... ........................................ .....................................74 74 Summary Summary ... ......................................................................... ......................................................................83 83

Memletics® Effective Speed Reading Reading Course Guide ... ................. ..............85 85 Appendices....................................................................... Appendices.......................................................................99 99 An introduction the the Memletics Accelerated Accelerated Learning System System ... ..... 99 Learn more about Memletics Memletics .... ............................................. .........................................104 104 Inde Index x .... ............................................................................ ........................................................................107 107

6

Introducing Memletics® Effective Speed Reading

1

e l u d o M

Introducing Memletics® Effective Speed Reading Let’s set the record straight. This section discusses some hype and facts about speed reading. We then look at the second part of speed reading that’s often ignored – comprehension. We consider some common misconceptions about speed reading before getting into the six parts of effective reading. Lastly, we kick off your reading improvement course by measuring your current reading speed.

Module 1:

Introducing Memletics® Effective Speed Reading An ent ire indus in dustry try is wil lin g to tea ch you speed spe ed rea din g usi ng many man y met hods, ho ds, from books and tapes to mechanical machines and software. Some programs claim to be able to teach anywhere from 2,000 to 25,000 words per minute (for example, PhotoReading, I-reading, image streaming, and Mind-Accelerator). There is only one person known who can read at similar speeds with high comprehension, and he didn’t learn the ability from any course! His name is Kim Peek. Kim was born in 1951 without a corpus callosum, nerves that connect the left and right side of the brain. While he has some problems with motor coordination, his brain has developed some unique abilities. These have given him the title of a megasavant, and he is the only one in the world. Kim was also the basis ba sis for fo r the th e char ch arac acter ter Raymo Ra ymond nd,, in the Mov ie Rainma Rai nman n (1988, played by Dustin Hoffman). Kim can speed read two pages at the same time, one with each eye. He can recall, and quote from, over 7,600 books he has read since age three. Most books he has only read once. Unfortunately, no-one knows how Kim does this, even after much research. As no-one knows how Kim’s abilities work, no-one has been able to teach it to others. Others have been born with the same brain condition, however they have not developed the same ability, nor has surgery had the same effect. The design of our eyes and nervous system means there are physical limits to reading speed. Your eyes do not move smoothly across each line of words. Rather, they make small jumps, or “fixations”. The maximum number of physical fixations the eye can do is about 300 a minute. In good readers the distance between each fixation is about an inch. This means they see and register, on average, three wor ds eac h fix ati on. on . This is one reason why experts estimate the maximum reading speed for most people is 900 words a minute without skipping words. words. Anything above that means you yo u are ar e likel li kel y skimm sk imming ing or skippi ski pping ng words. wor ds. No mat ter how ho w goo d the th e ski m rea din g technique is, as soon as you start skipping words your comprehension suffers. I suggest you treat with great skepticism any program or course that advertises reading speeds above 1,000 words a minute with full comprehension. comprehension. 7


If you believe you have good reading speed already, it may because you skip words witho wit hout ut reali rea lizin zing g it. You may find fi nd your yo ur core co re rea ding din g speed spe ed is slo wer tha n ave rag e, but you yo u m ake up for fo r it by ski pping ppi ng words. wor ds. This Th is habit ha bit reduce red uce s y our ou r c ompreh omp reh ensio ens ion. n. The techniques in the fluency chapter will help you increase your core reading speed while maintaining comprehension. comprehension. Some people will tell you that you need machines, software, or expensive training to learn to read faster. Not true. Each of these has their own issues. For example, often these systems set a fixed pace. You will see in this book you need to vary your yo ur pac e as you yo u rea d. Oth er system sys temss don't do n't tra nsla ns late te skill ski llss well wel l from fr om compu co mputer ter to paper (consider that most of what we read is still on paper). The techniques below are just as effective, if not more, than most of these tools. I have not yet found a properly conducted study showing that such devices are any more effective than the simple techniques taught in this book. Lastly, some people will tell you that reading speeds of anywhere from 2,000 to 25,000 words a minute are possible. They will tell you “your natural ability is withi wit hin n your you r rea ch.” ch .” These Th ese peopl peo plee mig ht be sel ling li ng you some som e system sys tem that th at “regul “re gul ar scientists don’t understand yet.” They will happily charge you $200 to $800 to learn what they know. Companies that have made millions selling these systems seem unwilling to spend any of that on reliable studies to show their systems work. Start exercising your critical thinking skills now and ask “why? “ why? ” For example, a quick search on a major research journals database found 368 research articles on reading speed. There was none, no ne, howev ho wever er,, on “Ph oto Readin Rea din g”, “image “im age strea st reamin ming” g” and an d oth er simil sim ilar ar topics. Lastly, look at the results from the 2003 Speed Reading World Championships, held in the UK: Position

Entrant

Raw WPM

Comprehension

Effective WPM

1st

Anne L. Jones

2284

56.30%

1285

2nd

Andrew Havery

1108

56.30%

623

3rd

Henry Hopking

1330

45.80%

610

Whi ch metho met hod d doe s Ann e Jones Jo nes tea ch? ch ? The Th e same sam e simple sim ple regula reg ula tor to r tec hniqu hn iquee I teach you in this book. If systems such as PhotoReading work, why don’t we see much higher results in these types of events? Remember the Memletics principle of “there are no silver bullets.” Personal development comes from time and effort. Make sure you spend that effort on techniques that work.

M o r e co m m o n s p e e d r e a d i n g m y t h s Before we get into too much detail, let's look at some more common speed reading myths: •

8

If I read faster, my comprehension will drop. Not drop. Not necessarily true. Slow readers often have comprehension problems because they forget the start of


sentences and paragraphs before they finish them. You can easily increase your core reading speed, without skipping words, and still preserve (or improve) comprehension. •

•

I need to read all of a book. Not true. Books are a way of capturing and transferring someone's ideas and knowledge. Books are inefficient at doing this, however they are easy to make available to a wide audience. Often publishers force authors to bulk out sections with "fluff" because it will help sell more copies. While the author may know their topic well, they might not know how to express their thoughts well in written form. In addition, the author's reasons for writing might not be the same as your reasons for reading. Keep these in mind while you search for your gems. If you're not finding what you yo u nee d to make mak e your yo ur time ti me inv estmen est mentt worthw wor thwhi hile le,, have ha ve the th e coura co ura ge to skip ski p sections, chapters or even entire books! I already read well. There's no point trying to improve my reading speed. Not true. Research shows that speed reading training and drills do improve eye movements, resulting in higher speeds while comprehension remains steady. Even if you are a good reader, some of the drills provided in this course will still help you increase your reading speed.

Re a d in g f o r c o m p r e h e n s io n a n d s p ee d To comprehend what you read, you need to read the words. Skim reading, or skipping some words, does does help with the learning process, and helps locate important information quickly. However, your comprehension comprehension suffers. The good news is you can improve your normal reading speed while keeping up comprehension. You can do this without software, machines, hypnotherapy, music, image streaming or PhotoReading. The minimum equipment needed is your yo ur finge fi nger! r! Edu catio ca tio nal res ear ch and leadi le adi ng speedspe ed- rea ding din g coac co aches hes point poi nt out you yo u can ca n lea rn to rea d faste fa sterr using usi ng simple sim ple techn te chn iques, iqu es, dri lls and an d pra cti ce. You do not need to spend anywhere from $50 to hundreds of dollars. You might want to consider a course if you have significant trouble with reading or trouble applying yours yo urs elf . If you yo u are ar e alrea al rea dy rea din g this th is boo k, you have ha ve the inf ormat orm ation ion and an d existing skills needed to increase your reading speed. Speed reading courses attract people because they often advertise that you can learn faster simply by learning to read faster. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Books have varying degrees of useful information in them. If you want to learn and remember what you read, you need to extract "raw material." Think of it like mining for diamonds. You have to sort through much raw material (rock) to find the gems. Unfortunately, many people stop here, believing that reading a book is enough to learn it. To learn a book well, you then need to take on those raw gems through a learning process. You need to explore the material turn what you've found into knowledge that's relevant to you. You need to work out how you are going to keep that information. You need to reinforce what you’ve learnt to store that information for the long term. Each of these steps helps you “lock in” what you’ve read. This course will help you read faster. The Memletics Accelerated Learning Manual (separate book) describes the learning process in much more detail. See the 9


appendices if you would like an overview of the Memletics Accelerated Learning System.

Si x p a r t s t o e f f e c t iv e r e a d i n g There are six parts in the Memletics® Effective Reading System. The parts are: •

•

•

Alp hab etics eti cs.. Recognize wor ds accur ac cur ately at ely .

letters

Comprehension

and

Speed control Vocabulary

Vocab Voc abula ula ry. Understand the meaning of words wor ds in con tex t. Fluency. Fluency. Read words and sentences quickly.

Fluency

Skimming

Alphabetics Memletics ® Effective Reading

•

Skimming. Select Skimming. Select what to read while reading.

•

Speed control. Vary control. Vary speed according to content and purpose.

•

Comprehension. Understand the meaning of what you are reading.

These six parts work together to help you understand what you read. If you are deficient in any one of these areas, it affects the others. If you only try to improve one, while ignoring the others, you’ll receive less benefit. You get the best benefits from improving them all together. This course contains modules to help you improve your skills in each of these areas. I recommend you start with Alphabetics and work your way through in the same order I’ve presented them.

A d d i t i o n a l co u r s e m a t e r i a ls We’ve We’ ve als o inc lud ed some som e mater ma teria ials ls to help he lp you yo u dur ing the th e cours co urs e. Bef ore rea ding din g any further, go to page 85 and review the course guide. The guide has a suggested program for improving your reading speed over four weeks. It takes roughly 10 to 20 minutes a day, although the last week may take longer. If you haven’t already, print this out and use it during the next four weeks (or from whenever you start you r r eadin ea ding g i mprove mpr ove ment men t eff ort). ort ). If you feel you already have good reading skills, adjust the course timeframes as you see fit. Similarly, if your current reading skills are poor, you may want wan t to len gth en the th e cou rse or spend more time on the exercises each day. If you have Microsoft Excel (2000/XP or later), you might also like use our reading speed test and progress tracking spreadsheet. This makes it easier to calculate your reading speed, as well as provides a

10

Test and Tracking Spreadsheet


table and graph to track your progress. To obtain the spreadsheet, see the instructions in the course guide on page 85.

Ch e c k y o u r c u r r e n t r e a d i n g s p e e d The first exercise in the course guide (page 85) is to c alculate your current reading speed. I recommend you do this now, before you read ahead, so you can see the improvement you get from this course. Use either the test in the course guide or the spreadsheet-based test described above to calculate your reading speed. Once you have completed the reading speed test, compare yourself to the general population using the table below. Use the check boxes on the right to mark where you yo u a re now no w and a nd where whe re you’d yo u’d like li ke to be at the end of this th is cou rse. rse . Speed

1 - 100 wpm

Comments

Very Ver y b asic asi c rea ding din g spe s peed. ed. You might be learning to read, or English may be your second language. You find it hard to comprehend what you are reading at this speed.

Current

Target









100 - 200 wpm

Basic reading speed. Below speed. Below average reading speed for adults, or average reading speed for readers between 6-12 years old. Low comprehension.

200 - 250 wpm

Avera Av erage ge adult adu lt rea ding din g s peed. pee d. Most adults stay at the speed for much of their lives. Your comprehension comprehension is average, probably more than half of what you read.





250 - 350 wpm

Slightly above average reading speed. Common with average college students or enthusiastic readers. You easily comprehend more than half of what you read.





350 - 500 wpm

Strong reading speed. You speed. You enjoy reading and have relatively high comprehension. comprehension.





500 - 800 wpm

Excellent reading speed. This speed. This is a good target reading speed for most people. You can keep this speed without doing regular speed drills. Comprehension is high – 75% and above.









800 – 1,000 wpm

Outstanding reading speed. Your You r comprehension comprehension is approaching maximum. You’ve You ’ve likel li kel y d one a top-qu top -qu ality al ity speed spe ed reading course and regularly practice speed drills.

11


1000 – 1200 wpm

World Wor ld Cha mpi on Rea ding din g s peed. pee d. If you are able to read at this speed with high comprehension, comprehension, you should probably be competing in the world ch ampionships. ampionships. Whi le thi s spee s peed d is i s achie ac hie vable vab le,, t he effo ef fort rt to get this level may not be necessary for your learning goals.





1200+ wpm

Unlikely reading speed. It’s unlikely you can read at this speed with good comprehension. It’s likely you are skimming or skipping words, phrases and sentences.





Summary In this introduction you’ve seen some common speed reading myths. We’ve also discussed comprehension and that speed reading is just one part of learning faster. You’ve seen the six parts of the Memletics Effective Reading System. We introduced the additional course materials available to you, and tested your current reading speed. In the following first module for the course, covering Alphabetics, you will gain some knowledge on how we read. We’ll also test your eyesight and look at how you can optimize your computer screen.

Important notice



This book is for informational purposes only. It’s your sole responsibility to decide the usefulness, applicability, completeness and correctness of the content in this book. By reading this book you agree to the “Memletics Terms of Use” described in the front of this book. If you do not accept this, don’t read the book.

Wha t did you yo u thi nk of this th is modul mod ule? e? Do you yo u hav e some som e sug gestio ges tions? ns? Let us kno w you r t hou ght s usin u sin g our o ur onlin on lin e surv s urvey ey at: http://www.memletics.com/sur http://www.mem letics.com/surveys/speedveys/speed-reading reading

12

Optimize your Alphabetics

2

e l u d o M

Optimize your Alphabetics Alphabetics refers to how we recognize and translate writing into concepts in our mind. Most people reading this chapter will have acceptable skills in this area, so we don’t discuss ways to improve core Alphabetics. We do however look at ways you can improve your recognition of text. We first do some tests to check your eyesight, and then look at how you can optimize viewing of both printed and on screen text.

Module 2:

Optimize your Alphabetics Alpha Al pha betic bet icss ref ers to the way we trans tr ansla late te wri tten tte n chara ch ara cters ct ers int o sounds sou nds , wor ds, and an d meanings in our mind. This skill is the one of the first you develop when you start reading. There are two parts to this skill: •

•

Recognizing characters as letters and sounds that make up words.

Comprehension Strategies Vocabulary Flue Fl uenc ncy y

Skim Sk immi ming ng


Translating words and symbols into the correct representation in your mind.

As you build bui ld your yo ur rea ding di ng ski lls , you r mind min d sta rts to chan ch ange ge from fr om see ing individual letters in words to seeing just the words themselves. After a while, it seems the order of letters within the words doesn’t matter that much. Try reading the following example: Do we raed ltteres or wrods? Can you udestannrd tsehe snetncees? Rsercaeh at Crbidmgae Urvnitesiy fnuod taht we can slitl raed wrdos eevn wehn the ltteres are mxied up. As lnog as the frsit and lsat lrtetes are the smae, we can slitl raed the sncetnee. Tihs sohws taht aeftr we hvae lnreat the bcisas of riadneg, we srtat sneeig wrdos as a wlohe, rehtar tahn a cctiolleon of lrtetes. The lesson from this exercise is that your brain converts a combination of letters into a symbol. It’s able to recognize those symbols even when the basic letters are not in the right order. This is one part of how the brain learns to read faster. Reading more and reading a wider range of material helps ingrain more of those symbols in your mind, which then increases your reading speed. As you yo u are alrea al rea dy rea din g thi s boo k, is likel li kel y that th at you r ski ll in this th is area are a is enough. Regular reading of various material will help your brain do these 13


translations with less effort. Techniques are unlikely to help improve this specific skill. It just takes time and repeated exposure to the words themselves. What Wh at you can ca n do thoug th ough h is make mak e sur e your yo ur eyes eye s and an d bra in have ha ve the best bes t cha nce nc e of recognizing words quickly. In this module we look at a few ways of doing this, including: •

•

•

Check and protect your eyesight. Do three tests to detect some common eye issues, and find out how to protect your eyes. Optimize printed text. Find out the best way to print text for ease of reading. Optimize your computer screen. Set up your computer screen for ideal onscreen reading.

Ch e c k a n d p r o t e c t y o u r e y e s i g h t

t c e t o r p / m o c . s c i t e l m e m . w w w / / : p t t h o t

In this section, we have several eye tests along with some information on how to protect your eyesight. You can do these tests by reviewing them on the computer or printing them out. If you are viewing on screen, make sure your screen resolution is at least 800 by 600. If you are printing them out, make sure your printer resolution is at least 300 dots per inch. Choose whichever device has the g highest resolution. n i If you already have glasses you use for reading, make sure you use y p o these during the tests. You mig ht lik e to try tr y the th e tes ts witho wit hout ut glass gl ass es after af ter c d you ’ve done don e t hem with wit h gla sses sse s f irs t. e

C G z These tests are for educational use only and by no means replace specialist advice. i r  A pas s or fafailil in any of th o B these ese tes tests ts doe s not rep res resent ent an any y for m of dia gno sis sis. . You h t should see a specialist if you have any concern about your eyesight. u M a n u 7 Practice covering each eye t r Y All Al l three thr ee tests tes ts need nee d you to cover co ver one eye while whi le testin tes tin g the th e other ot her . Use a sep ara te o 7 p sheet of paper to cover each eye. Practice placing it over one eye at a time. Do not e r close one eye while doing the test. This can affect the other eye because Q many e - s a people squint when they close one eye! e l Z P . Test one – near sight test instructions n T i o This first test checks for Hyperopia, or long-sightedness. Hyperopia results from t c R e light focusing behind the retina (the back of the eye) rather than right on it. 6 This t causes blurred vision. This condition affects about 10% of the population above o r P 40, however many people have this condition without knowing it. C t c u d M Prepare for the test o 7 r P To do this test, you need the test itself, a ruler, two more pieces of paper, and a L s pen or pencil. If possible, have somebody help you with the test. They will use one c

i t e l Make sure you have enough light while doing the test. If you are doing the test on m e screen, minimize any glare or reflections. Be sure not to look at the words before M

sheet of paper to write down the le tters and words as you read them.

starting the test.

14


Ca l i b r a t e t h e t e s t

First, you need to make sure your eyes are the right distance away from the test. Follow these instructions depending on the viewing method you’ve chosen. •

•

If you are doing the test on screen, you need to adjust the zoom setting in Adobe Ad obe Acrob Ac rob at. at . Use the optio opt ions ns on the th e too lba r, or look lo ok under und er the Tool To olss > Zoo m menu. Adjust it so the calibration line at the top is 6 in. (15.3 cm). If you have printed it out, measure the calibration line and check it is 4 in. (10.2 cm). If not, try setting the “page scaling” option in Adobe Acrobat 6 print options to “none”, or see your printer manual for options for scaling. If no success, adjust the distance in the next step. If the line is longer, hold the paper slightly further away. If it’s shorter, hold the paper closer.

Remember, Remember, the test is only a guide so don’t worry if it’s not exact. M e a s u r e t h e d i st st a n c e b e t w e e n y o u r e y e s a n d t h e t e s t

If you are doing the test on screen, change pages so you can’t see the test. Position your yo ur head he ad so it’ s 24 inc hes (60 (6 0 cm) fro m the scr een. een . For the th e pap er test, tes t, tur n it over so you are looking at the back of the page. Position the paper so it’s 16 inches (40 cm) from your eyes. As you do the test, tes t, make mak e sur e you yo u do not no t move mov e your yo ur hea d or the th e paper pap er forwa fo rwa rd or backw ba ckw ards. ard s. Do the test

Go back to the test on screen, or flip the paper over so you can see the test. Each test, between the dark lines, has three lines of text. Read the first with your right eye covered, the middle with both eyes, and the last with your left eye covered. If someone is helping you, read aloud so they can write down what you see. If you are doing the test yourself, write down what you see. Start at the top with the larger text so you get comfortable with the material. Be sure to read out all words, letters and symbols, including punctuation marks. If you yo u c an’ t r ecogn ec ognize ize a word, wor d, lette le tte r or o r symbol sym bol , rea d o ut “can’ “c an’ t s ee” or write wri te an x. Stop the test when you cannot read any lines with your left, right and both eyes. You r eyes e yes may be dif feren fe ren t so s o b e sure s ure to cont co ntinu inu e unti u nti l you can’ ca n’tt rea r ead d any a ny lin es. Ch e c k y o u r r e s u l t s

Go over what you’ve written and compare it to the original test. Mark each error wit h a diffe dif feren ren t color co lor pen. pen . Count Co unt the number num ber of err ors for fo r eac h line. li ne. Then Th en work wor k out, for each eye, which was the line number you could read with less than four errors on the line. Write Wr ite your you r answe an swerr here: her e: Left Eye: ________

Both Eyes: _______

Right Eye: ________

15


Analyze your results

Here’s what the lines match to:



16

Line

Vision Scale

Visual Effectiveness

1

20/100

50%

2

20/70

65%

3

20/50

75%

4

20/40

85%

5

20/30

90%

6

20/20

100%

You may benef ben efit it fro m havin ha ving g your you r vision vis ion corre co rre cte d if you sco red less le ss than th an 20/20 20/ 20 or 100% for one or both eyes. Scoring less than 20/20 may suggest Hyperopia (long-sightedness) or another vision problem. Glasses or contact lenses can correct Hyperopia can in most cases. See your specialist. Remember, this test does not replace the need for regular vision testing.


Test one – near sight test

Calibration line – 4 in. (10.2 cm) on paper. View at 16 in. (40 cm) 6 in. (15.3 cm) on screen. View at 24 in. (60 cm)

1

2

3

4

5

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Test two – astigmatism test instructions Ast igm ati sm resul res ults ts fro m irr egula egu lari rity ty in the sha pe of some som e par ts of the th e eye, eye , and an d results in some blurring of vision. I t’s often, but not always, associated with other visio vis ion n probl pro blems ems lik e short sh ort or longlo ng- sig htedne hte dne ss. Astig As tig mat ism is the th e most mos t commo co mmon n visio vis ion n proble pro ble m in adu lts . It affe af fect ctss child ch ild ren as well wel l (a rec ent stu dy fou nd 28% of children had this condition). Many people are unaware they have this condition. Prepare for the test

For the paper version of this test, you will need tape or other adhesive to place the test on a window or wall. You can do this test on your own comfortably. M e a s u r e t h e d i st st a n c e b e t w e e n y o u r e y e s a n d t h e t e s t

If you are using the test on screen, use the same zoom level as test 1 above. If not all of group 1 fits, adjust the zoom so the group is taking up the screen. Move your head so it’s about 3 f eet (1 meter) from the screen. For the paper test, stick the test to a window or well-lit wall, at eye level. Place a mark on the floor that’s 3 feet (1 meter) from the wall. Stand with your toes on that line. The astigmatism test depends depends less on distance, so there’s no need to be exact. Do the test

Look at each pattern group with the left eye, both eyes, then the right eye. For the large pattern, pattern , look first for the line that looks the darkest without any blurr blu rring ing . T hen compa co mpare re the th e o ther the r lines. lin es. Wri te down dow n the line li ne number num berss i f you yo u see: s ee:

•

Lines looking lighter than the others do (i.e. not heavy black). Grayish or blurred edges on the line.

•

Extra “shadows” of some lines.

•

If all the lines look the same, don’t write down any line numbers. For the smaller patterns, patterns , write down the pattern number if you see: One pattern looking lighter than the other does. •

Group 1 example Ex a m p l e s o f w h a t y o u a r e l o o k i n g f o r

Someone with astigmatism may see the tests like the examples on the right. Analyze your results

If you have written down any line or pattern numbers, this may indicate Astigmatism. Glasses or contact lenses can usually correct Astigmatism. See your specialist.



18

Group 2 example

Remember, this test does not replace the need for regular vision testing.


Test two – astigmatism test

19


Test three – macular degeneration test instructions Macular degeneration covers several conditions affecting the retina. These become bec ome more mor e commo co mmon n for fo r peopl peo plee ove r 40, howev ho wever er the se can ca n also al so occu oc curr at young yo unger er ages. age s. Cer tain ta in gro ups are mor e at risk, ris k, for fo r examp ex ample le if there th ere is famil fa mil y history, you have diabetes, you smoke, or you are of African-American descent. If you yo u are in any an y of the se risk ris k groups gro ups,, you sho uld ul d have ha ve you r eyes eye s chec ch ecked ked more mor e frequently than the general population. In the United States, age-related macular degeneration is the most common cause of vision loss for those 50 or older. The risk increases with age. Prepare for the test

Apa rt from fr om the th e test t est its elf , there th ere is nothi not hing ng to do to prepar pre par e f or thi s test t est . M e a s u r e t h e d i st st a n c e b e t w e e n y o u r e y e s a n d t h e t e s t

If you are using the test on screen, use the same zoom level as test 1 above. For the paper test, also use the same distance as test 1. Position the paper so it’s 16 inches (40 centimeters) from your eyes. Make sure you do not move your head or the paper forward or backwards. Do the test

Look at the grid with the left eye then the right eye. There is no need to do this test with both eyes. Cover one eye. Position the central dot in front of the eye you are testing, at the distance described above. While continuing to look only at the central dot, use your peripheral vision to check the other parts of the chart. Ex a m p l e s o f w h a t y o u a r e l o o k i n g f o r

Look for any signs of irregularity in the grid. See the diagram on the right for some examples of what you might see if you have a visio vis ion n prob p rob lem. lem . Analyze your results

If your eye is working correctly, you should see the centre black dot, the four corners and the four sides of the grid. The lines should appear straight and unbroken. Inability to see the centre dot, holes or blurry spots, or lines appearing wavy, fuzzy, distorted or broken may suggest a problem. See your specialist as soon as possible, especially if this is a new finding for you or if you notice changes over a short period. Some of these issues may threaten your vision if not treated quickly. If you are over 40, it’s a good idea to keep this vision test in a convenient location to check every few months.

 Remember, this test does not replace the need for regular vision testing. 20


Test three – macular degeneration test

21


Symptoms that might suggest problems Other symptoms during or after reading can suggest you need to get your eyes checked. These include eyestrain, headaches, fatigue, watery or uncomfortable eyes, excessive blinking, and trouble seeing long distances after reading. Further symptoms that may suggest eye problems include: • •

• •

You r eyes e yes have ha ve troubl tro ubl e a djusti dju sti ng to dar k roo r ooms. ms. You have ha ve high hi gh sensi sen sitiv tiv ity to light li ght or glare gl are,, wit h exces ex cessiv siv e squin squ intin ting g or bli nki ng. The color of your iris changes. You have ha ve pain pai n reo ccurr cc urr ing in or aroun aro und d y our eyes. ey es.

•

You r eyel e yel ids are red or swo llen. ll en. You have ha ve doubl dou blee visi v isi on, or see spots spo ts and an d g hos tlike tl ike ima ges. ges .

•

A d ark ar k spot s pot obscur obs cur es your you r cen tra l visi v isi on.

•

You have ha ve dry eyes eye s whi w hich ch itch it ch or burn. bur n.

•

The following symptoms may suggest you should seek emergency medical attention: •

You have ha ve a s udden udd en loss lo ss of visio vis ion n i n o ne eye .

•

You have ha ve a s udden udd en hazy haz y or blurr bl urred ed visio vi sio n.

•

You have ha ve flash fl ash es of light li ght or dark da rk spots. spo ts.

•

You get halos ha los or rainb ra inbows ows aro und light li ght .

• •

You get a cur tainta in- lik e blo b lotti tti ng out ou t of o f vis ion . You lose lo se periph per iph era l ( side) sid e) visio vis ion. n.

Tips for protecting your eyesight You r eye e yesig sight ht is import imp ortan ant. t. Here Her e a re some som e ways way s you can ca n protec pro tec t your yo ur eye sight. sig ht. •

•

•

•

•

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Take frequent breaks. breaks. Take frequent breaks during up close work. Follow the 20/20/20 guideline. For every 20 minutes of up close work, spend at least 20 seconds looking at something more than 20 feet (6 meters) away. Every hour get up and move around. Get your eyes checked regularly. See a specialist regularly to have your yo ur eye sight sig ht check ch ecked. ed. Onc e every eve ry 18 mon ths is a goo d tar get , more mor e if you are over 40 or in higher risk groups (e.g. there is family history, you have diabetes, you smoke, or you are of African-American descent). Ask your specialist to make sure your prescription lenses are not stronger or weaker than necessary. Recent research suggests both ca n cause further problems. Eat well. well. Scientists have proven that a diet high in fruit and vegetables (especially green vegetables) reduces the risk of macular generation. Avoid highly refined foods, especially for children. Stay fit and healthy. Exercise regularly as this helps keep good blood flow to the eyes. Studies have also shown that children who play sport have a lower incidence of eye problems. Don’t smoke. Simple.


To print o r read o n screen? A few fe w yea rs ago, ag o, it was saf e to say sa y the th e rea dabil da bil ity it y of tex t on scr een was significantly less than printed text. Technological progress over the last few years though has helped monitors catch up. Modern equipment, properly configured, easily matches the readability of printed text. The most important factor of readability for screen and printed text is resolution. If you have a large, high-resolution screen (at least 17” or greater size, 1024x768x16K colors), but a poor quality printer (e.g. dot matrix or low quality inkjet), reading on screen is your best choice. If you have less capable screen but a good 600+ DPI (dots per inch) inkjet or laser printer, then printing might be a bet ter choic ch oic e. If you have both, the question of whether to print depends on other issues: •

•

•

•

•

Portability. Portability. Printed material is easier to carry around, for example to read on the bus or train, or other parts of the house. Tablet PCs are still taking time to catch on. Marking. Marking. It’s often easier to mark and highlight printed matter. Some ebook tools provide this feature, however it’s easy to lose your annotations. Searching. Searching. Electronic versions are easier to do keyword searches of the material and your notes. Comfort. Comfort. Reading in a comfortable chair is often easier than sitting in front of a PC. Cost. It’s Cost. It’s cheaper to read on screen.

Regardless of which format you choose, follow the guidelines below to optimize how you use these formats.

O p t im iz e p r i n t e d t e x t Most of the time, you won’t have control over how printed text appears, for example in books, magazines, reports, etc. The best you can do is make sure you have good light while reading, you read with material squarely facing you, at a comfortable distance (around 16 inches or 40cm). If you do have control over the material you are printing out, you might want to consider these guidelines. The same applies if you are designing material for others to print and use. Typeface or font:. While font:. While there is still debate on this topic, the prevailing guidance suggests “serif” fonts (Times New Roman, Times, Georgia etc) are bet ter for fo r p rin ted rea dabil dab ilit ity. y. The Th e name n ame of this th is font fo nt is Georgi Geo rgi a. •

•

•

•

Type size: size: 10-12 point, depending on the font. This font is 10.5pt and expanded by 0.4 pt. Fonts larger than 12 points have little impact and may negatively affect readability. Line spacing: Studies show that more line spacing increases readability. The line spacing for this text is 14pt, with 1.5pt before and after each paragraph. Line width: width: The ideal line width is around 12 words a line. Sometimes two columns may be better.

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Memletics Effective Speed Reading Course •

•

Margins: If your printouts will be lying flat (i.e. not hard bound), then large margins don’t affect readability. Margins are useful for bound books. The binding often curves the paper and text near the inside border. This reduces readability. Draft versus normal printing modes: While draft mode might save time and ink, lighter text reduces readability.

Op t i m ize y o u r co m p u t e r m o n it o r More people are using computers for longer hours these days. If you are one of them, spend some time learning how you can best configure your monitor and PC for on-screen reading. In this section we cover several steps, including: •

Choose between LCD and CRT monitors.

•

Use your monitor correctly.

•

Adj ust mon ito r sett s ett ing s f or the best bes t view v iew..

•

Maximize screen resolution, refresh rate and DPI.

•

Try various font settings.

• •

Experiment to find the best settings for you. Test settings with commonly used applications.

If you believe you already have good settings for your monitor, you might wan t to look lo ok at the th e ima ges on the th e rig ht. The image on top is from a standard monitor using “default” configuration settings (1024x768) without any extra settings. The image on the bottom uses the same hardware with optimized settings. The resolution is 1600x1200, with wit h 150% 150 % DPI and an d Clear Cl earTy Type pe set on. on . Can you see the difference? Many people will go for years using the default settings on their computer, witho wit hout ut kno wing win g c an do so muc h mor m ore! e!

Default settings – 1024x768

Optimized settings – 1600x1200

Choose between LCD and CRT monitors LCD (liquid crystal display) monitors have enjoyed great popularity popularity over the past few years. This has helped drive the price down as well. While LCD monitors are good for general use, CRT CRT (cathode ray tube) monitors have been around around longer and better suit some specific applications. Be sure to consider these when choosing a new monitor. Let’s look at some benefits of both, before considering which applications suit one or the other. L CD CD b e n e f i t s o v e r C RT RT m o n i t o r s

LCD’s are usually brighter than CRTs, sometimes by up to two times more. The image clarity at the LCD native resolution is sharper, crisper and is flicker free. They do not suffer from screen distortion, while some CRTs do. In addition, the 24


stated screen size is the actual screen size. A 17” LCD monitor has 17” viewable, wherea whe rea s a 17” CRT may only on ly have ha ve 16. 2” vie wable wab le.. LCD’s take up less desk space and weigh less than CRTs. They also consume less power, sometimes sometimes up to half the power of CRTs monitors in use. This can l ead to a lower cost over time. C R T b e n e f i t s o v e r L CD CD m o n i t o r s

There are several benefits CRT monitors have over LCD’s. Depending on how you use your computer, these could be important. LCD’s pixels are slower to respond than on CRT monitors however, they are getting better. This is still an issue when you are viewing high motion images, for example watching videos or playing action-orientated games. CRTs are also viewab vie wable le from fr om wider wid er angle an gles, s, wherea whe rea s LCD LC D mon ito rs become bec ome dar ker and “wa she d out” when viewing at an angle. CRTs have better color reproduction than LCD’s. While a casual user may not notice the difference, graphic designers will probably find this a significant limitation. In addition, the contrast ratio on CRTs is much better. Blacks look blac bl ack, k, whe rea s man m any y L CD mon ito rs displa dis pla y bla ck as dar k grey g rey . CRTs can display many resolutions without any problems. LCD monitors can only display one native resolution with clarity. If you try running other resolutions on an LCD monitor, you get a lower image quality. CRT monitors do not suffer from “dead pixels,” pixels that might be permanently bright or dark. You can’t fix a dead pixel, and most of the time you can’t return your LCD monitor unless it has several dead pixels. These can distract you. Lastly, CRT monitors cost less to buy “up front.” You can get a CRT monitor 1-2 inches larger than an LCD monitor for the same price. A p p l i c a t i o n su g g e s t i o n s

This table provides some suggestions based on how you use your computer:

Application

Suggestion

Create multimedia presentations, web pages, documents or 3D graphics, over long periods.

LCD

Watc Wa tch h d igi tal videos vid eos , h ome movies mov ies,, stream str eamin ing g ima i mages ges..

CRT

General business, home or home office use.

Either

Play action games.

CRT

Do graphic design, computer aided design, or have other high graphic needs.

CRT

Overall

Good LCD monitors provide better readability of online text for the same size screen. However, a larger CRT screen is often better than a smaller LCD screen. If 25


you have ha ve speci spe cifi ficc appli app licat cat ion nee ds, or if price pri ce is an iss ue, a larg la rger er CRT monito mon ito r might be a better choice.

Use your monitor correctly Regardless of which monitor type you choose, there are some general guidelines you yo u shou s hou ld foll fo llow. ow. Place the monitor directly in front of you, about an arms length away, and tilted slightly upward towards you. Position the top of the screen at eye level or slightly higher. If you have a large monitor, sit further back. Place it higher so your eyes are about 2-3 inches below the top of the viewing area. If you have bifocals, you might want to place the monitor lower so you can see through the bottom part of you r g lasse la ssess with w ith out str ain ing . Be careful with glare and brightness. Windows and lights are the most common source. To check, turn your monitor off and look for any reflections. Adjust your monitor brightness so it is about equal in brightness to the area behind it (assuming your workplace has enough light). If your workplace has natural lighting, you may need to adjust the brightness throughout throughout the day.

Adjust your monitor settings for the best view

t c e t o r p / m o c . s c i t e l m e m . w w w / / : p t t h o t g

n Learn how to adjust the settings on your monitor. Modern displays have digital i y controls to help you adjust brightness, contrast, screen size and other settings. It’s p o usually better to have higher contrast and lower brightness, however this will c d depend on your workplace. e

C G i z A commo co mmon n probl pro blem em is people peo ple who have ha ve bough bou ghtt large la rge CRT monit mon itors ors do not no t know kno w r o B h how to size the screen image. The result is unused screen space a round the display t u image, wasting perhaps half to one inch of monitor size! See your monitor M a n manual, or ask someone to help, if you’re not sure. u 7 t r o Increase screen resolution, refresh rate and DPI settings Y p 7 Firstly, let’s understand what screen resolution, refresh rate and DPI mean. The e r Q image on your computer screen comprises of thousands of tiny pixels. The e s resolution refers to how many pixels make up your viewing area. A resolution of a e l Z 1024x768 means there are 1,024 pixels across your monitor, and 768 pixels down. P . n T i The refresh rate refers to how many times the image on the screen refreshes. o Numbers from 50-120 hertz are common here. Lastly, the DPI setting refers to t R c e 6 “Dots Per Inch.” Some operating systems allow you to set higher DPI settings t when whe n you yo u have ha ve hig her res oluti ol uti ons. ons . This Th is incr in creas eases es the th e size siz e of scr een ele ments men ts so o r P they are easier to see. C t c The settings and display quality your overall machine supports depends on the u M o features of your computer and your monitor. You may need to work with someone 7 d r P knowledgeable knowledgeable to follow these instructions. L s Note: These instructions are specific to Windows XP. Windows 2000 and 95 have c

i t e similar settings but may differ. Again, consult your documentation or ask l m someone knowledgeable knowledgeable if you have problems. e M

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Ch e c k y o u r d r i v e r s

First, check your Windows drivers (configuration information) for your yo ur comput com put er are ar e corre co rrect ct.. To get to your display settings in Windows XP, go to Start > Control Panel > Display, then click the “Settings” tab. Referring to the image on the right, check the line after the “Display:” label. In the example it says “Hitachi CM715 on NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440.” The first setting refers to your monitor, the second refers to your graphics adapter (some hardware inside your yo ur compu co mputer ter). ). If eit her of the se say “Generic” or don’t refer to your hardware, check your drivers or ask someone for help. S e t t i n g r e s o l u t i o n a n d c o l o r q u a l it it y

For CRT monitors you usually have a choice of screen resolution. You can see that in the diagram above the screen resolution is 1600 by 1200 pixels. Make a note of your current settings before changing yours! yours! Move the slider across the far right to find the highest resolution of your computer. Sometimes you may need to set the color quality (on the right) to a lower setting to get the highest resolution. Make sure it’s higher than 256 colors though. Hit App ly and an d see how ho w your yo ur compu co mputer ter responds: •

•

If the screen goes black, wait 15 seconds and the image will return. Try the next resolution down. If you are unable to find a wor kin g reso r eso lut ion , click cl ick Canc Ca ncel. el. If the screen refreshes but is out of shape, use the settings on the front of your monitor to reshape and resize the screen image.

You may ma y like li ke to exper ex perime iment nt with wit h

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the resolution settings to get an image that doesn’t appear flat or narrow (after adjusting your monitor). Usually these resolutions work best on CRT monitors of standard sizes: 1024x768, 1200x900, 1360x1020, and 1600x1200. If the screen is now hard to read becau bec ause se the th e fon ts are small sma ll,, that’ th at’ s fine. We’ll fix that in a moment. For LCD monitors you only have one clear choice when it comes to resolution. Check your LCD monitor documentation for the “native” or “primary” display resolution, then check your settings to make sure they match. Se t t i n g t h e r e f r e s h r a t e

Once you’ve resized your screen to the maximum resolution, check to make sure the image isn’t flickering or shimmering. If so, you r ref resh res h rate ra te may be too to o low. lo w. Click on the Advanced button in the dialog above, and then click the Monitor tab.



Make sure the checkbox titled “Hide modes this monitor cannot display” option is ON, otherwise you can damage your monitor (or worse, start a f ire!). Write Wri te down dow n your you r curren cur rentt set tin g , then click the “Screen refresh rate” drop down box (that says 72 Hertz in this diagram). Choose the highest refresh rate that’s available. Click apply. You may need to resize your image again using your monitor settings. Se t t i n g D P I a n d f o n t s iz e

If you have a recent model monitor and computer of good quality, it’s likely you now have a high screen resolution set. You might find though the fonts, icons and other screen elements are too small. The next settings to change are as follows: •

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If both the icons and text are too small for you, you need to change the DPI setting. Click on the “General” tab of the advanced settings dialog box, and you yo u wil l see a dia log lo g box like li ke the ones on es on the th e right rig ht above ab ove.. Write Wri te down dow n your you r cur rent ren t setti set ting. ng. Set the DPI setting to a larger number. If your resolution is 1200x900 or 1360x1020 (or similar), try setting it to “Large Size (120DPI).” If your resolution is 1600x1200 or higher, try “Custom Size – 150% (144DPI)” or higher. Click OK and close all the display setting dialog boxes. Restart your computer and view the new display settings. Keep going through the rest of these instructions before trying alternative settings.

Optimize your Alphabetics •

If just the fonts are too small for you, you can set these to your preference as wel l. Go to the th e “App “ Appear ear ance” an ce” tab in the main display settings dialog box. It looks like the one on the right. Try setting the “Font size” setting to “Large Fonts” or “Extra Large fonts.” You can also set the font size for individual Windows objects by clic cl ickin king g the th e “Adva “A dvanc nced” ed” but ton in this th is dialo dia log. g. Clic Cl ick k apply. It may take a few moments to adjust these settings.

Aga in, in , bef ore try ing var iatio ia tio ns on these settings, continue to the end of this section to understand all the choices. When you do come back to try alternatives, I suggest you set the DPI setting first and the font size second.

Try extra font display settings Microsoft has done much work to improve the readability of fonts on screen. Microsoft calls one of their recent advances “ClearType”. This technology can improve the readability of text on many displays. Microsoft Windows XP is the first operating system to have ClearType built in. Unfortunately, no previous Microsoft operating systems can support ClearType. If you have Windows XP, you can turn it on two ways: •

•

Visit Vi sit http://www http://www.microsoft.com/typ .microsoft.com/typography/ClearTyp ography/ClearTypeInfo.mspx eInfo.mspx and then click the link titled "ClearType Web interface." This is a better choice as it has some tuning settings you can try out. Click the “Effects” button on the Appearance tab of the main display settings dialog box. Make sure you select the checkbox by “Use the following method to smooth edges of font screens,” then select ClearType from the drop down box. Then click OK and apply the settings.

I’ve found that ClearType works well on many displays, but not all. On resolutions at 1024x768 or less, it may make text look slightly blurry. It works better when you yo u have ha ve high hi gh colo co lorr setti set tings ngs as well. wel l. You might mig ht like li ke to try the other ot her opt ion in the th e font smoothing box – “Standard” – if ClearType isn’t working well for you.

Experiment to find the best settings for you Everyone has their own preferences. Now that you know several key settings that control your display, feel free to try different combinations to get the best effect. You might mig ht like li ke to sta rt wit h the fol lowin low ing g table ta ble as a guidel gui deline ine depend dep ending ing on the th e maximum resolution you have.

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Resolution

Colors

Refresh Rate

DPI

Font size

ClearType

1024x768

Min 16 bit

Min 72 Hertz

Normal

Normal or Large

Off/on

1200x900

Min 16 bit

Min 72 Hertz

Large size - 125%

Normal or Large

On

1360x1024

Min 16 bit

Min 72 Hertz

Large size – 125%

Normal or Large

On

1600x1200

Min 16 bit

Min 72 Hertz

Custom – 150%

Normal or Large

On

Compatibility with applications You now no w need ne ed to check ch eck your yo ur existing applications to see how they perform under higher resolutions. Some applications have difficulty with higher resolutions or larger custom font sizes. I find that leaving the font size as “Normal” and adjusting the DPI has the least adverse impact on applications. Sometimes, you may need to go looking for font settings specific to that application. For example, in Microsoft Outlook I increased the size of fonts in several views. Use the command View > Current View > Customize Current View, then click “Other Settings.” Some web pages in Internet Explorer may also have difficulty with these settings. It’s often not the bro wser’s wse r’s faul fa ult. t. Websit Web sitee design des igners ers don ’t alwa al ways ys consi co nsider der people peo ple wit h highe hi ghe r resolution screens. You may nee d to make mak e a trade tr adeof offf bet ween wee n the appli app lica catio tio ns you use and an d the resolution you want. Another alternative might be to configure two user accounts in Windows XP with different display settings. In addition, check if your display drivers support multiple display profiles. For example, the base NVIDIA display driver includes a desktop manager that lets you switch between display profiles quickly. See the image above for an example.

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Summary Wel l done! don e! That Th at’s ’s the first fi rst mod ule compl co mplete ete . Mos t of you yo u shoul sh oul d have ha ve fou nd that th at the tests indicate your eyesight is fine for reading. I suspect though, for some, you might have found these tests uncovered a problem you were not aware of. I strongly encourage you to see someone quickly. For everyone, you’ve also seen some important information on symptoms that could indicate problems, and some tips on how to protect your eyesight for the rest of your life. Next I went through some tips on how to optimize your computer screen for onscreen reading. You understand the differences between LCD and CRT monitors, and when one performs better than the other one. You also now have information on how to configure your monitor to get the best performance from the equipment you’v yo u’vee p urc hased ha sed.. In the following module, we discuss how your vocabulary affects your reading speed. You’ll also see some surprising information on how vocabulary influences success in your life. You’ll learn how a simple device, that you probably already have, can make a big difference!

What Wh at did you think th ink of this th is modul mod ule? e? Do you yo u have ha ve some som e sugges sug gestio tio ns? Let Le t us know kn ow your yo ur thoug tho ughts hts usi ng our ou r o nli ne sur vey at: at : http://www.memletics.com/surv http://www.meml etics.com/surveys/speedeys/speed-reading reading

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Increase your vocabulary

3

e l u d o M

Increase your vocabulary Often ignored by many speed-reading courses, vocabulary holds many people back from fast reading speeds. You improve your vocabulary simply by increasing how many words you understand. By doing so, you also improve the likelihood of greater success in your life. Read on to learn how.

Module 3:

Increase your vocabulary You r voc abula ab ula ry is the th e coll co llec ectio tio n of words wor ds you yo u rec ogn ise and an d unders und ers tan d. The Th e Engli En gli sh language has the largest vocabulary of all languages – over 1,000,000 defined words. English-speaking adults use approximately 3,000 different words in everyday conversation, however on average know the meaning of around 50,000 words.




What Wh at is impres imp res sive siv e is tha t a child ch ild betwee bet ween n the th e age s of six si x and ten lea rns, rn s, on average, more than 5,000 new words on year. What is not so impressive is that the average adult learns, on average, 50 new words a year. Why Wh y it is voc abula abu lary ry import imp ort ant ? It’ s i mport mpo rtant ant becau bec ause se the th e s ize of you r v oca bul ary has a significant influence on your reading speed. The better your vocabulary, the faster you read. Many speed-reading courses courses don’t provide much guidance on this topic. However, improving your vocabulary can have as much an impact on your reading speed as any of the other techniques. This is especially true when learning new topics. Here is why. Every time you come across a word you don’t know, your brain automatically focuses on it. Your brain tries reading the words around it to figure out the meaning. Even if you give up and move on, the next time you come across the word, the same thing happens. Every time you see a word you don’t know, your yo ur fluen fl uency cy (sp eed) eed ) and compr co mprehe ehe nsion nsi on suf fer. fe r. Whe n you yo u are learn lea rnin ing g new topics, it’s likely you will come across more words that are new. Your reading performance suffers even more if you don’t take the time to find out their meanings. If that isn’t enough motivation for you to improve your vocabulary, here’s another reason. Look at these test results from employees of over 40 large organizations in the USA. What do you think they represent?

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Level

Average Result

Presidents, vice presidents

236

Managers

168

Superintendents

140

Overseers

114

Floor bosses

86

These are scores from a vocabulary test, out of a possible score of 272 points. It’s clear that those in higher positions have command of more words. In another study, the only consistent factor across thousands of people was successful people scored high in vocabulary tests. Other studies link a strong vocabulary to strong scores in IQ tests.

Tw o t o p t e c h n i q u e s f o r im p r o v i n g v o c ab u l a r y It’s easy to improve your vocabulary without attending expensive courses or buy ing softw so ftwar are. e. The Th e bes t too l that th at can ca n help he lp you yo u impro imp rove ve you r voc abu lar y is probably already sitting on your bookshelf, dusty and unused. It’s called a dictionary. If you don’t have one, get one! H o w t o u s e y o u r d i ct i o n a r y e f f e c t iv e l y

Each time you come across a word you don’t know, or the way it’s used is unfamiliar to you, follow these easy steps: 1.

Spend a few seconds trying to work out the meaning from the context of the sentence, before progressing to the next step

2.

Lightly underline the word, and put a small box in the margin with an ‘n’ next to it (for new word). Write the page number in the front of the book.

3.

Make a decision: Do you need to know the meaning of this word now, or can you look lo ok it up later la ter . If the th e wor d is import imp ort ant an t to the th e topic top ic you yo u are rea din g, look lo ok it up now. When you find it in the dictionary, also circle or highlight it. This wil l help he lp you later la ter . Write Wri te a sma ll defin def init ition ion somewh som ewhere ere nea r the th e word wor d in the book. boo k. 4. Whe n you finis fi nish h rea ding din g the th e boo k or chapt ch apter, er, go bac k throu th rou gh the page pag e numbers and look up any words you didn’t look up before.

Let’s get some practice. Assume you haven’t seen the word “discovery” when you read the following sentence: Megan’s discovery surprised the whole family! Now go through the steps above. How long does it take you to find a pen and dictionary? What words come before and after “discovery”? Are there any new words wor ds you yo u h ave n’t seen see n o n t he same sam e page p age of the dic tiona ti ona ry? ry ? If you need some motivation to do this, remember that every new word you look up might add $50 or more to your annual income one day!

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M a k e t h e m s t i ck ck – u s e n e w w o r d j o u r n a l

A gre at way to mak e tho se new words wor ds sti ck in your yo ur memor mem ory y is to keep kee p you r own “new word journal.” Use a notepad, writing book or spreadsheet. Every time you come across a new word, also add the word and the definition to your journal. Review these occasionally. Even better, add entries to SuperMemo (software discussed in Memletics). These regular reviews help your memory and you’ll surprise yourself with the words you once didn’t know! Here’s a tip if you are learning a new topic or subject. Keep new words, jargon, symbols and acronyms specific to that topic in a separate part of your journal. Keep the journal nearby while you study so you can refer to the meanings easily. Two extra steps you can take to lock in new words: Substitute similar words. When words. When you learn a new word, take a moment and think of three similar words you know. Rephrase the sentence using one of these words, and then say the sentence again with the new word. Write the similar words into your new word journal.

•

•

Write Wri te your you r own senten sen ten ces . Create a new sentence using the word you’ve jus t l earnt ea rnt . Wri W rite te it int o y our journa jou rna l!

Aga in, in , keep kee p in mind min d tha t every eve ry entry ent ry you make mak e in you r jou rna l might mig ht be addin ad din g another $50 to your annual income one day.

L ea r n c o m m o n p r e f ix e s a n d s u f f ix e s Knowing common prefixes and suffixes can help you work out the meaning of a wor d witho wit hout ut looki lo oki ng it up in the th e dic tio nary na ry.. Here Her e are some som e commo co mmon n pre fix es and suffixes. There are many others – ask a teacher or look on the Internet for more. Prefix or suffix

Meaning

Examples

-able, -ible

capable of

portable, teachable

anti-

against, opposed

antisocial, antidote, anticlimax

-ar, -ary, -ory

relating to

auditory, similar, imaginary

bi o-

li fe

bi ol og y, bi ogr aph y

co-, con-, com-

together, with

conspiracy, cooperate

de-

from, away

demote, depart

dys-

hard, ill, with difficulty

dysfunctional, dyslexia

ex-

out, from

express, exhale

geo-

Earth

geologist, geography

-gress

go, move

egress, progress,

hyper-

excessive, over, above, beyond

hyperthermic, hypersensitive

hypo-

under, below, beneath

hypothermic, hypodermic

-ic

having characteristics of

Linguistic

inter-

between

interstate, international

intra-

within

intrastate, intranet

-less

without

heartless, careless

-logy

study of

Biology

macro-

large

macroeconomics, macromolecule

35

Memletics Effective Speed Reading Course micro-

small

microchip, microscope

-mit, -miss

send

transmit, dismiss, missile

non-

not

nonsense, nonetheless

omni-

all

omnipotent, omnipresent, omnivore

peri-

around

peripheral, perimeter, periscope,

-phon-

sound

phonetic, phonics, telephone

port-

carry

portable, portfolio

post-

after

postgraduate, postpone, posterior

pre-

before

preamble, preconceived, predict, preface

re-

back, again

redo, return, refund

-rupt

break

rupture, bankrupt, interrupt

-scope

view

microscope, telescope

semi-

half

semicircle, semester

spect-

see, look

spectacle, spectator

sub-

under

submarine, subversive

super-

over, above

supersonic

tele-

far

telephone, telepathy, telemetric

therm-

heat

thermal, thermometer, thermostat

trans-

across

transport, transmit, translate

un-

not, opposing, reverse

uncertain, unlawful, unbearable

under-

below, beneath

underground, underneath, underestimate

t c e t o r p / m o c . s c i t e l m e m . w w w / / : p t t h o t g n i y p o c d e z i r o h t u a n u t r o p e r e s a e l P . n o i t c e t o r P t c u d o r P s c i t e l m e M

C G B Some words are simple combinations of these prefixes and suffixes. Try looking up the parts of these words in the table above: Microscope, biology, telephone, M telescope, periscope, and hypothermic. Pick one of these for a day and 7 underline it every time you see it while reading. Y 7 U n d e r st a n d t h e h i st o r y o f w o r d s Q Many of the words in the English language come from Latin, a language that’s thousands of years old. Latin heavily influences the prefixes and suffixes Z table above. Here are some more examples of words with Latin roots: T R 6 Latin Word Meaning Examples C M 7 L

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avis

bird

aviary, aviator, aviation

cumulare

to build up

accumulate, cumulative

dens, dentis

tooth

denture, dentist

flare, flatus

blow

deflate, inflate

gerere, gestum

to carry, to bear

digest, gesture, gestation

ju de x, ju di ca re

ju dg e

ju dg e, ju di ci ou s, pre ju di ce

locare, locus

to place, place

allocate, dislocate, local

putare

to think, estimate

computer, reputation

vi ta

li fe

vit ami n, vit ali ty, vi tal


Good dictionaries often have information on the origins of each word you look up. Study them and you’ll remember the word for longer. You might like to write the history into your word journal as well.

M o r e t i p s f o r im p r o v i n g v o ca b u l ar y Here are some more tips to help you improve your vocabulary: •

•

•

•

Increase your reading range. This is a great way to find new words, develop your reading skills and have fun doing it. Read more widely on different topics. Read material that’s higher than your current reading and voca vo cabul bul ary level le vel.. Don’t Do n’t worry wor ry if it’s it’ s slo w going goi ng – treat tr eat it as a devel dev elopm opment ent exercise. Follow word trails. trails. Often when you look up a word, you find new words in the definition you don’t understand. Mark them and then look them up as well. How far can you go? Use online dictionaries. If you are near a computer while reading, it’s sometimes faster to find a word using an online dictionary, such as dictionary.com or Microsoft Encarta. A great feature of these tools is they often have a sound recording of the word. This can help you get the pronunciation right. Try software, word a day services, vocabulary tests, courses and other tools. Yes, tools. Yes, these can help, but only do these after you’ve developed the discipline of looking up words you find in your normal reading. This is still more effective because the new words you come across relate more to your areas of interest or study. I suggest you only do these if you have a keen interest in improving your vocabulary, and be wary how you spend your money. Many good materials cost less than $15.

Summary This module has helped you understand the role vocabulary plays in reading speed. You’ve seen that a strong vocabulary helps you read faster, and you’ve seen that your vocabulary also plays a role in how successful you are in life and work. You ’ve learn le arn ed two top to p tec hniqu hn iques es for fo r signi sig nific fic antl an tly y impro imp rovin ving g your yo ur voca vo cabul bul ary . The first is to use a dictionary frequently, and the second is to keep a new word journ jo urn al. al . You ’ve seen see n how ho w man y words wor ds use common com mon prefix pre fix es and an d suf fixes fi xes , and an d that th at wor d h istory ist ory can ca n o fte n h elp el p y ou und ersta ers tand nd modern mod ern wor ds. In the following module, you’ll learn how to improve your core reading speed, i.e. the speed you read individual words and phrases.

What Wh at did you think th ink of this th is modul mod ule? e? Do you yo u have ha ve some som e sugges sug gestio tio ns? Let Le t us know kn ow your yo ur thoug tho ughts hts usi ng our ou r o nli ne sur vey at: at : http://www.memletics.com/surv http://www.meml etics.com/surveys/speedeys/speed-reading reading

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38

Develop your fluency

e l u d o M

Develop your fluency Your fluency is a key part of reading effectiveness. Fluency develops with practice, however some simple techniques can help improve your overall reading speed. Speedreading courses and instructors teach these techniques, in various forms, all over the world. You are now about to learn these yourself.

Module 4:

Develop your fluency Fluency is the ability to read words and sentences quickly. In this section, we look at three ways of improving your fluency so you can read faster. These are: •

•

•

Basic fluency. fluency. Understand basic word and sentence construction.

Comprehension Strategies Vocabulary Fluency

Skimming

Alphabetics

Memletics Fluency support. support. How to support fluency and f luency development. Fluency development. development. How How to improve fluency.

®

Effective Reading

Ch e c k y o u r b a s i c f l u e n c y s k i l l s Most people reading this book will already have basic fluency skills. If you find reading a challenge though, you might want to do some work to improve your basic ba sic fluen fl uen cy ski lls. ll s. Here Her e a re some som e way w ayss y ou can check ch eck and an d impr i mpr ove these th ese ski lls: ll s: •

•

•

Read aloud to yourself. Take yourself. Take some time to read passages aloud. If you have difficulty with certain passages, practice them until they become fluent. Use two types of reading. During practice readings, work on passages you find difficult. During “live” readings, assume you are reading to an audience. Perhaps stand up as if you are presenting to a class, group, or audience. If you make a mistake, keep going! At the end, come back and practice those difficult passages again. Read with others. Read others. Read to parents, teachers, siblings or friends. Ask them to point out any problems they hear. Remember they are helping you, so keep an open mind! You might also ask them to read difficult passages with you. Perhaps ask them to record themselves reading on to a tape or a computer. You can then play it back later and read with it. Use speech synthesis programs. Speech synthesis software can take text from your computer and read it aloud. These are getting better over time. Some current versions have enough sophistication for you to read with and learn as 39


you yo u go. You can ca n also al so find fi nd free fr ee demons dem ons tra tions ti ons on the th e Inter In ter net. net . Use these th ese if you’d yo u’d just jus t like li ke to chec ch eck k a sen tence ten ce or two. two . Sea rch for fo r “text “te xt to speec spe ech h demonstration” demonstration” (without the quotes), AT&T Labs TTS, or RealSpeak. •

Su p p o r t y o u r f l u e n c y Now that we’ve checked your basic fluency skills, let’s look at some ways to support fluency. It’s probably been a while since you learnt to read, so some of these you may have simply forgotten over time. You can easily do these straight away, whereas the topics we discuss after these points will take more time to develop. •

•

•

•

•

Get in good Memletic State. Make sure you are comfortable and relaxed. Remove distractions, and check you have good light and ventilation. See the Memletic State chapter in the Memletics Manual for more help here.

/ m o c . s c i t e l m e m . w w w / / : p t t h o t

Position the book. book. Have the book squarely in front of you, preferably lying flat. If necessary, help the book stay open by opening it near the front and pushing it flat. Work through the book 20-40 pages at a time and push it flat g n i each time. Take care not to damage the book. y

C G B M 7 Y 7 Q - e Don’t regress. Average regress. Average readers often go back over the same material without Z l P . realizing it, sometimes more than 30 times on a single page. This is different to n T o when whe n you del ibe rat ely el y go bac k to review rev iew somet som ethin hin g you didn’t did n’t under und ersta sta nd i t R c (which is acceptable). Regressing is a habit from when you first started e 6 t learning to read. You went back over the text to make sure you read it correctly. - o r Once you develop core readings skills, you don’t need to do this but the habit P C t often remains. To break this habit, read with a small piece of card or paper, c u and run it down the page above the above the current line you are reading. This will hide d M o 7 r the text you’ve read and prevent regressing. regressing. Practice for a few minutes each day P L for a week, then as needed after that. The techniques below will also help with s c p

Keep your head still. Use still. Use your eyes to move across the page. You may turn o c your yo ur head he ad from fr om side sid e to sid e to t o rea d eac e ach h page p age . d e z Don’t vocalize. vocalize. Do not read the words aloud (unless it’s for some other i r reason). One of the first key steps to improve your reading speed is to ensure o h you yo u are not rea din g eac h word wor d indivi ind ivi dua lly. ll y. Fir stl y, this th is mea ns kee ping pin g you r t u voi ce quiet qui et whi le you yo u r ead. ead . Howeve How ever, r, you also al so nee d to t o check ch eck you yo u a re not movin mov ing g a n u your yo ur lip s or voi ce box . If you are , you yo u limit li mit your you r rea ding di ng spe ed to how ho w fast fa st you t can talk (which is far slower than the mind can think). An easy way to check r o you r voice voi ce box is stil st illl is to put your yo ur hand ha nd on it whi le you read. re ad. If you yo u feel fe el any an y p e r movement, you are still vocalizing. Focus on reading without moving your voice e s box or lips. lip s. a

this.

40

t

Do some training. training. If you still have difficulty reading, or are reading in a c e language other than your native language, you might like to try some expert t o r training to develop your fluency skills. p

i t e l m e M


Develop your fluency Now it’s time to look at some ways to improve your fluency. These exercises and techniques take time to work, however even with 10-15 minutes a day of practice you yo u wil w illl s tar t s eeing eei ng diffe dif feren rence cess with w ith in a week. wee k. These Th ese exerc exe rcise isess h elp el p do d o t wo thing th ings: s: •

•

Improve your eye movements. movements. Recall from the introduction your eyes do not smoothly progress across each line of words. They make small jumps, or “fixations”. Good reader’s eyes jump about one inch between each fixation, however slower readers “fix” on each word (and parts of the word). The exercises below will help your eyes jump to the right place each time, and not remain too long on particular words. Note: It’s not a matter of learning to make two or three fixations on each line. Some lines need more fixations because they have uncommon words on them, whereas others may have common words that need fewer fixations. Your eyes will learn to adjust with practice. Reduce subvocalization. subvocalization. You Yo u may m ay rec all al l fro m a bove bo ve I discus dis cussed sed voc alizi al izi ng – or reading words aloud. Subvocalizing is pronouncing the words in your head. This is another limit that slows down reading, however you will always subvocalize to a certain extent. Some speed reading references tell you to stop doing this, however they don’t provide guidance on how! You can reduce subvocalization simply by doing the drills and exercise below. You don’t give your yo ur bra in eno ugh time tim e t o v ocal oc alize ize each ea ch word, wor d, and an d it i t lea rns to ada pt.

Learn the Regulator Technique The primary technique you can use to improve your reading speed is the regulator technique. technique. This is a simple yet very effective way to learn to read boo ks and an d oth er writt wri tten en mat erial eri al faste fa ster. r. It works wor ks best bes t becau bec ause se you can use it on your yo ur own mater ma teria ial, l, at your you r own pac e, in your yo ur own tim e. Many Ma ny of the th e other ot her “bell “b ell s and whistles” of speed reading courses are there to make them seem different from their competition. Leading speed-reading coaches teach this technique worldwide. Rick Ostrov, author of Power Reading (a top ranked book on speed reading at Amazon.com), says that the regulator technique “is the best method for increasing reading speed and effectiveness.” effectiveness.” Charles Van Doren, author of “How “How to Read a Book” (another (another top seller at Amazon.com), says “…it is not necessary to employ any device more sophisticated than your own hand.” Here’s how to learn the regulator technique: St a g e 1 : A p p l y t h e r e g u l a t o r

Run your finger, pencil or pen (capped) along underneath the line you are reading. If you are reading on the computer screen, use your mouse. Your finger, pencil, pen or mouse is your “regulator.” When you finish that line, you move your regulator down to the next line and do the same again. Keep your eyes above the regulator, however make sure you read the words and not watch your regulator! Keep your eyes loosely focused, rather than peering hard at each word. In this first stage, just get comfortable having the regulator there. Don’t try to pick up your yo ur speed. spe ed. Slow Sl ow down dow n i f t he pas sage sag e bec omes ome s h arder ar der to read rea d i n p laces la ces.. Aim Ai m to spend spe nd at least le ast 10- 15 minute min ute s a day using usi ng this th is tec hniqu hn ique. e. Do it for all al l reading from now on, including what you are reading now! If you find it’s 41


distracting you from an important reading assignment, go back to your normal reading practice during the assignment. Restart using the regulator after that. You may fin d that th at even eve n in sta ge 1, your yo ur rea din g speed spe ed inc rea ses. ses . The Th e incre in cre ase might not be drastic, but enough to make the exercise worthwhile. How? It helps your yo ur pace pa ce whi le red ucing uc ing regres reg ressio sio n o ver wor ds lines li nes and an d sent s ent enc es you’v yo u’v e a lre ady read. Whi ch regul reg ulat ator or shoul sh oul d you yo u use – fin ger , penci pen cill or pen? pen ? It’ s up to you , howev ho wever er if you yo u rea din g to lear le arn, n, I sug gest ges t usi ng a pen or pen cil. ci l. You can ca n und erl ine, ine , tic k or mark important passages as well as mark new words straight away.



Adults Adu lts : You might find it embarrassing to use this exercise in f ront of others, for fear of looking like you are learning to read. Simply explain you are doing a speedreading course and most people will usually want to know more! S t a g e 2 : S h o r t e n t h e r e g u l a t o r ’ s d i st st a n c e

Now that you’re comfortable using the regulator, the next stage is to shorten how far the regulator travels across each line. You might have already started doing this if you found it hard to keep the regulator up to the same pace as your reading. Aim to cover co ver the middl mid dlee half ha lf to two-t two -thir hir ds of eac h line. li ne. Start Sta rt par t the th e way in, and an d don’t go all the way to the end. Make sure you still read each word though, and again don’t try to push yourself just yet. Make sure you are still reading the words and understanding what you are reading. Go back and test yourself if necessary. Aga in, aim to spend spe nd 10 to 15 minute min ute s a day for anot an other her 2 to 3 day s, at lea st, doing doi ng this. In the next stage we’ll start increasing the speed of the regulator, so for now keep up your regular pace. Stage 3: Do speed drills

Now it’s time to start increasing the speed of your regulator. Below you will find some speed drills to use. Start with the basic drills for a week, then the intermediate drills for a week, then the advanced drills for a week. Aim to do one of these exercises every day for 10-15 minutes. If you want to gain more speed, do two or more each day. For example, do one in the morning and one in the evening (keep in mind the principles of repetition from Memletics– space them out). Instead of simply speeding up your regulator, you will see the drills involve going bac k over ove r to you r materi mat eri al at a faste fa sterr pac e. This Th is hel ps “trai “t rai n you r brain br ain ” to speed spe ed up your reading while still keeping up comprehension. An import imp ort ant poi nt her e is to kee p your yo ur drill dri llss and an d norma no rmall rea din g separa sep ara te for now. The reading material you use for your practice and drills should not come from subjects or topics you are learning now. Find a book that has many similar pages (preferably without diagrams or pictures), with good line spacing and text size. It should be reasonably easy for you to read and understand at your current level. This will be your “drill book.” During the drills, you focus on improving speed first and keeping up comprehension second. When you are reading to learn, comprehension comes first. The speed drills will also increase your speed during your normal reading. Here are the drills to use over the coming weeks: •

42

Basic speed drill 1 (15 mins). Go to a section in your chosen drill book that you yo u haven ha ven ’t rea d bef ore . Mark Ma rk your yo ur start sta rting ing poi nt then th en sta rt rea ding din g at you r


normal pace. Don’t try to speed up during this first read. At the end of 10 minutes, mark your finish point. Now go back to your starting point and reread what wh at you jus t rea d. This Th is time, tim e, aim to “read “r ead ” the sam e amoun amo untt of materi mat eri al in 5 minutes. Use your regulator to make sure your eyes move over every word of every line, but just do it faster. Keep up an even pace so you finish within five minutes. If you go over, just redo the exercise at a faster pace next time. Register as many words as you can during the fast section. For this drill don’t wor ry if you yo u don ’t regis re gister ter all al l of the m. At the th e end of the th e exe rcise rc ise,, write wri te in your yo ur course booklet. You only need to do this once a day, however feel free to do it a few times a day f or maximum impact. •

•

Basic speed drill 2 (20 mins). This drill is essentially the same as basic speed drill 1, with one small addition. At the end of your 10-minute read, write some simple notes that describe what you read. Use a notepad or some other spare paper. Take about one to two minutes. Then do the five-minute read. After Af ter that th at,, spen s pen d a nothe not herr minu m inu te add ing in g a few fe w mor m oree not n otes es to you r l ist . Intermediate Intermediate speed drill 1 (15 mins). This mins). This is similar to basic speed drill 1. After Af ter compl co mpl eti ng the th e fivefi ve-min min ute rea d, rerea rer ead d the th e mater ma teria iall in two tw o minutes. Make sure you read every line, but keep up the pace. This is also a good time to start using speed paths from stage 4 below. Choose one of the speed paths and use it during this drill. For instance, run your regulator down the page, not across every line.

•

•

•

Intermediate speed drill 2 (20 mins). Same as intermediate speed drill 1, however add the review task. After each ten, five and two minute read, spend a minute writing some simple notes. Adv anc ed speed sp eed drill dri ll 1 (25 min utes) ute s).. Mark a starting spot and start reading at your normal pace. After five minutes, stop and mark the ending spot. Count the number of pages and multiply this by three – this is your target page count. If you read a page and a half, then your target page count is about four and a half pages. Mark a starting spot in new material, count your target pages forward and mark your end spot. Start reading and aim to finish fir st time in time in 12 minutes. You will need to read slightly faster. At the end, spend one minute writing some notes on what you read. Then, reread the material in 6 minutes. Add to your notes. Adv anc ed speed sp eed drill dri ll 1 (40 min s). Do advanced speed drill one with these differences. Multiply your target page count by 5, complete the first reading in 20 minutes, and the second reading in 10 minutes.

St a g e 4 : C h o o s e y o u r s p e e d p a t h

As your yo ur speed spe ed inc rease re ases, s, you yo u may find fi nd your yo ur regul reg ulat ator or has ha s troub tr ouble le keepin kee pin g up with wit h your yo ur eyes. eye s. You can ca n now choo ch oose se a speed spe ed path pat h for fo r your yo ur regul reg ulat ator or that th at sui ts you. yo u. Instead of moving your regulator across underneath each line, try moving it in one of the following paths. Down the middle of the page, down the margin, in a large S or Z pattern down the page, or several Z’s down the page. For online reading, try running the mouse down the middle or side of the text. Combine your experimentation experimentation with more speed drills for 10-15 minutes a day for a week.

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Previously you were using your regulator to keep your place on each line. Now you are using your regulator to keep your place on the page. You still read each line though. No one path is better than the others are. Choose one you find most comfortable. You might mig ht also al so try chang ch angin ing g your yo ur regul re gul ator at or depend dep end ing on whi ch rea din g m ode you are in (e.g. fast or slow). For example, you might go back to the line-by-line pattern while reading complex or important passages.

Using the regulator technique Using the regulator technique with the speed drills over four weeks can dramatically improve fluency. After you’ve completed the four-week course, commit to doing a few speed drills each month. This will preserve and even further improve your overall fluency. Even experienced readers will find the exercises helpful. A questi que sti on you may have ha ve is “Do I ever eve r stop sto p using usi ng the regul reg ulat ator? or? ” The Th e answe an swerr is “it’s up to you.” Many people continue to use the regulator technique for all their reading. You might like to stop when you read for leisure, or if you feel you read well wel l witho wit hout ut it. it . Sta rt using usi ng it aga in if you yo u fee l you r speed spe ed slowi sl owing, ng, while whi le readi re ading ng important material, or if your concentration is lacking.

Summary In this module, you’ve discovered how to improve your fluency. You’ve checked you r basic bas ic fluen fl uency cy ski lls, ll s, and lea rne d way w ayss s uppor upp ortt y our cur ren t f lue ncy. nc y. The Th e m ain part of this module though focused on how to develop and improve your fluency. You’ve You ’ve lear le arned ned a simple sim ple and effec ef fec tiv e tec hniqu hn iquee for develo dev elo ping pin g fluen fl uen cy – the th e regulator technique. You’ve seen how to apply the regulator technique and then how to do the speed drills needed to pick up your pace. You’ve also learned some speed paths that help you as you increase your reading speed. Don’t let the simplicity of the regulator technique fool you. Take the time to do the speed drills and you will see a dramatic increase in y our reading speed. Whi le you wor k on devel dev elopi oping ng you r flue fl uenc ncy, y, you yo u can ca n cont co ntinu inu e with wit h devel dev elopi oping ng more skills that improve your reading speed. The next module teaches you how to skim read. Skim reading is another important technique for effective reading, however you need to know the right time to use it. Read on to find out more.


44

Learn to skim read

5

e l u d o M

Learn to skim read Skim reading is a valuable technique for overviewing, previewing, and reviewing information at both the general and specific levels. It’s useful for reading structured text in which there are organizing clues and for reading unstructured text in which there are no organizing clues. In this chapter, you’ll learn how to use skimming techniques in each situation so you’ll be able to read both complex and simple content at a faster, more efficient rate, and at a deeper level of understanding. understanding.

Module 5:

Learn to skim read Skim reading is an essential technique for Comprehension you yo u to use in bot h genera gen era l rea din g a nd speed spe ed reading. It differs from “fluent” reading in Strategies whi ch you read re ad every eve ry wor d in an artic ar tic le or Vocabulary Fluency Skimming boo k with wit h the th e pur pose pos e of full fu lly y understanding the information in those Alphabetics publications. Skimming has the purpose of Memletics ® Effective Reading allowing you to locate information in order to overview, preview or review key concepts. The benefit of skim reading is that it allows you to rapidly assess the importance of material in relation to your reading purpose and then to focus effectively on key facts, concepts, and information needed to achieve that purpose. In other words, you can learn information very quickly and efficiently and improve your learning process. Note: Not e: Don’t Do n’t use ski m readi re ading ng alo ne with wi th mat eri al you nee d to kno w in dep th. th . In such a case, read the information carefully and at a slower rate. Use skimming before and after reading at your standard reading speed to gain a better understanding of material. This chapter provides specific guidelines on how to use the skimming technique. The guidelines are: •

Skim reading structured content content

•

Skim reading unstructured content content

•

Skim reading on the computer

Each of these guidelines defines the techniques of skim reading and provides directions on how to apply those techniques appropriately. Study each guideline closely. Then, at the end of the chapter, complete the exercises. These will help you yo u rein r einfo forc rcee l ear nin g of o f the th e c onten on tentt in thi s c hapte ha pte r.

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Sk i m r e a d in g s t r u ct u r e d co n t e n t Structured content is information that has organizing elements such as tables of contents, headings, bullets, and other organizing clues in the text. Textbooks, busine bus ine ss boo ks and an d t ech nic al manua ma nua ls usual usu ally ly conta co nta in str uct ured ure d c onten on tent. t. Skim reading provides a high-level view of such structured information in two way s. Fir st, wit h thi s techn tec hniqu ique, e, you can ca n get g et a previe pre view w or overv ov erview iew of new ne w mate m ate ria l so you can decide how you want to approach it in terms of reading strategies. (It’s also useful in finding key ideas in new material.) Second, it’s useful for reviewing material you’ve already studied. The benefit of skimming is that it helps you with the learning process and also aids in locating important information quickly. Specifically, skim reading structured content involves searching for the main ideas in an article or text by looking for organizational “clues”. In other words, an author organizes his or her material in specific ways that can help you discover the main points quickly and easily. The clues can include the f ollowing: •

Front and back cover Table of contents

•

Major and second level headings.

•

•

All Al l h eadin ea din gs in bol d a nd ita lics li cs and an d dia d iagra gra ms

•

The first and last lines of paragraphs

•

Summaries

•

Other organizers (numbers, days, dates or times, proper names, etc.)

Let’s look at each of these “clues” in turn to see how they can help you when you scan read them for information.

Front and back covers Book covers can provide great summaries of the content. By nature, covers are designed to convey maximum information in the least amount of space. By reading these, you can get a quick understanding of the author’s main ideas which whi ch,, in tur n, helps he lps you yo u dec ide if the th e book boo k doe s or doesn’ doe sn’ t mee t your yo ur goa ls on a particular subject. For example, let’s assume that you have an interest in learning how to save money, budget, and reduce credit card debt. You also want an easy guide to these subjects because you’re not interested in a lot of theory; you just want the most practical guide possible. So, you go to the library or bookstore and pick up the following book . (Note: this book doesn’t really exist; we’ve created it solely for this chapter to illustrate the techniques.)

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Learn to skim read

The Practical Person’s Guide to Saving Money

A smart, easy guide to keeping money in your pocket

By scanning the text on the front cover, you can pick out words that fit the purpose of finding a book that fits your needs—“practical”, “guide”, “saving”, “smart”, “easy”. The text on the front cover is promising so now you look at the bac k c over ove r o f our ima gin ary boo k to t o g et a l ittl it tlee more m ore detai det aill o n t he conte co ntent. nt.

The Practical Person’s Guide to Saving Money Ready to get serious about getting control of your finances? We’ll show what to do in the following areas:  Create an effective budget.  Save money painlessly.  Get control of your credit card debt.  Plan for the future. …and Much, much more

The back cover text shows you that the book will explain how to create an effective budget bud get , help he lp you yo u sav e money mon ey,, and an d get contr co ntr ol of credi cr editt card ca rd debt. deb t. So, bas ed on your yo ur skimm sk imming ing of the tex t on the two cover co vers, s, you can ca n be rea son abl y sure sur e tha t the boo k wil l give giv e you yo u the th e answe an swers rs you yo u need, nee d, and an d it’ s worth wor th your yo ur whi le to check ch eck thi s boo k out o ut from fr om the th e l ibrar ibr ary y o r buy it from fr om a b ook store. sto re.

Table of Contents The Table of Contents gives you the author’s organization of his or her subject matter. The table provides a general understanding of what that author feels is important to understand and remember. You can build on that organizational information to “read smart”; that is, concentrate your reading on the areas that wil l giv e you yo u the th e most mos t info in forma rma tion tio n in the th e least le ast amoun am ountt of time. tim e. Bel ow, we’ve we’ ve provide you with a partial sample of the Table of Content f or our imaginary book.

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Table of Contents Chapter 1: Getting Getting Control of Your Money Money ......................... ....................... ..1 1 Analyze your spending habits.......................................1 Track expenses..........................................................3 Sample budgets.........................................................6

Chapter 2: Reducing Reducing and Eliminating Debt .................... ...................... .. 10 Debt overload.......................................................... 10 Ridding yourself yourself of credit card card addiction ...................... 12 Ordering credit reports from from the “Big Three” ................ 14 Finding help with overwheming overwheming debt debt ........................... 16 Debt consolidation and bankruptcy ............................. 19

As you can ca n see abo ve, the th e Table Ta ble of Conte Co nte nts gives giv es you very ver y speci spe cific fic clues cl ues as to wha t’s inc luded lud ed in each ea ch of the chapt ch apters ers . For examp ex ample, le, Chapt Ch apter er 1 wil l show sh ow you yo u how to analyze your spending habits, track expenses, and provides sample budgets for you yo u t o use u se in your yo ur hou seh old. ol d.

Index The index provides an alphabetical summary of the facts, people, and places that are most important in a book’s content. For example, an important event, person or date will have many references in the index. That tells you that the author considers those items very important. These will need your full attention when you rea d tha t inf ormati orm ati on. on . By skim ski m rea din g this th is sec tion, ti on, you’l yo u’l l have ha ve a better bet ter understanding of the vital elements of the text. For example, below is an excerpt from the index of the imaginary book. C Credit bureaus, 21 Credit cards, Credit counselling agencies, 35-36 Finding lower-rate credit cards, 30 Hidden risks of, 25 Interest rates, 31-32 Missing payments on, 29 Monthly debt obligations, 17 Paying off, 52 Statements, 30 Six steps for cutting back on, 31 The partial listing under the “C” category shows the information available concerning credit cards. By skimming it, you discover that there’s quite a bit of information available on the hidden dangers of credit cards, how to find cheaper interest rates for those cards, and other important subjects relating to credit card usage. The presence of an index can also be a good indicator of the quality of the book. If there is no index, you might want to consider using other references if possible.

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Learn to skim read

Major and second level headings Major and second level headings in a text provide you with specific clues regarding important ideas contained within an article or book. By skim reading these headings, you gain a deeper level of understanding of the content. Below is an excerpt from the chapter on reducing and eliminating debt.

Cut up (almost) all those cards! Credit card addiction is a way of life for many people! It’s important for you to remember that millions of people have fallen into the trap of paying for purchases on credit cards. The trap is paying minimum amounts on debts with 18% or more interest rates. Debt keeps building and building! It’s time to take control of you r a ddi cti on by foll fo llowi owi ng the th e s ix steps ste ps out lined li ned bel ow. Step 1: Figure out a budget—right now! Set limits on your spending. It’s a great way to keep debt under control. Step 2: Limit yourself to one lower-interest credit card. One credit card is all you really need. Keeping more than one is just an invitation to keep on spending. Step 3 … 3 …

It’s clear from the bold-faced major heading that the author considered cutting up credit cards very important. From that heading and the following bold faced second-level headings, it’s easy for you to determine that the information in this section is designed to show you how to reduce debt by taking some very specific steps.

All text in bold or italics, diagrams As you saw sa w in the exc erpt erp t abo ve, the mere mer e fact fa ct that th at the th e autho aut horr has ha s chose ch osen n to bol dface or italicize information tells you this information is important and needs to be unders und ers tood. too d. Vis ual displa dis pla ys, ys , suc h as diagra dia gra ms, char ch arts, ts, and an d other oth er gra phi cs, are also important because they provide visual explanation of essential information. Our imaginary chapter on reducing and eliminating debt doesn’t have any diagrams in it. However, a real book on credit and debt might include a sample credit report from a major credit-reporting agency. This is easier and quicker to digest then paragraphs of text describing the contents.

First and last sentences of paragraphs Often, the first sentence of a paragraph states the main idea of that paragraph whi le the last la st senten sen ten ce often of ten pro vides vid es a qui ck res tatem ta tement ent of tha t same sam e idea. ide a. So you yo u can ca n rea d these th ese lines li nes to pick pic k up the th e infor in for mat ion you yo u nee d. It’s It ’s import imp ort ant an t to remember that this technique is valuable but doesn’t work for every author. Some wri ters ter s write wri te clear cl ear ly while whi le oth ers bury bur y info in forma rma tio n in compl co mplex ex senten sen tence ce struc str uctur tur e 49


and make it difficult for the reader to pick out and understand key concepts. In such cases, it will call for a closer read than is provided by skim reading. Below, read the first and last sentences from a paragraph in our imaginary book and see how they provide a good idea of the main thrust of the information in this t c passage. e One of the great problems with credit card debt is called interest. What is interest? It’s the money you pay lenders for the privilege of borrowing money from them. From the lenders’ point of view, you’re an investment on which they earn money (interest). Credit card companies are lenders, and when you bor row mon ey from fr om the m (i. e. use the ir cards ca rds), ), they th ey can charge you interest ranging anywhere from 9 to 21% interest or more, depending on economic conditions. This rate is called the Annual Percentage Rate (APR), and, combined with the compound interest charge, it can cause your debt to grow like a virulent cancer.

t o r p / m o c . s c i t e l m e m . w w w / / : p t t h o t g n i y p o c d e z i r o h t u a n u t r o p e r e s a e l P . n o i t c e t o r P t c u d o r P s c i t e l m e M

C G Summaries B Summaries at the end of articles, chapters, and books give you an informationpacked “snapshot” of the key ideas in the content. Quickly reading a summary is a M great way to understand and review concepts considered important by the author. 7 For example, look at the summary created for our imaginary book. Y 7 Summary Q In this chapter, you saw that credit card or other debt can Z bec ome a crush cr ush ing burden bur den on your yo ur fina fi nanci nci al house ho use unles un lesss T you yo u t ake ak e c harge ha rge of your you r finan fi nan ces. ce s. You also al so saw that th at the th e f irst ir st R step in reducing or eliminating debt is to set up a 6 household budget so you can carefully control expenditures. In addition, you learned that a fast way to C pile up debt is through addiction to credit card spending. I gave you six steps for getting control of that addiction. The M 7 best bes t advic ad vic e I can ca n give giv e you yo u at this thi s poi nt is: is : fol low lo w tho se six L steps immediately! Take action right now. The only thing By skim reading the first and last lines of the above paragraph, you can pick out the main point—credit card interest can seriously damage financial well-being.

you yo u h ave to los e i s s tress! tre ss!

A quick qui ck rea d of the summar sum mar y tel ls you that th at the th e aut hor believ bel iev es there the re are ar e two main mai n way s out of debt—s deb t—s ett ing up a budget bud get and an d getti get ting ng rid of credi cr editt card ca rd addic ad dic tio n. So, you yo u know k now pro mptly mpt ly the th e m mai ain n i deas dea s pres p resen ented ted in this th is cha pter pte r by b y the aut hor. ho r. 50

Learn to skim read

Other organizers Other organizers include numbers, days, dates or times, proper names, and any other specific “clues’ which indicate that the author considers this information important. For example, assume the author prominently listed a resource in our fictional chapter on reducing and eliminating debt. This fictional resource is called “The International Foundation for Consumer Credit”, and the author lists this organization’s address, phone number, and web site link. Because the author has listed all this contact information, he or she has let you know that this knowledge is vital for you to know.

Sk i m r e a d in g u n s t r u c t u r e d c o n t e n t Unstructured content is text that has few headings, bullets and other organizing clues. Biographies, novels, and some business books are examples of unstructured content. Even though this material doesn’t have as many organizational clues as structured content has, you can still use skim reading to gain a high-level view of the material. Whe n ski m readi re adi ng uns tru ctu red con ten t, your yo ur objec obj ectiv tivee is to rea d quickl qui ckl y and an d absorb the gist of the author’s messages and key ideas. You don’t really focus on any particular elements. In essence, you train yourself to skip words, phrases and sentences that are less likely to have key points. Instead, you focus on those parts of the page that are more likely to have key points. To learn to skim read unstructured content, use the speed drills from the previous chapter, but gradually increase your pace so you only spend about 5-7 seconds skimming each page for an average size paperback. Use more time for larger pages or smaller print. Use less time for smaller pages or larger text. Run your eyes over the page from top to bottom. Focus near the start and end of paragraphs, but pick out relatively random phrases within paragraphs as well. Turn pages at regular intervals to keep up speed. Don’t use the regulator technique while skimming. In this case, the “regulator” is the act of turning the pages. It’s important to remember that most articles, books and other materials have some structure. This means you can switch between techniques used for structured and unstructured content. So, be flexible in use of the techniques. For example, you might pick up an inspirational business book written by a corporate executive. The main topic is the “power of concentrated focus”. Because the book is loosely organized (the author is a better executive than a writer), you first skim read it as unstructured material. In the process of skim reading it quickly, assume you yo u dis cov er poten pot entia tia lly ll y usefu use full inf orm ati on. on . At that th at point poi nt,, you switc swi tch h to ski m reading that information as structured material in order to determine its worth in relation to your reading purpose.

Sk i m r e ad in g o n a c o m p u t e r m o n i t o r Research suggests that people skim read information more slowly on computers compared to paper. However, the same research also suggests that understanding of the information is greater. You can see that there is a tradeoff in this situation. It may be that you have to work harder to develop good skim reading skills when using a computer. Here are some tips to help you improve those skills: 51


•

•

Use full screen mode: Use the full screen mode if possible to minimize scrolling. It’ll reduce both “finger fatigue” and eye fatigue. Both Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Word provide full screen views. Minimize mouse usage: Try usage: Try to minimize use of a mouse or alternate it with other regulator devices (pencil or pen, for example). Overuse of this device can lead to repetitive strain injury (RSI) and cause pain in the wrist, arm or shoulder. Print it out. Text out. Text on paper is often easier to skim read than on computer.

For more tips on optimizing your computer screen for reading, see the Alph Al phabe abetic tic s modul mod ulee in this th is cours cou rse. e. A wel l conf co nfigu igured red scr een wil l assist ass ist in ski m reading.

Sk i m r e a d i n g e x e r c i se s Below are some exercises for you. These will help you learn the skim reading technique.

S t r u c t u r e d reading reading exercise Find a structured text for this exercise. It could be a textbook, business book or any other structured material. Skim read the text using the techniques outlined in this chapter for structured text. Specifically, skim read by looking at clues such as front and back covers, tables of contents, index, headings and other organizers. Practice picking up these clues using a regulator – i.e. point to each of these items using your finger or pen. Try these exercises: St r u c t u r e d s k i m r e a d i n g d r i l l 1

Follow these steps: • •

•

Set a countdown timer for 2 minutes, plus 2 seconds per page. Start reading the structured content in this order: Covers, table of contents, index, first and second level headings. Focus on getting your eyes to the right places. Don’t worry too much about content yet. Aim to finis fi nis h wit w ithin hin the th e time t ime you allot al lot ted. ted .

St r u c t u r e d s k i m r e a d i n g d r i l l 2

Follow the same steps as for skim reading drill 1, however also skim read the introduction, all headings, all bolded text, plus the first sentence of each paragraph. Give yourself 4 minutes plus 3 seconds per page.

U n s t r u c t u r e d reading reading exercise Find an unstructured text for this exercise. It could be a novel or a biography of a famous person you’ve always wanted to know more about. It should have large sections of text with few headings and other organizing features. U n s t r u c t u r e d s k i m r e a d i n g d r i ll 1

Follow these steps. If you come across any organizing features during this exercise (for example headings, bold text, diagrams), just skip over them for now. •

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Pick a starting page, mark it, read for ten minutes at your normal pace, and mark where you finished.

Learn to skim read • •

Count the pages you’ve read during that time. Starting from where you finished, count out three times the number of pages you yo u r ead . I f y ou rea d 4 pag es in 10 minute min ute s, count co unt 12 pages pag es ahea ah ead. d.

•

Aim Ai m to t o skim ski m rea r ead d t hat ha t numb n umber er of pages pag es in nex t ten t en minut min utes. es.

•

Wri te down do wn a f ew points poi nts on wha t y ou rea d.

•

Optional: Reread the material at a slower pace to see where you might have picked up more key points.

U n s t r u c t u r e d s k i m r e a d i n g d r i ll 2

Follow the same steps as for the drill above, except count out five times that many pages. Aim to skim read that number in ten minutes. Keep following these steps, but increase your number of target pages. Keep this up over several days until you reach approximately approximately 5-7 seconds per page. Remember, the aim is to develop your skim reading skills. The focus is on speed while picking as much information possible during a fixed time per page.

Combined skim reading exercise Now that you’ve practiced skim reading structured and unstructured text, it’s now time to bring these together. Co m b i n e d s k i m r e a d i n g d r i l l 1

Find a book that has a good combination of both structured and unstructured text and try the foll owing exercise. •

• •

• •

Pick one chapter from your book that’s of average size and count the pages. Allow Al low you rse lf 4 minute min ute s plu s 7 sec onds on ds for fo r each ea ch page pag e in that th at chapt ch apt er. Set a countdown timer if possible. Skim read the covers, table of contents, index, and introduction. Proceed to your chosen chapter and skim read the headings, bolded text, and unstructured text in one read. Aim to finish within the time you set. Write Wr ite some som e n ote s a bout bou t wha w hatt you ’ve read. re ad. Reread the chapter at a slower pace, noting any important points you missed.

Repeat the drill using different chapters over a few days.

Summary This module taught you the skim reading technique. You’ve learned that when reading structured material in which there are organizing clues, you use skimming to get a “bird’s eye” view of structured information or to review information you’ve already studied. When reading unstructured material material with few headings, bullets, or other organizing clues, your purpose is to absorb the gist of the author’s messages and key ideas. Whe ther th er skim ski m r ead ing str uctur uc tured ed or uns truct tru cture ure d mate m ate ria l, rememb rem ember er tha t t he key idea is speed. You force yourself to keep up the pace. Read front and back, introductions, and summaries at your standard reading speed, but then pick up the pace while reading the content pages. Remember to spend no longer than 5-7 seconds per page, adjusting for the size of the page and print. 53


When Whe n you yo u need n eed to spend spe nd a lot lo t of tim e rea r eadin din g new n ew mater mat erial ial , it helps he lps to thin th ink k a bou t the approach you will use. The next module teaches you how to develop specific strategies to help you read and understand new material faster.


54

Use reading strategies

6

e l u d o M

Use reading strategies It’s essential to apply reading strategies to the information you read. Applying the correct strategy will give you maximum understanding of information in less time and with less effort. In this section, we’ll explain different reading strategies and show you how to adjust reading rate according to your purpose in reading and the difficulty of the material. By the time you complete this section and thoroughly practice the principles outlined in it, you’ll be able to read and comprehend material much more quickly and efficiently. .

Module 6:


To be an effective reader, you can’t approach information in a haphazard manner. You need to tackle it with a specific specific strategy in mind. A defined strategy will improve your comprehension, comprehension, increase reading speed, and save time. In this chapter, we’ve provided you yo u with wit h three th ree major maj or guidel gui del ine s on choos ch oos ing strategies and applying them effectively. These guidelines include: • • •




Anal An alyz yzee y our objec obj ectiv tiv es and mat eri al. al . Use reading paths and reading modes. Vary Va ry speed spe ed when whe n rea ding. din g.

Each of these guidelines contains specific information on how to apply strategies. Study each guideline closely. Then, at the end of the chapter, complete the exercises. These contains drills which will help you reinforce learning of the content in this chapter.

Analyze you r objectives and m aterial Whene Wh enever ver you yo u appro app roach ach mater mat erial ial you yo u wan t to rea d, you shoul sh oul d take tak e a str ate gic view. vie w. Ask you rself rse lf specif spe cif ic questi que sti ons in these th ese areas ar eas :

Ask questions about your objectives Whe never nev er you pic k up an arti ar ticl clee or boo k to study stu dy it, it , you yo u shoul sh oul d first fir st mak e sure sur e you’r yo u’r e o n t he rig ht track tr ack in ter ms of rea ding din g t he infor in for mat ion in those th ose publi pub lica catio tio ns. You Yo u don’t don ’t want wan t your yo ur goa ls derail der ail ed by rea ding din g mater ma teria iall that th at has ha s litt li ttle le or no relationship to your overall goals. It’s a waste of time and energy. So, keep focus

55


right from the start by asking yourself the following questions about your objectives. •

•

What’ Wh at’ss my purpos pur posee in rea ding di ng this th is mater ma teria ial? l? Is the th e purpos pur posee directly related directly related to my overall goals? t c e How well does this material link to my overall learning goals? t

•

Specifically, what do I want to get from the material I’m reading? How much do I already know about this topic?

•

How well do I need to learn and memorize it?

•

Ask questions about your material Next, ask questions about the material you’re reading. To ask those questions, use a combination of fast reading and skim reading to gather this information. • • • •

What Wh at do I alrea al rea dy know kno w a bout bou t t his subjec sub jec t? How difficult is this material for me to understand? How well structured is the material? How is it organized? How has the author organized the chapters? Are the chapters interrelated or independent? Do I need to read the chapters in order, or can you read them in order? Does the introduction or foreword match my objectives?

o r p / m o c . s c i t e l m e m . w w w / / : p t t h o t

g n i Are Ar e ther t her e summ s ummar aries ies,, r eviews evi ews,, t ests est s a nd exe rcise rc ises? s? y p Is there an index? Will I need to create my own? o c Is there a glossary? Can I use this as a starting point for my “new word list?” d What Wh at do I know kn ow about ab out the th e auth au thor? or? Is the th e aut hor ho r likel lik ely y to presen pre sen t factu fa ctu al or e z i r bia sed infor in for mat ion ? o h t Are Ar e the t here re oth er books bo oks or mat erial eri alss I need nee d bef b efore ore rea din g? Whi le rea ding? din g? u a Do I own the material? Can I write in it? n u t r Decide your strategy o Based upon the answers to the above questions, you can determine the best p e r methods of approaching the material; that is, you can decide if you need to skip it, e skim it, read it once, or if you need to read it several times using different speeds s a e l each time. Depending on how you answer these questions, you’ll accelerate or P . slow down your reading speed. For example, if you decide your purpose in reading n o a text is to thoroughly understand the difficult and unfamiliar ideas in it, then you i t will wil l decrea dec rea se your yo ur rea ding din g speed spe ed to achi ac hieve eve that th at purpos pur pos e. If, If , on the other ot her hand ha nd,, c e you’r yo u’ree readi re ading ng famil fa mil iar , easy ea sy materi mat eri al, al , then th en you ’ll incr in creas easee your yo ur rea din g speed spe ed t o r becau bec ause se it’s it’ s not no t neces ne ces sar y to go int o great gr eat depth dep th on mat erial eri al you yo u alrea al rea dy know. kn ow. P t Below we provide you with specific situations in which to increase or decrease c u reading speed. d o r P s U se r e a d in g p a t h s a n d r e a d in g m o d e s c i t e For material you need to learn and memorize well, you need to make several l passes through your reading material. A “reading path” is how you move through m e the material to maximise your understanding of it. A “reading mode” is a speed M • • • • •

• •

C G B M 7 Y 7 Q Z T R 6 C M 7 L

you yo u use on a par tic ular ul ar pass. pas s. You Yo u can ca n impro imp rove ve you r unders und ers tandi ta ndi ng by mak ing several passes through the material at higher speeds, then slowing down as you 56


"drill down" into the material. At the end, you can then review the material at higher speeds again. First we will look at reading paths. The “context read,” “fast skim,” “context skim” items you will see below are the reading modes. I discuss these after reading paths.

Use Reading Paths Think of a reading path as a strategy or overall plan for approaching material you wan t to lea rn. There Th ere are thr ee genera gen era l rea din g pat hs you can tra vel . The pat h you choose will vary according to the material, structure and topic of the material you’r yo u’r e rea r eadin ding. g. The foll fo llowi owing ng dia gra ms expla exp lain in eac h pat p ath h a nd when whe n t o use u se it. T h e St St r a i g h t T h r o u g h P a t h

As you can ca n see bel ow, you read re ad strai str aight ght throu th rough gh the th e tex t wit hou t ski mming mmi ng when whe n you yo u use the th e strai st rai ght thr ough oug h pat h. Use this th is pat h whe n you ’re readi re adi ng for fo r enjoyment (novels, short stories, etc.) or to build a general understanding without needing to memorize the material. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

1.

Context read

2.

Con Contex text read read

Chapter 3

3. Conte ontex xt read ead

Chapter 4

4.

Context read

T h e D o w n w a r d s P at h

Use the downwards reading path to study material in which the chapters are loosely related. Because the chapters are relatively independent, the most effective way of reading the material is to get an overview by fast skimming, then drilling down within each individual chapter. Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

1. Fast skim 2. Contex text skim skim 3. Contex text read ead 4. Explore 5. Collec lection 6. Review 22. Refresh

1. Fast skim 7. Conte ntext skim skim 8. Conte ntext read ead 9. Explore 10. Collection 11. Review 22. Refresh

1. Fast skim 12. Context skim 13. Context read 14. Explore 15. Collection 16. Review 22. Refresh

1. Fast skim 17. Context skim 18. Context read 19. Explore 20. Collection 21. Review 22. Refresh

This method allows you to judge the quality of the content as it relates to your overall reading objectives. It helps prevent wasted time on information that’s not related to those objectives and keeps you focused on essential content. T h e Cr Cr o s s w a y s P a t h

Use the crossways path when the chapters are tightly related. For example, if you need knowledge of earlier chapters to make sense of later chapters, you should use 57


this technique. The crossways path means skim read to deeper levels across the entire book before reading each chapter in detail. As sho wn in the th e flowc fl owcha hart rt bel ow, you yo u fast fa st ski m, con tex t ski m, and an d conte co nte xt rea d across all the chapters first. You then explore, collect and review each chapter at time. You might also choose to do the chapters in a different order, based on your initial readings. Chapter 1 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 16.

Fast skim Cont ontext sk skim Cont ontext re read Explore Coll ollection R ev ie w Refresh

Chapter 2 1. 2. 3. 7. 8. 9. 16.

Fast skim Cont ontext sk skim Cont ontext re read Explore Coll ollection Review Refresh

Chapter 3 1. 2. 3. 10. 11. 12. 16.

Fast skim Context ext sk skim Context ext re read Explore Collection Review Refresh

Chapter 4 1. 2. 3. 13. 14. 15. 16.

Fast skim Con Context ski skim m Con Context rea read d Explore Collection Review Refresh

Using this path gives you a better understanding of the relationships between topics. Like the downwards path, it also allows you to get a good sense of the content and make choices about what information you need to concentrate on.

Use Reading Modes As we sai d earli ear lier, er, a rea ding di ng mode mod e is a tac tic to use when whe n you ’re rea din g information. Tactics help you carry out your reading strategy. Each tactic has a specific purpose as shown in the chart below. You use reading modes to start reading material at a high level. You then “drill down” to understand material in more detail. At the end of your reading session, you do review skims to help consolidate and check what you’ve read. Longer term, you use refresh skims to help you retain what you’ve learned, perhaps over weeks or months. You choos ch oosee whi ch rea din g mod es you yo u need nee d to use bas ed on your yo ur overa ove rall ll str ate gy and the reading path you’ve chosen. You don’t necessarily need to use all of the modes. For example, for a simple reading with easy content, you might just need to use fast skim and context skims to get a good understanding of the information. Alter Al ter nat ively ive ly,, if you’r yo u’ree rea ding din g a com plex ple x coll co llege ege tex t on, say , adv anc ed phy sic s, then you’ll need to build a solid understanding by using all the modes.

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Reading Mode

Purpose

Overview

As the name suggests, use this mode to get an overall idea of what the content is about and how it’s organized. Overview the following areas: Title, back cover/inside jacke ja cket, t, about abo ut the th e a uth or, prefa pre face, ce, intro int roduc duc tio n, table ta ble of contents, book reviews on Amazon.com, etc.

Fast Skim

Fast skim content to move down a level from the Overview mode. This mode will give you a more specific sense of the content within the book or article you want to read. Fast skim the following areas: chapter headings, chapter introduction, summaries, section headings, etc.


Context Skim

Context skimming “drills down” to an even more detailed level than fast skimming because you’ll look at the specific structure of the information. Context skim the following areas: all headings, key paragraph lines (first, last), pivotal words, italics, bold, key lines, diagrams, bul let le t poi p oint nt lists li sts,, etc .

Context Read

Read straight through the material at your fluent reading speed. Highlight and look up any unknown words as you progress.

Exploration Read

The purpose of an Exploration Read is to understand and highlight key points, concepts and ideas. Use exploration techniques in the rest of the comprehension chapter. This mode involves a slower, more thorough read, which may involve going back over material until you completely understand it. You might also use exploration techniques outlined in the next chapter.

Collection/Extraction Read

The purpose of this mode is to pull out information and create review notes or type material into SuperMemo (a software program discussed in the Memletics Accelerated Learning Manual). It also helps you work out what you need to memorize, and then memorize it.

Review Read and Skim

Use this mode soon after reading to check your understanding of the information and your memory of it. Fast read or skim read sections when using this mode. Look for your highlights, notes, comments, etc.

Refresh Skim

Just as the name suggests, sometime after a reading (e.g., weeks wee ks or even eve n m ont hs later la ter , ski s kim m rea r ead d to t o r efres ef resh h y our memory on key points etc. You should review your notes and highlight key information. This mode should be faster than the Review Read mode.

Tip: When to use reading and regulator techniques As sho wn in the above ab ove chart ch art , use flu ent rea din g and an d skim ski m rea ding din g tech te chniq niques ues bas ed on the th e mode mod e you yo u are using. usi ng. In addit add itio ion n to these th ese tec hniqu hn iques, es, you can ca n apply app ly different regulator paths to reading modes. For example, use the S or Z regulator paths for the fast skim, context skim, review read/skim (i.e., fast reading) modes. During context read and for exploration read, use the line-by-line regulator for more detailed reading.

V ar y y o u r sp e ed w h e n y o u r e a d The best way to think of controlling your reading speed is to compare the process to driving a car. Just as you have to vary your speed when driving to match the 59


road condition, so you have to adjust your reading speed to match the material you ’re rea ding. din g. In oth er wor ds, whe n you yo u enc oun ter materi mat eri al that’ th at’ s dif ficul fi cul t to understand and it’s an uphill battle to understand it, you’ll need to shift your “reading gear” into low to get more power. When it’s simpler material and easy going, then you’ll shift into a higher gear to drive faster and more efficiently through the content. A mark of effective readers is their ability to adjust reading speed to the nature of the material they’re reading. reading. This improves understanding of the material and makes makes the overall reading reading process much much easier. To help you vary your yo ur rea ding din g speed spe ed approp app ropria ria tel y, we’ve we’ ve pro vided vid ed both bot h gen eral era l and an d specif spe cif ic guidelines for your study. You may want wan t t o decrease your decrease your speed in the following situations: •

•

•

•

•

Unfamiliar words. For words. For example, assume you run into the word “lethargy” (a feeling of tiredness, drowsiness, or lack of energy) and happen not to know its meaning. First, you can slow down and try to understand it from the way it’s used in the sentence or paragraph. Second, you can read on and return to it later. later. (Suggestion: underline the word so you can find it again easily.) A long lon g and inv olved olv ed senten sen tence ce and parag pa ragra raph ph struc st ructur ture. e. Slow down so you yo u can ca n unt ang le the struc str uctur turee and an d get an accur ac cur ate idea ide a of wha t the autho au tho r is saying. Not every author is a good, clear writer so you may need to work at uncovering the meaning in a particular passage. Unfamiliar or abstract ideas. Some ideas are difficult to understand with a quick reading. In such cases, slow down to look for examples or illustrations which whi ch expla ex pla in the m mor e clear cl ear ly. ly . If the se tac tic s don ’t work, wor k, find fi nd someon som eon e who wil l hel p you unders und ers tand. ta nd. In any an y case, ca se, demand dem and that th at the th e idea ide a make ma ke sense sen se to you. yo u. And An d never nev er giv e up unt il you yo u do unders und ers tand ta nd the ide a bec ause aus e it’ ll make mak e rea din g the material following it that much easier to understand. Detailed, technical material. material. By its nature, technical material demands that you slow down to read and understand it. Technical material often includes complicated directions, abstract principles, diagrams and other content in which you might not have much background. Content you really want to remember. To remember. To memorize content, you need to study it carefully, so speed is not the key in this situation. Instead, you need to emphasize organization and recitation—read the material out loud to fix it in your yo ur min d.

You Yo u may m ay want wan t to increase your increase your speed in the following situations. Simple material with few ideas new to you. Make the best use of your time by concentrating on any unfamiliar ideas while moving rapidly over familiar materials. •

•

•

Unnecessary examples and illustrations. If examples and illustrations clarify ideas you already know, why waste your time? Skip over them quickly. Broad, generalized ideas. Usually, these ideas can be understood quickly even when you use scan techniques.

Tip: Look for pivotal words and phrases A “pivo “p ivota tal” l” word wor d or phrase phr ase can ca n give giv e you yo u qui ck clues cl ues as to impor imp orta tant nt point poi ntss in the material. Typical pivotal words and phrases are shown in the chart below. Read 60


the chart, you’ll see examples of pivotal words and phrases and how they can help you yo u rea r ead d a nd learn le arn more mor e quic q uic kly kl y a nd eff ectiv ec tivel ely. y. Pivotal Word and Phrases

What to do

In summary…In Pick these out if you are skimming – they can give conclusion…Summarizing…In you a quic q uic k over o ver view vie w o f l arge ar ge sec tio ns of tex t. brief bri ef…Su …Summi mming ng up, etc . First, second, next, last, etc.

When you come across these, skip ahead and find the matching words (firstly, secondly, lastly). It wil l h elp el p y ou under un dersta sta nd the th e rel r elat ation ion ships. shi ps.

For example (e.g.)…Such as… For instance…Like, etc.

These expand on a point. If you already understand the point, pick up your reading speed. If it's not clear yet, slow down. It might be important because the author has gone to the trouble of providing examples.

In other words…To repeat…Again, etc.

Similar to the line above, you can skip these if you understand the proceeding text: otherwise take care – the author is highlighting important points.

Ex a m p l e s

Let’s look at some examples to highlight these pivotal words. In the following passage on the Coriolis Effect, think about whether you would increase or decrease your reading speed. The Coriolis Effect is the apparent acceleration of a moving body on or near the Earth as a result of the Earth's rotation. An object on the Earth's surface moves faster at the equator than it does away from the equator. An object near the equator is moving through a 25,000-mile (40,000-kilometer) circle in 24 hours. But, away from the equator, it travels in a smaller circle in the same 24-hour period. The Coriolis Effect alters the paths of any projectile or moving object on Earth – eg bullets, aeroplanes etc. This is technical material. If you’re unfamiliar with it, you should decrease your reading speed to understand any complicated directions, abstract principles, and other content in which you might not have much background. In the following passage on the natural rate of employment, I’ve used certain pivotal words. See if you can pick out those words and then think about the best method for reading this passage. How is the natural rate of unemployment determined? The basic answer is that people keep changing their minds! First, consumers change their minds. The recent trend toward eating more vegetables and less meat means jobs are lost in the meat 61


industry while jobs are gained in the vegetable industry. Second, employers change their minds. If they find some workers are not as productive as they hoped to be, they often fire them. Third, employees change their minds. They may find that they’re not getting the wages and benefits they want and quit. All those events lead to job turnover. The pivotal words are “first…second…third”. When you run into “first” skip ahead and find the matching words “second” and “third” to help you understand the context of the points. In the following paragraph on bad habits, habits, the pivotal word is “For example”. example”. How should you vary your reading speed in this example and why? Be aware of old habits that may be diverting you from your focus on goals for success. For example, a bad habit might be watching too much television. If you’re spending three hours a night watch wat chin ing g rea lity li ty sho ws, then th en you’r yo u’ree not dea lin g with wit h your yo ur own reality! Those 180 minutes are wasted time. Do the math. If you spend three hours a night five days a week watching “Survivor” and other programs, that’s fifteen hours a week taken away from your yo ur mar ch towar to war d suc cess. ces s. Mul tip ly that th at fifte fi fte en hou rs times tim es 52 weeks, wee ks, and an d you’v yo u’v e wasted was ted 780 hou rs in a yea r. So, obv iously iou sly , this th is amount of television watching is hindering you from achieving success—or at least delaying your journey on the road to that success. Kick that habit! Take a hard look at your life and see how you can devote your energies to more productive activities— activities that will bring you more health, wealth, and success. When Whe n a pivot piv otal al wor d like li ke “for “f or exa mple” mpl e” occur oc cur s, it expan exp ands ds on a point. poi nt. If you yo u already understand the point, then pick up your reading speed. If it's not clear yet, slow down. It might be important because the author has gone to the trouble of providing examples.

Re a d i n g s t r a t e g y e x e r c is e s Now that you’ve learnt ways to read and skim read faster, it’s now time to bring both bot h skill ski llss toget to gethe her. r. Fin d a book boo k that th at has ha s a goo d mix of struc str uctur tured ed and an d unstructured text, and try the following drills. D o w n w a r d s p a t h d r i ll

We’re We’ re not going goi ng to set a specif spe cif ic time tim e targe ta rgett for this th is dri ll. ll . Rather Rat her , just jus t keep kee p tra ck of the time taken and number of pages covered. Aim to improve your “time per page” over successive drills. Pick two chapters and follow these steps. Read the book covers, table of contents, and introduction. Scan the index. • •

62

Start the timer.

Use reading strategies •

Fast skim both of your chosen chapters, one after the other – just looking at headings.

•

Skim read the first chapter.

•

Read the first chapter.

•

Skim the first chapter again, re-reading any sections you found difficult.

•

Write Wr ite some som e n ote s on o n t he first fi rst chap ch apter ter..

•

Skim read the second chapter.

•

Read the second chapter.

•

Skim the second chapter again, re-reading any sections you found difficult.

• •

Write Wr ite some som e n ote s o n the t he sec ond chapt ch apt er. Stop the timer and note the time and the number of pages.

After Af ter you’v yo u’v e don e the th e dri ll, ll , rev iew the th e mater ma terial ial once on ce mor e and an d see if you yo u missed mis sed any key points. Repeat the drill a few days later using two new chapters. Cr o s s w a y s p a t h d r i l l

Aga in, in , we’re we’ re not no t goi ng to set a specif spe cif ic time ti me tar get for fo r this th is dri ll. ll . Just Ju st kee p tra ck of the time taken and number of pages, and aim to improve your “time per page” over successive drills. Pick two chapters and follow these steps. •

Read the book covers, table of contents, index and introduction.

•

Start the timer. Fast skim both of your chosen chapters, one after the other – just looking at headings.

•

Skim read the first chapter.

•

Skim read the second chapter.

•

Read the first chapter.

•

Read the second chapter.

•

Skim the first chapter again, re-reading any sections you found difficult.

•

• • • •

Wri te some som e n otes ote s o n t he first fi rst chap ch apter ter.. Skim the second chapter again, re-reading any sections you found difficult. Write Wr ite some som e n ote s o n the t he sec ond chap ch apter ter.. Stop the timer and note the time and the number of pages.

After Af ter you’v yo u’vee done don e the th e dri ll, ll , review rev iew the th e mat erial eri al once on ce mor e and an d see if you yo u mis sed any key points. Repeat the drill a few days later using two new chapters.

Summary This module taught you how to develop a strategy for reading any new material. You’v Yo u’vee seen see n how ho w to anal an alyze yze you r objec ob jecti tives ves and mater ma terial ial s by ask ing var ious iou s questions. You’ve seen three reading paths, and you know when to use them. These paths are the straight through path, the downwards path and crossways path. You’ve also seen several reading modes, such as the fast skim mode, the context read mode and the refresh skim mode, and again when to use each. We also al so discu dis cusse ssed d when whe n and how ho w to vary va ry you r readi re adi ng speed spe ed whi le you yo u rea d, and you’v yo u’vee lea rnt to be on the th e looko lo oko ut for pivota piv ota l words wor ds and an d phr ases. ase s. Las tly , you ’ve seen some exercises to bring together your improved reading speed, skim reading skills and reading strategies. These help you practice all three. 63


You’ve You ’ve nea rly rl y finis fi nishe hed d rea din g this th is cours co urs e. The Th e las t mod ule, ul e, Improv Imp rov e you r Comprehension, follows. This module will teach you how to improve your concentration and attention, how to collect the right material for learning, and how to explore material to increase your co mprehension. mprehension. Wha t did you yo u thi nk of this th is modul mod ule? e? Do you yo u hav e some som e sug gestio ges tions? ns? Let us kno w you r t hou ght s usin u sin g our o ur onlin on lin e surv s urvey ey at: http://www.memletics.com/sur http://www.mem letics.com/surveys/speedveys/speed-reading reading

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Improve your comprehension

7

e l u d o M

Improve your comprehension Comprehension is usually the ultimate goal of reading. You want to understand and learn what the author is communicating. More than previous parts though, how well you comprehend material depends on many varied factors. If you want to learn and remember the material, you also have more work to do to retain it for the long term. This last main module provides you with tools and techniques to help you start on that path.

Module 7:

Improve your comprehension The previous sections of this course have Comprehension focused on improving your reading speed. In Strategies this section, we take a closer look at the last Vocabulary part to effective reading effective reading – comprehension. comprehension. Flue Fl uenc ncy y Skim Sk immi ming ng How well you comprehend a book depends on many factors. Some of those include:

Memletics ® Effective Reading

•

Your Yo ur rea ding din g level lev el and voc abula ab ula ry. ry .

•

Your Yo ur previo pre vio us unders und ers tan din g o f t he topic top ic..

•

How long it takes you to read the material.

•

You r c oncen on centr trati ati on lev els .

•

Your Yo ur “worl “wo rld d kno k nowle wledge dge.” .”

•

You r l ear nin g and a nd memory mem ory ski lls. ll s.

•

You r moti m oti vat ion .

•

Alphabetics

… and more.

Unfortunately, no one simple technique will help you improve your comprehension of a book. You may remember in the introduction I mentioned that you should treat reading a book as a content collection exercise. If you are reading a book to learn a new topic well, you need to take several more steps. The Memletic Process, described in the Memletics Accelerated Learning Manual, consists of five main steps: Memletic Process

L E A R N

Locate

Explore

Arrange

Reinforce

eNquire

Reading a book mainly falls in the Locate step of this process. Some well-written boo ks wil l also al so hel p y ou exp lor e the t he conte co nte nt, so you yo u c an impro imp rove ve you r understanding. understanding. Once you have this understanding though, it won’t last. That’s why you need nee d to Arr ang e t he mat eri al for fo r m emoriz emo rizat atio ion, n, Reinfo Rei nfo rce rc e it i t u sin g memory techniques, then review your progress using the eNquire step. 65


The Memletics Accelerated Learning Manual provides details on all these steps and more. I’ve included a summary of the entire manual in the next chapter. In this section, I’ve provided three complete extracts from the manual related to comprehension. comprehension. These are on Attention and Concentration from the State chapter, and the Locate and Explore steps from the Memletic Process chapter. As you can ca n see, s ee, lea rning rn ing to rea d eff e ffec ectiv tivel ely y is just jus t one part pa rt of eff ectiv ec tiv e learning. learning. I couldn’t hope to cover all the ways to improve comprehension through better learning skills in this chapter. The Memletics Manual is 220 pages of material devoted to just that. The following material is the most relevant from that book. If your yo ur goal go al is to improv imp rovee y our ove ral l l ear ning ni ng perfo per forma rma nce , I stron str ongly gly sugges sug gestt y ou read the Memletics Manual with this course.

I m p r o v e y o u r a t t en t io n a n d concentration This is a complimentary extract from the State Sta te Chapt Ch apter er of the Memlet Mem let ics ic s Acce Ac cele lerat rated ed Learni Lea rni ng Manua Ma nual. l. Atte At tenti nti veness ven ess is one par t of sixteen parts of Memletic State - the best state for learning. Att ent ion and an d conce co nce ntr ati on are ar e fun dament dam ent al to learning and memorizing. If you don’t pay attention when you see a new fact, it’s unlikely it even makes it into your memory. If it isn’t in there, you don’t have much chance of recalling it.

Relaxation

Glucose Memletic

State Fitness

Nutrients

Health

Nearly all the other good state principles influence your attention and concentration. For example, a distracting environment affects your concentration. Not eating well or failing to follow natural body rhythms also negatively impacts concentration. You may also find it hard to concentrate if you don’t believe the material you are studying contributes to your overall goals. If you find your concentration wandering or staying attentive is difficult, scan through the state layers and see if there is an obvious problem somewhere. somewhere. You may als o wan t to try some som e specif spe cif ic conc co ncent entra rati tion on tec hni ques que s dur ing study, stu dy, or try some longer-term exercises to improve your overall concentration. Let’s look at these two in more detail. Co n c e n t r a t i o n t e c h n i q u e s d u r i n g s t u d y

Some specific techniques can help you stay focused on your material. These include: •

•

66

“Be here now.” now.” Every time you find yourself distracted, say “Be Here Now.” Say it aloud if possible, otherwise just repeat it in your mind. Then bring your attention back to your task. In the beginning, you may find that you do this a lot. Over time, you gain more focus and your mind stays where you want it. The spider approach. If approach. If you hold a vibrating tuning fork next to a spider web, the spider usually comes to see what’s happening, thinking it may be an insect.


Do it a few times and the spider eventually chooses to ignore the distraction. You Yo u too can ca n trai tr ain n yours yo ursel elff to ign ore dis tra ction ct ion s. The sensa sen satio tio ns from fr om your yo ur ears ear s and eyes are simply sensations you can choose whether to react to or not. •

•

•

•

•

Paragraph marking. If marking. If you are reading a book or article, tick each paragraph as you read it. Use a pencil in c ase you want to re-read parts of it later. Keep a distraction log. log . Every time you find yourself distracted, draw a tick or wri te the th e c urr ent time ti me on a separa sep ara te pie ce of paper. pap er. This Th is is your yo ur distraction log. log . Initially the number of distractions may surprise you. By highlighting your distractions, you can begin to control and reduce them. Write down distractions. distractions. If something important comes up as a distraction, simply write it down so you can deal with it later. Better yet, set a distraction time. time . Agree with yourself to take a break and deal with those distractions at that time. Switch topics. Rather than spending a long time on one particular topic, switch between various unrelated topics if possible. The brain loves variety and rewards you with better concentration. Make it interactive. interactive. If studying with others, plan some time to get together and discuss the material you are learning. Even if you are not at the same stage in the course, simply agree to spend ten minutes listening to one another talk about their current study topic.

L on g e r - t e r m i m p r o v e m e n t o f c o n c en t r a t i o n

The previous techniques are good for keeping up concentration while you study. Some longer-term techniques can improve your overall concentration as well. These include: •

Games. Games. The old card game of “Concentration” is still effective in improving concentration. If you have not come across it, the basic idea is to lay down a set of playing cards in a grid, all face-down. You then turn over a pair of cards. If they match number and color (if using playing cards), then you take them out of the grid. If they don’t match, you place them back face down and pick another pair. Better concentration, through practice, results in a shorter time to clear the grid. You can also play with a friend for competition. The one with the most pairs at the end of the game wins! Many expensive software packages claiming to improve concentration still use this principle in many guises, often with pictures instead of playing cards. There are also free computer games, based on Concentration, available on the Internet. Using these and some notes in a spreadsheet to track progress can be just jus t as eff ect ive as the th e m mor oree expe e xpens nsive ive pac kages ka ges..

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Meditation. Meditation. Meditation is an effective way of improving your concentration. See my comments in “Mental Relaxation” for more comments on meditation. Other exercises. exercises. Many other exercises can help you increase your concentration. From simply staring at a fixed point or candle, to martial arts, these can all help improve your overall concentration.

En v i r o n m e n t a n d c o n c e n t r a t i o n

When Whe n possib pos sib le, choos ch oosee a place pl ace for fo r lear le arnin nin g tha t is rel ative at ively ly free fr ee from fr om exter ex ter nal distractions. This helps attention and concentration. Let family, friends, or 67


colleagues know that you are studying and would prefer no interruptions for a whi le. Use a do not disturb sign—but disturb sign—but don’t overuse it! Be aware of unwanted noise in your environment, including noise from overhead lights or electrical equipment. Consider using light background music to mask this noise if you are unable to control it. Also, Al so, be awa re of visua vis uall distra dis tra ction ct ion s, even eve n if the y are onl y in your yo ur periph per iphera era l visio vis ion. n. For exa mple, mpl e, while whi le in a libra li bra ry sit facin fa cin g a wal l in a sec luded lud ed area, ar ea, rat her he r than near a passageway or door. Even in the best-planned environment, you may still have interruptions. Train you rse lf to pause pau se for fo r a moment mom ent bef ore or e res pon ding din g to an inter in terru rupti ption on.. Durin Du rin g that th at pause make a note, mentally or on paper, of where you are. It’s then easier to regain your concentration when you return. How do you train yourself? An idea is to ask someone to help you. Role-play the interruption and your action!

L o c a t e a n d u s e c o n t e n t f r o m m u l t i p l e so u r c e s Memletic Process This is a complimentary extract from the Process Locate Chapter of the Memletics Acc elera el erated ted Learn Lea rning ing Man ual. ual . Att ent ive ness nes s is one par t of six teen tee n parts par ts of Memlet Mem let ic State St ate - the optimum state for learning.

L E A R N

The locate step involves gathering the content you need for learning. Sometimes this may be easy. The course may prescribe texts and materials for you. At other times you may be learning something that few others have, so you have to forge your yo ur own way . You may be somewh som ewh ere in the th e middl mid dle, e, with wit h some som e tex ts prescr pre scr ibed ibe d for you and some further research to do. Let’s look at some typical content sources, as well as some general tips for locating content.

Content sources There are many sources of content for learning. You may find some materials already well organized, for example well-written books or course manuals. You may also find unstructured content. For example, content may be inside someone else’s head. It’s your job to locate this content and prepare it for the next stage of the learning process. Some common sources for content include: •

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Books, texts and manuals. manuals. Books are still the most common source for content. Look beyond the standard references though. What other references may be useful? Where can you get them? Which should you buy yourself, versus ver sus whi ch shoul sh oul d you borro bor row? w? I recom re commen mend d you buy at least le ast the cor e set of texts or references. You should then have no hesitation to write notes or highlight text in them. Instructors or lecturers. Often you gain content from a knowledgeable person. You may have one-to-one access to an instructor. For other courses, you yo u m ay nee d t o spend spe nd time ti me in lec tur es. Either Eit her way , make mak e sure sur e you r note not e takin ta king g skills are good and you have a system for organizing and referencing them later (some tips are on page 71). 71 ).

Improve your comprehension •

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The Internet. Over the past decade, the Internet has made more and more information available to us. Often you can find further information related to your yo ur tra ining in ing topic to pic s. Be min dfu l of the th e source sou rce thoug th ough. h. Not No t eve rythi ry thi ng you yo u find fi nd is legitimate. Computer-Based Computer-Based Training. Training. Computer-based training courses, or CBTs, have bec ome more mor e popula pop ula r rec ently en tly . Howeve How ever, r, many man y are ar e ineff ine ffec ectiv tiv e. Sit ting tin g in front fr ont of the computer doing a CBT is not usually enough to learn the content well. You Yo u sti ll need ne ed to go thr oug h the pro cess ces s of explo exp lorin rin g, arran ar rangi ging, ng, reinf re inf orc ing in g and reviewing. After doing many CBTs myself, I recommend using them mainly as a source of content. Treat them like a lecture or book, and write your own notes. After completing the CBT, continue with the Memletic Process to explore, reinforce and memorize the content. It’s also easier to refer to your notes later, rather than trying to restart the course to find what you are looking for. Other students. Often you can gain good content by talking to other students. They may have helpful references you haven’t come across. They also have tips and techniques they’ve learned from different sources. Share some of your own experiences as well. Others already in the field. Those who’ve already learned what you are learning often have useful information. Don’t just limit yourself to those immediately around you either. Biographies of famous people from your field may also hold many lessons. Some of these stay in your mind longer because of the emotional content. Video. Video. The prevalence and availability of domestic video cameras and PC editing software make it easy to capture your own learning content on video. It’s a great way to help you visualize and review the skills you are learning. Other references. Be references. Be sure to have a good dictionary so you can quickly check unfamiliar terms. An encyclopedia can also provide related or extra information on a topic not covered well in your training material.

What to look for while searching for content Later in this chapter, I introduce you to two ways to classify content by the way you yo u use it. it . Onc e you yo u und ersta ers tand nd these the se two way s, you sta rt to rea lize li ze that th at many ma ny boo ks and cou rses rse s out ou t there th ere conta co nta in littl li ttl e pra cti cal ca l conte co ntent. nt. This Th is is especi esp eci ally al ly true tru e of many self-help and business books. They contain supporting facts, ideas and principles, rather than practical content. Of the ones that do, even fewer contain specific steps or ideas on how to learn that content. I want to give you a feel for what information you may find while gathering content for training purposes. I’m going to give you some examples of the content you yo u may ma y find fi nd in a boo k on presen pre sen tat ion ski lls , specif spe cif ical ic ally ly on makin ma kin g eye conta co nta ct during a presentation. In some of these books, you may find this information: Example A: The w h y i t ’ s i m p o r t a n t book book Good eye contact with the audience is important. It helps the presenter connect with the audience. It also helps the presenter gauge the audience’s reaction to the material. The presenter appears more confident and “in control.”

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That’s interesting information. What does good eye contact mean though? It doesn’t tell you! I’ve read some books that go on for pages about why some particular skill is important, citing many examples and research. A better t presentation book gives you specific details about what good eye contact means: c ’s h o w t o d o i t book Example B: The h e r e ’s book

To develop good eye contact, you first have to stop reading your presentations word for word. It’s difficult to keep good eye contact while you are reading directly from notes. See [some other part of the book] to learn how to do this. Once you have your notes under control, you then need to get you r eyes eye s up and look lo oking ing at the aud ien ce. It’s It ’s not just jus t a mat ter of looking at the back of the room. You need to search out individuals and make eye contact with them. Hold their attention for two to three seconds, and then move to someone else or back to your notes for the next point. Spread your yo ur att ent ion to vario va rio us par ts of the th e aud ien ce. Be sur e not to focus in one part of the room, or on one individual, for too long either. This alienates others or makes the individual feel uncomfortable.

e t o r p / m o c . s c i t e l m e m . w w w / / : p t t h o t

g n i y p o c d e z i r o h t Can you see the difference between these two examples? Example A doesn’t tell u a you yo u muc h abo ut wha t the skill ski ll is, whe reas rea s exa mpl e B does. doe s. I’d have ha ve even eve n more mor e n u respect for a presentation book that then went further with information like this: t r o ’s h o w t o l ea e a r n i t book. Example C: The h e r e ’s book. p e r Here are some suggestions on how you can learn to make eye e contact in your own presentations: s a e Practice reading a point from your notes and then physically l P looking up. Put together some meaningless points, and then . n stand up in your kitchen or other room and practice. Put a mark o i t at the end of each line, for example an up arrow like  , to c e t remind you to look up. When you do look up, look at different o r parts of the room. If you are in the kitchen, visualize the P t microwave, stove, sink and refrigerator as members of your c u audience. Make your point directly to one of these audience d o members, and then move on to the next point. r P Better yet, if you have access to computer image projection s c i equipment, get a picture of an audience from the speaker’s t e l perspective and project it on the wall. Stand facing the screen m and practice making eye contact with your captive audience. e M Before your next presentation, ask a friend or colleague who will

If you are presenting to a much larger audience, sometimes it’s difficult to make eye contact with a single individual. The audience may seem more of a blur, especially up the back and in low light conditions. Don’t avoid these areas, as there are still people there. Hold your focus in a particular area for a few seconds, before moving to another.

be in the audie au dience nce to help he lp you yo u out . Hav e them th em sta nd beh ind the th e audience and give you gestures to remind you to look around. 70

C G B M 7 Y 7 Q Z T R 6 C M 7 L


They may also give you signals to slow down your speaking, stop fidgeting, or to relax your posture. Also, ask them to give you some comments and suggestions after the presentation. Consider whether the content you find is more like example A, B or C above. Are you yo u get tin g the “wh y it’s it’ s import imp ort ant,” an t,” “here “h ere ’s how to do it, ” or “here “h ere’s ’s how ho w to learn le arn it”? This doesn’t just apply to books either. Some training courses and presentations also focus on “why it is important,” rather than covering practical and useful information you can use to build your skills. Memorizing ten points about why good eye contact is important doesn’t necessarily help you improve your yo ur own eye conta co nta ct. ct . Keep these three examples in mind while you locate content for learning. If the content you find is like example A, you need to find more information to understand what “making eye contact” involves. If it’s example B, that’s fine. You then use Memletics to learn the material. If it’s example C, they are giving you a shortcut!

Specific content collection tips Two important skills to use during the locate step are note taking and highlighting. Often people have trouble with these skills, so let’s look at some specific tips on how to do these well. In addition, you should organize what you collect to make it easier to use in the next steps of the process. I n t e l li li g e n t n o t e t a k i n g

Intelligent note taking may range from writing comments in textbooks or review notes after lessons, right through to heavy-duty note taking during fast-paced lectures. Here are a few points on how to take intelligent notes: •

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Don’t write everything down. down. Listen for the main points and summarize whe re possib pos sible le.. Whi le liste li ste nin g to a lec tur er, lis ten for chang ch anges es in tone, to ne, inflection and other cues to decide what’s important. This can also suggest when wh en the th e top ic chang ch anges. es. If you are ar e lea rni ng with wit h an ins tructo tru cto r or wit h a sma ller ll er group of people, ask the instructor or lecturer to outline the lesson first. This helps your context during the lesson. Leave white space. space. Leave space to fill in more notes later, especially in the margin. One note taking system (Cornell) involves writing summary points in the margin for each paragraph of notes. This is a good way to organize and review your notes. Scribble in your own books. books. Write, mark and highlight key points in your own textbooks and references. Some people feel you should not write in or mark printed books. If you are one of these people, I suggest you buy a cheap boo k and scribb scr ibb le all al l ove r and an d throu th rou gh it. it . Do what wh at you yo u need nee d to do to bre ak this th is limiting belief. If writing or highlighting sections in a book makes it easier to learn, go right ahead! Use alternative formats. formats. Alternative formats include Mind Maps and diagrams. I cover mind maps in more detail in the next section. Use diagrams if you yo u c an draw dra w t hem qui ckl y e nough nou gh..

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I n t e l li li g e n t h i g h l i g h t i n g a n d m a r k i n g

Many people mistake highlighting for learning. Some study guides recommend you don’t don ’t do it all, al l, becaus bec aus e so many man y people peo ple do it poo rly and it can ca n giv e a false fa lse sense of ac complishment. I believe highlighting is an important and useful skill. Treat it as a content collection technique though. Collect the key points, ideas and definitions for use in the next steps—exploring and learning what you’ve collected. Here are some specific tips for intelligent highlighting: •

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Only mark the key points. You points. You can usually find these at the start or end of a paragraph, but not always. Even when marking a key point, only mark at maximum three or four words within that point (if possible). Highlight after you read. read. Make sure you read the entire paragraph, or even page, before you go back and highlight the key points. Only highlight the defined word, not the whole sentence. Use a normal pen and put brackets around the word’s definition if you would like to separate them. Mark unusual, uncommon or questionable items. items. Perhaps use a different color. Make a point somewhere to come back to it if needed. Try different colors. Try colors. Try using different color highlighters for different points. This may work for some people and not others. Don’t go too far though. Use a maximum of three colors! If you plan to photocopy or scan notes l ater, only use a light-colored highlighter. Yellow appears the best. Other colors can come out bla ck! ck ! Still write notes. When notes. When you are highlighting, keep a normal pen handy as well. For example, write some notes in the margins on why you’ve highlighted particular points.

Transfer to other notes or a mind map. If a point is important, don’t just highlight it. Transfer it to your main notes or to a mind map (described soon) for your topic. One of my study techniques involves highlighting while I read the material, then transferring the main points to a mind map afterwards. Use highlighting sparingly otherwise the unmarked text may stand out more. Take care that you don’t finish with a book full of colored paper! I know of one flight instructor who hands out a summary of her lessons on bright yellow paper. This saves those with questionable highlighting skills the trouble of creating the notes themselves. •

Just to reiterate. Highlighting is a content collection exercise. Don’t mistake highlighting for learning. O r g a n i zi n g c o n t e n t

I believe it’s better to have more information available than the minimum you need to complete your course. To make this work, you need to organize your content well. While Wh ile you yo u l ocat oc atee a nd col lec t inf ormati orm ati on, on , keep kee p a summar sum mar y or ind ex of the th e m mate ate ria l you yo u fin d, whe re you yo u f oun d it, and an d when. whe n. Also, Al so, rate the rate the quality and relevance of the content. Use the A, B, and C categories from above if this helps. This extra information helps you when you explore the topics in the next step.

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Occasionally check your summary against an overall training plan, and look for areas where you have weaknesses or gaps. If you find yourself chasing some curious reference that probably won’t add much value to your training, take a step bac k. It’s It ’s better bet ter to have ha ve all al l topic to picss cover co ver ed to a goo d level le vel , rathe ra the r tha n spendi spe ndi ng significant amounts of time looking for too much detail in one particular topic.

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Ex p l o r e c o n t e n t t o c o m p r e h e n d i t This is a complimentary extract from the Process Chapter of the Memletics Accel Ac cel erate er ated d Learn Le arnin ing g Man ual . The Th e Explo Exp lore re ste p is one of fiv e ste ps of the Memlet Mem let ic Pro ces s. It provi pr ovi des genera gen era l exp lor ati on techn te chn iques iq ues plu s techn te chn iqu es that suit your personal learning styles. If you don’t know your personal learning styles, try the free Memletics Learning Styles Inventory at: http://www.learning-styles-online.com The next step in the learning Memletic Process process is to explore explore your Explore topic and the material you’ve collected. Your goal is to understand the topic, rather than just rote learn it. A fundamental learning principle underlies exploration. If you yo u l ear n some s ometh thing ing in more mor e d epth ept h u p f ron t, you yo u reme r eme mber mbe r i t f or longe lo nger. r.

L E A R N

Learning material by rote sometimes appears easier. You could learn learn some topics faster by rote compared to trying to understand the details behind the topic. However, this typically results in slower overall learning for two reasons. Firstly, if you forget part of the topic learned by rote, you have little to help you recall it. If you understand the underlying ideas, it’s more likely you can rebuild parts of the topic in your mind. Consider a mathematical formula. If you only rote learn it, you may forget whether to add or subtract some item in the formula. If you under un dersta sta nd the th e theory the ory beh ind the th e formu fo rmula la,, it’s it ’s mor e lik ely you can work wor k out whethe whe the r t o add a dd or sub tract tra ct.. Secondly, it’s less likely you can apply a topic in a slightly different way if you only rote learn it. If you learn the details behind a topic, you have more opportunity to work wor k out ou t wha t you yo u need nee d to chan ch ange ge to apply ap ply the topic top ic dif fer ent ly. ly . For Fo r exa mple, mpl e, understanding some details behind aircraft navigation makes it easier to apply the same knowledge to maritime navigation. You can ca n explo exp lore re at man y level lev els. s. Whe n y ou first fi rst sta rt your you r tra ining in ing , y ou explo ex plore re the overall course content and understand how each lower level module contributes to the overall objectives. As you progress, you then explore each part in more detail. Both the high and low-level details form part of your understanding of a topic. Many techniques and tools can help you explore your content. In this section, we first look at some general techniques you can apply to any exploration activity. Then I present more techniques grouped (roughly) into the most relevant Memletic Style. We are yet to cover these styles in detail, so you may want to review the basics of each style in the Overview chapter. In summary, the styles are Visual Vis ual , A ura l, Ver bal , Phy P hysic sic al, al , Logi L ogi cal, ca l, Soc ial and an d Sol S olita ita ry learn le arn ing sty les . Here is a summary of the exploration techniques described described in this section: General exploration •

High altitude view

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Deeper level

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Get hands-on

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Branch wider

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Role-playing

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Index cards & Post-It notes

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Tick it off

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Physical exploration

Abstr Ab strac acti tions ons Bottom up

Wal k a bou t

Improve your comprehension •

Questions3

Logical exploration

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Diagrams, graphs, and sketches

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Logic analysis—OSAID Logic trees

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Mind maps

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Play with numbers

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Systems diagrams

Social exploration

Visual exploration

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Vis ual iza tio n

Aural exploration • •

Sound focus Record sounds

Verbal exploration

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Group learning

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Study buddy

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Opposite view Role-play

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Involve others

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Lectures and discussions

Solitary exploration

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Dramatic reading

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Reaction notes

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Express and summarize aloud

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Learning journal or log

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Wri te and an d rewr r ewr ite

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People exploration

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Wri te artic ar tic les

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Make up your own mind

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Wri te summar sum mar ies

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Record

How far should you go when exploring your material? It depends on your objectives. If you want to know a particular topic well, you may want to explore it in more detail than a course mandates. Don’t go too far though. If you find yours yo urs elf ana lyzin ly zing g the th e beh avior av ior of elec el ectro tro ns in water wat er molecu mol ecu les , and how ho w that th at contributes to a landscape photograph, you have probably gone too far!

General exploration techniques I use a topic pyramid to help me understand general exploration techniques. Let me expand on this idea. Think of the knowledge you need for your course or topic as a pyramid, with the goal at the top. Branching down and out from there are major topics, subtopics, sub-sub-topics (and so on) that you need to know. Look at the example in this diagram: Sailing

Each of the dark boxes shows a compulsory topic for a beginners sailing course. The white boxes show topics that you don’t need to know to complete that sailing course. You can imagine each of the lower level boxes continuing to break down into more and more detail. This pyramid goes right down to basic chunks of knowledge, such as individual facts, skills and behaviors. We’ll use this example as we go through the general exploration techniques. General techniques that can help you explore a wide range of content include high-level views, going a level deeper, going wider, abstracting, and a bottom up approach. In addition, you can use the Five Ws technique to help you with these techniques. Let’s look at these in more detail.

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Ge t a h i g h a l t i t u d e v i e w

Before you start a topic or lesson, begin by getting a high-level view of where it fits into your current learning objective. This is “getting the big picture” or the “forty thousand foot view.” Using the topic pyramid above, this technique involves looking at the whole pyramid from a high level. Also, look at the topic of focus for you r curre cu rre nt lesso le sson. n. This Th is helps he lps you dec ide wha t to conc co ncent ent rate ra te on dur ing in g the th e lesson, and it helps you discard what you don’t need to know. You can ca n get this th is view vie w bef ore beginn beg innin ing g a boo k or tra ining in ing man ual . Flip Fl ip throu th rou gh the major sections. Review the chapter titles. Read each chapter’s introduction. Think about which chapters are more relevant, and which chapters contain secondary information. If your course lacks this organization, you may want to consider creating your own topic pyramid. Go a l e v e l d e e p e r

At some som e point poi nt down dow n each ea ch bra nch nc h of the pyr ami d, ima gine gin e a lin e dra wn acr oss. oss . This marks the minimum needed knowledge for your course or topic. I suggest you yo u go one pyr ami d level le vel lower lo wer tha n this th is line. li ne. For exa mple, mpl e, unders und ers tan d and an d lea rn a few key points underneath a compulsory topic, even if these are You need to know this not compulsory. Let’s look at our pyramid example. The black box is a compulsory topic. The shaded boxes are topics you yo u d on’t on’ t need to to know. If you learn the key points from these grey box es, you wil l rememb rem ember er the th e compulsory topic better.

topic... (Minimum needed knowledge line)

...so learn these points as well

Whi le this th is may ma y initi in iti ally al ly take ta ke longe lo nge r, it usually needs less overall time and results in better recall. For example, you could spend thirty minutes trying to rote-learn a particular topic or chunk of content. Alternatively, you could spend fifteen minutes finding a few key points underneath that topic, and ten minutes summarizing those. Not only do you improve your understanding, you also remember it better as well. Over the following weeks you would likely spend less time reviewing that topic, compared to if you just tried to rote learn it. Go o n e b r a n c h w i d e r

Learn related topics to Continuing the pyramid analogy improve overall recall Sailing above, widen out your pyramid by understanding topics related to One branch wider you r cours co ursee but not compu co mpuls lsory ory.. Looking again at our pyramid example, we see the main branch to the right of the core sailing topics is not compulsory. If you spend some time learning some key points from this bra nch, nc h, you yo u wil l lik ely improv imp rovee your yo ur overa ove rall ll und ersta ers tandi ndi ng and an d ret ention ent ion of the th e compulsory topics.

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For example, one particular branch may be the history of your topic. What impact has your topic of focus had on society? Who were some of the early pioneers, and wha t did the y con tri but e to where whe re you yo u are ar e today to day ? You coul co uld d also al so look lo ok up rel ated ate d jobs jo bs or indust ind ust ries. rie s. While Wh ile this th is inf ormat orm atio ion n may not no t be compu co mpulso lso ry to compl co mplete ete a cours co urse, e, it aids ai ds you r learning and understanding of core topics. U n d e r s t a n d h i g h e r l ev e l a b s t r a c t i o n s

Abs tra ction ct ion invol in vol ves looki lo oki ng at some som e level facts or ideas and drawing out some High ideas and higher-level observations from those. abstractions You Yo u may not e that th at you yo u can ca n apply app ly a particular technique or approach in a different context or area. For example, you could abstract the general principle of asking questions whi le sel ling, li ng, and then th en apply app ly tho se same sa me princ pri ncipl ipl es to inc rease rea se your yo ur persua per sua sio n in other areas. At the th e end of each ea ch lesson les son , see if you can ca n abstra abs tra ct the top three th ree ideas ide as from fr om that th at lesson. See if you can apply those ideas to other subjects or topics. B o t t o m u p a p p r o a ch

Sometimes a particular idea is difficult to grasp fully until you understand the lower level details. You need to learn those lower level details first, before bri nging ngi ng toget to gether her tha t unde u nde rst and ing into in to a c ohere oh erent nt pic tur e. Some people may prefer this bottom up approach rather than top down. Issues can arise when an instructor or author teaches one way while you prefer the other. If this is the case, you may need to restructure your material to suit your preference. Alternatively, you could try accepting that both ways can be effective in learning a topic. If you typically prefer a top down approach, try resisting that preference and start at the bottom. If you prefer a bottom up approach, make an effort to understand the high-level organization first. Q u e s t i o n s q u e s t i o n s q u e s t i o n s —h —h o w t o e x p a n d y o u r p y r a m i d

If you are not sure how to expand your pyramid, try the Five Ws technique. Later in this chapter I discuss the Five Whys technique. This involves asking “why” five times in a row to help discover underlying causes of problems. The Five W’s technique uses a similar approach to help you expand your pyramid. To use the technique, state a fact, idea or principle from your topic. Now ask a question about that statement beginning with one of the W words. The five W wor ds are ar e W ho, ho , Wha t, Why, Wh y, Where Whe re and an d When W hen . If you yo u k now the answe an swer, r, kee p goi g oing ng wit h mor e que stions sti ons . When Wh en you hit hi t que sti ons you yo u don’t don ’t know kno w the ans wer to, write wri te them down for further research. Ask another question starting with ‘W’, and repeat this until you have at least five new questions you can research. For example, pilots study meteorology as part of their training. Five questions you could ask about weather forecasting are: “Who does the forecasts?” “Why are they sometimes wrong?” “What do they do to prepare forecasts?” “Where do they do it?” “When (how often) do they do it?” Answering these questions broadens your 77


understanding of the forecast. You may then understand, for example, why the forecast is sometimes different to the weather on the day. A way to rememb rem ember er these the se words wor ds is the th e phr ase “A hen he n wea rin g a hat ha t said sa id ‘Hi-di ‘Hi -di -ho I’m here!’ ” Add a W to the front of each of the words starting with H and you get the five W’s.

Visual style exploration Most learning materials rely on printed text to provide information. As a visual learner, find ways to represent information visually. Here are some ways you can do this: •

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•

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Use diagrams, graphs and sketches. If sketches. If you can’t find good diagrams, graphs and sketches that represent the key messages in your topics, create them yours yo ursel elf. f. Jus t sta rt drawin dra win g, even eve n if you yo u don’t don ’t thin th ink k you yo u draw dra w wel l. In add iti on, easily accessible spreadsheet programs now allow you to create graphs for all kinds of data. Use Mind Maps ®. Organize topics and ideas using a drawing technique called mind mapping. This helps you visualize and understand the hierarchy and linkages between topics. Tony Buzan, in some of his books, describes this technique in detail. In addition, some software programs can help you easily create mind maps. The software I use is “Mind Manager” from MindJet  . Rather than describe mind maps in detail, I’ll let my mind map below do it for me.

Use systems diagrams. Systems diagrams. Systems diagrams are another diagramming technique technique you yo u can ca n use to help he lp under un dersta sta nd a dyn ami c syste sy stem, m, suc h as an eng ine, ine , bod y, yach ya chtt or netwo ne twork. rk. The Th e tradi tr adi tio nal way of dissec dis sec tin g someth som eth ing int o separa sep ara te parts, to understand their roles, often makes it harder to understand the system. For example, it’s hard to understand the workings of the human body by simply sim ply looki lo oki ng at the th e ind ivi dual dua l par ts. Simil Sim ilarl arl y, unders und ers tandi ta nding ng how ho w a yacht ya cht


stays in equilibrium under full sail is hard if you only look at the sail, rudder, keel and hull individually. The linkages between multiple parts are usually what make these dynamic systems work. These linkages may not be visible when the system is lying in bits bi ts on the th e floor fl oor , or in sep ara te topic top icss in you r min d. System Sys temss dia gra ms hel p show and explain those linkages. The diagram below is an example of a systems diagram. It shows how various parts of an aircraft engine work together. Carby

Spark Plug

Air and Fuel Vapour

Fuel

Spark

Electric Energy

Bang Fuel Pump/s

Magneto

Pushes down Oil Pump

Cools Piston Lubricates

Turns

Turns

Turns Turns Crankshaft

Powers Turns

Turns

Starter Motor

Turns Powers

Alternator Charges

Powers Radios

•

Battery

Powers Instruments

Vacuum Pump Drives

Use visualization. visualization. Use the visualization techniques outlined in the Memletic Techniques chapter to help understand various topics. If you can visualize a topic clearly and precisely, you should have a good understanding of it. If some areas appear grey or fuzzy, this suggests you still have some further work to do to understand it fully.

Aural style exploration Aural Au ral explo exp lora ratio tio n invol in vol ves explo exp lorin rin g the th e sounds sou nds and rhy thms th ms presen pre sen t in your yo ur learning topic. Unless you’re studying a music-based topic, there may not be many musical or rhythmic areas to explore. Here are a few ideas though: •

Focus on sound. sound. Pay particular attention to sounds in your environment. In an aircraft, examples may include the engine, gyros, wind sound (more at higher speeds, and lack of it at lower speeds). On a yacht, examples may include the sound of wind in the rigging, the hum of the tension in the shrouds, the sound of the water gurgling past. All these can give you extra perspectives in your training. 79


Record sounds on to a tape or computer. If it’s possible, try to record sounds from your topic on to a tape or computer. Make use of these recordings when you yo u use u se tec hniqu hn iques es suc h a s v isual isu aliza iza tio n a nd simul sim ulati ati on. on .

Verbal style exploration Exploration using the verbal style involves using spoken and written words. This could be via attending lectures, engaging in discussion, writing articles, rewriting topics, talking and summarizing aloud, and more. Let’s look at some more details: •

•

•

•

Attend lectures or engage in discussions. discussions. Find ways to involve more listening in you content collection and exploration. Attend a class, lecture, or study group. If possible, engage in discussion with your lecturer or instructor, and ask them to explain topics in more detail. Read dramatically. When dramatically. When reading important material, try reading it out loud and dramatically. Act as if you were on stage in a play or similar production. Say the important points with volume and strength. Skip over less important information more quickly and quietly. Talk yourself through material and summarize aloud. aloud. As you read, pause after each paragraph and read aloud the key points from that paragraph. Also, summarize each lesson aloud. Reword and rewrite learning material. material. Rewrite important sections of your training material. Think about how you would write that section if you were writin wri tin g y our own instru ins tru ction ct ion boo k or o r manua man ual. l.


C Write an article. A article. A powerful way to learn a topic is to write an article on G it. Do some further research, think about your audience, look through your content B and then express the core ideas in your own words. Why not send it to a related magazine as a “student’s view on topic X?” M Write summaries. Wr summaries. Write ite your you r own summar sum mar ies of each ea ch les son or top ic. Review Rev iew 7 them periodically as you progress, and keep them for future reference. Y Record notes on to a tape or computer. Record lectures, discussions or 7 readings on to tape or on to a computer (for example via an MP3 player or Q recorder). Copy important parts and put them together into a summary recording. Z T Physical style exploration Exploring with the physical style involves finding ways to incorporate movement R 6 and touch into your training. Get up and move around while l earning. Try walking around while reading or listening. Go further and get your hands on physical C expressions of the topics you are learning. Use role-playing. Try using index cards to arrange topics physically, or tick off items as you read them. Here are those M 7 points in more depth: Walk about while reading or listening. listening. If possible, get up and walk around L •

•

•

•

whi le rea ding din g or liste li stenin ning g to conte co ntent nt.. Sto p and an d pause pau se on import imp ort ant poi nts , and keep walking when reading less important material. Another idea is to simulate procedures while walking around a room. For example, for flight training try “flying” circuits, forced landings, instrument approaches and other procedures by wal kin g aroun ar oun d you r livin li ving g room. roo m. If you are ar e lea rni ng to sail sa il,, perha per haps ps try

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tacking and docking in a similar way. Have your notes with you and read out what wh at you are doi ng at the th e time t ime.. •

Get hands on. If you are learning about physical objects or topics, find ways to get your hands on them. For example, if you are learning about how an engine wor ks, get out side sid e and an d open ope n the th e fron fr ontt of a car ca r or air cra ft. ft . Tou ch eac h of the parts. Some schools also have old parts around so you can see the internal wor kin gs, so ask around aro und.. If you have ha ve an old ol d engin en gine, e, for examp ex ample le from fr om a wornwor nout lawn mower or chain-saw, pull it apart. Note likenesses and differences bet ween wee n t hat ha t e ngine ngi ne and the th e engi e ngi ne you yo u a re stu dyi ng. Anot An other her exa mple: mpl e: If you yo u are lea rning rn ing about abo ut the th e weath wea ther, er, keep kee p your yo ur own wea the r stati st ati on for fo r a whi le. Observ Obs ervee and an d write wri te down dow n rainf ra inf all, al l, cloud cl oud , win d, temperature, and barometric pressure daily.

•

•

•

Use role-playing. role-playing. If you are in a group, why not try some role-playing exercises that involve physical activity. Instead of reading about the rules controlling right of way when approaching another aircraft or boat, for example, get up and do a few examples with other students. Use index cards & Post-it notes. Write notes. Write the key facts and ideas on index cards, and then physically sort them in different ways. Alternatively, write snippets snippets of information on post-it notes and stick them to a wall according to relationships wit h other ot her ide as. This Th is is almos al mostt like li ke phy sical si cal ly bui ldi ng a min d map on the th e wal l. Tick it off. off. While you read, tick off or mark each paragraph as you read and understand it. This helps you concentrate as well as involves movement.

Logical style exploration You can ca n explo exp lore re conte co ntent nt from fr om a logic lo gic al per spect spe ctive ive by using usi ng the th e OSAID OSA ID model mod el to analyze logic further. You can visualize logic using a logic tree, and you may want to look in more detail at the mathematics behind your topics. Let’s explore these further: •

Analyze the logic. logic. Look at the logic within your learning material. Don’t always accept that your material is correct. Much material is still only the expressed beliefs of the author. Use the following OSAID model to probe the author’s logic, as well as your own logic. OSAID is a mnemonic for: •

•

•

•

•

Objective reasoning. reasoning. Does the author base an argument on facts? Questions: How do you know they are facts? Could they be opinions or assumptions? Subjective reasoning. reasoning. Does the author base an argument on personal opinions or the opinions of others? Questions: Do you believe the source? How reliable is it? Assumptive reasoning. reasoning. Does the author base an argument on assumptions? Questions: Questions: Whose assumptions? What if these are wrong? Inductive reasoning. Does reasoning. Does the author provide a reasonable conclusion by noting some specific cases? Questions: Can you think of cases that disprove the conclusion? Deductive reasoning. Does reasoning. Does the author provide a specific conclusion based on principles accepted to be true? Questions: Are the principles correct? Is it a logical step from the principles to the conclusion? 81


These questions can help you test the underlying logic of your learning material, rather than just accepting everything at “face value.” •

Create a logic tree. A log ic tree tre e is a dia gra m that th at sta rts wit h a key sta tement tem ent , and then branches out with further logic or points that support that statement. If you want to go further with this, find more information on using deductive or inductive reasoning. Find why it’s important that each branch is MECE (mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive). See the diagram below for an example of a logic tree. Creates a "personal" bond

Good presentations require good eye contact

Helps you determine audience engagement

You appear more open Audience feels personal attention attention

Can see body language Can see level of attentiveness Can see distractions

Helps you keep control

Alter focus / tack tack / speed to match audience engagement Control a distracting individual / area Interact with assistants

•

Play with numbers. numbers. If you are more mathematically minded, explore some topics by numbers. For example, use a spreadsheet program to graph mathematical formulas or information from your training.

Social style exploration Social style exploration techniques involve learning with other people. The discussion, debate and agreement helps you better understand a particular topic. Here are some ideas: •

•

•

•

•

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Learn with a group. group. This is the basic technique of learning socially. Join a class or study group for your topic of study. If none exists, consider creating one. Suggest class discussions or debates on particular topics of interest. Work with a s t u d y b u d d y . If you can’t find or create a group, try to find someone at a similar point in their training. Work together through material and exercises, comparing and contrasting answers and viewpoints. Play the opposite view. In a group or “study buddy” setting, try taking the opposite viewpoint or opinion on various topics. Play the “devils advocate.” Let the others know you are going to challenge them with an opposing view, and ask them to do the same at other times. This challenges yourself and others to defend the topic of focus, leading to better understanding. Role-play. Role-play. I’ve already discussed role-playing with a physical activity focus, however you can also use role-playing as a social learning technique. Roleplaying in this way works well for activities that involve communication betwee bet ween n t wo or more mor e p eople. eop le. Involve others. Find ways to involve those around you in your learning. If you live at home with your parents, involve them by asking them their opinions on var ious iou s topic top ics. s. Try expla ex pla ining in ing to them th em some som e of the th e ideas ide as you ’ve learn le arn ed. If you have children, how can you involve them in your training and learning? Sometimes children have a way of revealing your lack of understanding in a particular area by their own technique—the barrage of “why” questions.


Solitary style exploration Solitary style exploration involves learning mainly on your own. Solitary exploration also involves understanding your own views and emotions on particular topics. You can extend this to try to understand other people’s motivation behind their work. Here are some techniques to try: •

•

•

•

Note your own reactions. reactions. Keep track of your own reactions, opinions and emotions as you progress through your course. Do you find it interesting, exciting, boring or dull? How do you feel when something finally makes sense, ver sus whe n you yo u a re strugg str uggli ling ng to under un derst stand and an idea? ide a? Emoti Emo tions ons play pl ay a big rol e in understanding and remembering material, so don’t ignore this valuable part of learning. Keep a journal or learning log. While log. While you are studying, keep a journal or log of your activities. Take particular attention to your reactions to various topics as outlined above. Through history, some of the greatest contributors to society and science wrote down their inner thoughts, emotions, hopes and ambitions. They used diaries, journals, letters, poems, essays and articles to capture and explore their lives. These include people such as Newton, Jefferson, Bach, Edison, da Vinci, and more. Some researchers believe their scribbling and wri ting ti ng hel ped the m a chi eve their the ir suc cess. ces s. Explore the people. people. Ask your instructor or lecturer what motivates them to teach what they do. Explore the people behind your topics, both current and past. What can you find out about their lives, motivation, concerns and other achievements? Try reading biographies or do some research on the Internet. Make up your own mind. Much mind. Much of what you read is an expression of beliefs of other people. Those people are not always right. Try keeping an attitude of “I choose to believe that for now.” Keep an open and independent mind.

Summary Congratulations on making it to the end of this course. You now have the information, tool and exercises you need to dramatically increase your reading speed. However, all your effort so far will be in vain if you don’t do the exercises! Practice is essential in any activity to achieve proficiency. So, practice selecting and applying the exercises, techniques and strategies until they become second nature to you. Your practice will reward you with faster reading speed and better comprehension of any material you read. In due course, your new skills will help you yo u r eac h you r o veral ver alll g oals oa ls soo ner. ner . As alw ays , if you hav e any though tho ughts ts on how we can ca n imp rove rov e Memlet Mem letic ics s and its products and services, please don’t hesitate to contact us us using the website, or do the survey below. We value your input, including bot h t est imonia imo nials ls an and d sugg s ugg estion est ions s for imp roveme rov ement nt!! The URL for the survey is: http://www.memletics.com/surv http://www.meml etics.com/surveys/speedeys/speed-reading reading

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Memletics® Effective Speed Reading Course Guide


Your details Name:

_________________________________

Date started course:

_________________

You r c ourse our se goals goa ls::

___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ___ _ _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __

You r ins i nstru truct ctor/ or/tea tea cher: ch er:

___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ ___ __

What you need for this course •

•

•

• •

•

A printo pri ntout ut of these th ese notes not es.. Even if you are doing this course online, it’s wor thwhi thw hile le print pri nting ing out the se pag es. A tes t an and d drill dri ll book. boo k. The reading material you use for your tests and drills should not come from subjects or topics you are currently learning. Choose a boo k that th at has ha s many man y simil sim ilar ar pages pag es (pr efera efe rably bly wit hou t dia gra ms or pic tur es) , wit h good goo d line li ne spa cing ci ng and tex t siz e. It shoul sh oul d be rea son abl y eas y for fo r you to read and understand at your current level. Fiction and non-fiction are both OK. Some way to keep time. A time. A watch or stopwatch, preferably with a countdown alarm. An alarm clock is another option, however you will need to start exactly 10 minutes before alarm time. A pen or pencil pen cil . A calc ca lcula ula tor (optio (op tiona nal). l). A calculator will help with the speed test calculations. An open ope n mind m ind and a d esire esi re to rea d fast f ast er!

Additional materials



You can ca n obtai obt ain n a pri nta ble PDF versio ver sio n of thi s cou rse gui de, along al ong with wit h an Exc el spreadsheet to help you with test calculations and progress tracking. Download them from your download manager for your order. Log into the store and follow the instructions after the green text titled “Electronic Product Collection.” Click to go to the store: http://www.memletics.com/store

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Initial reading test Pick a starting page in your test book. Make sure you haven’t read the text before or not for a long time. If possible, set an alarm for 10 minutes time. Read for 10 minutes at your normal pace. When Wh en 10 minut min utes es is up, mar k your yo ur finis fi nishi hing ng line li ne on the page in the book. Then fill out the following information. For the summary, write wri te dow n a few fe w sho s hort rt notes no tes on the main ma in poi nts of the th e sect s ect ion you yo u r ead . Date:

_____________

Name of book:

_________________________________ ____________________ _____________

Started reading on page:

_____________

Finished reading on page:

_____________

Summary of what you read: ______________________ _________________________________ ___________ _____ __ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ ____ __ _____ __ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ ____ __ _____ __ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ ____ __ _____ __ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ ____ __ _____ __ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ ____ __ Speed calculations

Fill out the following data to calculate how many Word Per Minute (WPM) you read. The first section is data for the book itself: Word Wor d c oun t f or 10 lines li nes::

A _ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ _ ( incl in cludi uding ng sma ll words) wor ds)

Word Wor d c oun t f or one line: li ne:

B ___ _ _____ ___ ___ __ ____ __ (cros (c ros s off o ff the last la st zero zer o f rom A)

Line count per page:

C _____________

Word Wor d c oun t per p er page: pag e:

D ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ (mu lti ply B. by C. )

The next section calculates how many words you read: Full pages you read:

E _____________

Full page word count:

F _____________ (multiply D. by E.)

Lines read on last page:

G _____________ (complete lines)

Last page word count:

H _____________ (multiply G. by B.)

Total words read

I _____________ (add F. and H.)

Now you can calculate your words per minute by dividing by 10 (because you read for 10 minutes). Words Wor ds per minut mi nute e

J ______ ___ ______ ______ ____ _ (div ( div ide I b y 1 0).

Compare your reading speed to the table on page 11. 11 . How well would you rate your reading speed?  Excellent

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 Good

 OK

 Not

so good

 Poor


Co m p r e h e n s i o n c h e c k

Now let’s do a simple test of how well you understood what you read during your reading test. Read your summary notes then answer these questions: Did you understand what the author was saying? _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ Did you understand the main ideas? _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ Did you remember the basic facts? _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ Now reread your test pages thoroughly. Was Wa s y our unders und ers tan ding din g a s g ood as you yo u tho t hough ugh t e arlie ar lier? r? _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ Did you remember the main ideas correctly? _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ Did you remember the basic facts correctly? _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ Did you have difficulty remembering the material while summarizing, summarizing, but felt you understood it while you were reading it? _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ How well would you rate your comprehension during this reading?  Excellent

 Good

 OK

 Not

so good

 Poor

Overall results

What Wh at do you feel fee l needs nee ds the th e m most ost improv imp roveme ement? nt?  Speed  Comprehension  Both Comprehension How much time are you willing to commit to improving your reading? _____ __ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ ____ __

Remember: Learning comes from doing!

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Week One O b j e ct i v e s f o r t h i s w e e k 

Eye tests. If you haven’t already done so, do the eye tests on page 14. 14 .



Vocab Voc abula ula ry exerci exe rci ses. ses . Do the exercise outlined on page 34, 34 , and start a new wor d jour j our nal .



Fluency development. development. Start using the regulator technique. See the regulator technique description on page 41. 41 . Do stage 1 for the first 3 days, then stage 2 for the last 4 days. Aim to spend at least 15 minutes a day, however continue using the regulator technique for all reading from now on.

D a i ly l o g

Keep track of your daily activities using the form below. Day 1: Name of book:

_________________________________ ______________________ ___________

Time spent:

_____________

Day 2: Name of book:

_________________________________ ______________________ ___________

Time spent:

_____________


_________________________________ ______________________ ___________

Time spent:

_____________


_________________________________ ______________________ ___________

Time spent:

_____________


_________________________________ ______________________ ___________

Time spent:

_____________


_________________________________ ______________________ ___________

Time spent:

_____________

Day 7:

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Name of book:

_________________________________ ______________________ ___________

Time spent:

_____________


Week Two O b j e ct i v e s f o r t h i s w e e k 

Computer monitor setup. If you have a computer screen, experiment with the settings to get the best display. See page 24. 24 .



Fluency development. development . Start the regulator speed drills. See the regulator technique description on page 41. 41 . Focus on stage 3 a nd the basic speed drills. Aim to spend spe nd at lea st 15 min utes ute s a day. da y.



Skim reading. reading . Spend some time this week doing the skim reading exercises on page 52. 52 . Do the structured skim reading drill 1 and the unstructured skim reading drill 1. Do each drill 3 times during the week.

Daily log


_________________________________ _____________________ ____________

Time spent:

_____________


_________________________________ _____________________ ____________

Time spent:

_____________


_________________________________ _____________________ ____________

Time spent:

_____________


_________________________________ _____________________ ____________

Time spent:

_____________


_________________________________ _____________________ ____________

Time spent:

_____________


_________________________________ _____________________ ____________

Time spent:

_____________


_________________________________ _____________________ ____________

Time spent:

_____________

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Mid course review You are ar e now half ha lfway way throu th rou gh your yo ur cours co urse. e. Let’s Let ’s do a mid cours co ursee review rev iew to check ch eck you r pro p rogre gress. ss. Reading test

Pick a starting page in your test book, preferably the same one you used for your first reading test. Read for 10 minutes at a comfortable pace. Whe n 10 min utes ute s is up, mark your finishing line on the page in the book. Fill out the following information. Date:

_____________


_____________


_____________

Summary of what you read: ______________________ _________________________________ ___________ _____ __ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ ____ __ _____ __ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ ____ __ _____ __ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ ____ __ _____ __ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ ____ __ _____ __ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ ____ __ Speed calculations

Fill out the following data to calculate how many Word Per Minute (WPM) you read. The first section is data for the book itself: Word Wor d c oun t f or 10 lines li nes::

A _ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ _ ( inc ludin lu ding g smal s mal l words) wor ds)

Word Wor d c oun t f or one line: li ne:

B ___ _ _____ ___ ___ __ ____ __ (cros (c ros s off o ff the last la st zero zer o f rom A)


C _____________

Word Wor d c oun t per p er page: pag e:

D ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ (mu lti ply B. by C. )


E _____________


F _____________ (multiply D. by E.)




H _____________ (multiply G. by B.)

Total words read

I _____________ (add F. and H.)

Now you can calculate your words per minute by dividing by 10 (because you read for 10 minutes). Words Wor ds per min ute

90

J _____________ (divide I by 10).



Let’s repeat the comprehension test to see how well you understood what you read during your reading test. Read your summary notes then answer these questions: Did you understand what the author was saying? _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ Did you understand the main ideas? _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ Did you remember the basic facts? _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ Now reread your test pages thoroughly. Was Wa s y our unders und ers tan ding din g a s g ood as you yo u tho t hough ugh t e arlie ar lier? r? _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __


Did you remember the main ideas correctly?

C Did you remember the basic facts correctly? G _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ B Did you have difficulty remembering the material while summarizing, summarizing, but felt you M understood it while you were reading it? 7 _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ Y 7 O v e r a ll m i d p o i n t r e v i e w Q Speed from initial test: _____________ (2 weeks ago) Speed from this test: _____________ (today) Z Change: _____________ (better/worse) (better/worse) T R 6 How well would you rate your reading speed improvement?  Excellent  Good  OK  Not so good  None C How well would you rate your comprehension improvement comprehension improvement for for this reading? M 7  Excellent  Good  OK  Not so good  Poor O K L _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __

What Wh at are you doing doi ng well wel l so far: fa r: _____ __ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ ____ __ _____ __ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ ____ __ Wha t do you yo u n eed to improv imp rov e on? o n? 91


_____ __ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ ____ __ _____ __ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ ____ __ Have you been meeting your time commitments? _____ __ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ ____ __ _____ __ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ ____ __

Remember: Learning comes from doing!

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Week 3 O b j e ct i v e s f o r t h i s w e e k 

Fluency development. Continue the speed drills and learn the speed paths. See the regulator technique description on page 41. 41 . Focus on stage 3 and 4 and the intermediate speed drills. Aim to spend at least 15-20 minutes a day.



Skim reading. reading . Spend some time this week doing the skim reading exercises on page 52. 52 . Do the structured skim reading drill 2, the unstructured skim reading drill 2, and the combined skim reading drill 1. Do each drill 3 times during the week.

Daily log


_________________________________ _____________________ ____________

Time spent:

_____________


_________________________________ _____________________ ____________

Time spent:

_____________


_________________________________ _____________________ ____________

Time spent:

_____________


_________________________________ _____________________ ____________

Time spent:

_____________


_________________________________ _____________________ ____________

Time spent:

_____________


_________________________________ _____________________ ____________

Time spent:

_____________


_________________________________ _____________________ ____________

Time spent:

_____________

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Week 4 O b j e ct i v e s f o r t h i s w e e k 

Fluency development. development . This week bring what you’ve learnt together and push yourself faster, while keeping up comprehension. See the regulator technique description on page 41. 41 . Focus on the advanced speed drills. Aim to spend at least 20-30 minutes a day.



Reading strategies. strategies . Do the reading strategy exercises on page 62. 62 . Do the downwards path drill and crossways path drill at least 3 times during the week. wee k.



Extra credit. Try some of the speed drills on different material to what you’v yo u’vee bee been n usin u sin g.

D a i ly l o g


_________________________________ ______________________ ___________

Time spent:

_____________


_________________________________ ______________________ ___________

Time spent:

_____________


_________________________________ ______________________ ___________

Time spent:

_____________


_________________________________ ______________________ ___________

Time spent:

_____________


_________________________________ ______________________ ___________

Time spent:

_____________


_________________________________ ______________________ ___________

Time spent:

_____________

Day 7:

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Name of book:

_________________________________ ______________________ ___________

Time spent:

_____________


Final Review Congratulations on completing this speed reading course! Let’s do a final review to see how far you’ve come over the past 4 weeks. Reading test

Pick a starting page in your test book, preferably the same one you used for your first reading test. Read for 10 minutes at a comfortable pace. Whe n 10 minut min utes es is up, mark your finishing line on the page in the book. Fill out the following information. Date:

_____________


_____________


_____________

Summary of what you read: ________________________ _________________________________ _________ _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ Speed calculations

Fill out the following data to calculate how many Word Per Minute (WPM) you read. The first section is data for the book itself: Wor d c ount oun t f or 10 lines li nes :

A _ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ _ ( inc ludin lu din g smal s mal l words) wor ds)

Wor d c ount oun t for one on e l ine: ine :

B _ __ _____ _____ _____ ___ __ (cros (c ros s o ff the th e l ast as t zero z ero from fr om A)


C _____________

Wor d c ount oun t per pag e:

D ___ ___ ___ __ ____ __ (mult (mu ltipl iply y B. by C. )


E _____________


F _____________ (multiply D. by E.)




H _____________ (multiply G. by B.)

Total words read

I _____________ (add F. and H.)

Now you can calc ulate your words per minute by dividing by 10 (because you read for 10 minutes). Words Wor ds per minute min ute

J _____________ (divide I by 10).

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Let’s repeat the comprehension test to see how well you understood what you read during your reading test. Read your summary notes then answer these questions: Did you understand what the author was saying? _____ __ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ ____ __ Did you understand the main ideas? _____ __ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ ____ __ Did you remember the basic facts? _____ __ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ ____ __ Now reread your test pages thoroughly. Was your yo ur und ersta ers tandi nding ng as goo d a s y ou tho ugh t ear e arlie lie r? _____ __ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ ____ __ Did you remember the main ideas correctly? _____ __ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ ____ __ Did you remember the basic facts correctly? _____ __ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ ____ __ Did you have difficulty remembering the material while summarizing, summarizing, but felt you understood it while you were reading it? _____ __ _____ _____ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ ____ __ Overall final review

Speed from initial test:

_____________ (4 weeks ago)

Speed from mid-point test:

_____________ (2 weeks ago)

Change:

_____________ (better/worse) (better/worse)

Speed from this test:

_____________ (today)

Change:

_____________ (better/worse) (better/worse)

How well would you rate your reading speed improvement?  Excellent

 Good

 OK

 Not

so good

 None

How well would you rate your comprehension improvement comprehension improvement for this reading?  Excellent

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 Good

 OK

 Not

so good

 Poor


What Wh at did you yo u do d o well wel l during dur ing this th is cou rse : _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ Do you need to redo any part of the course? _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ Did you meet your time commitments? _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __ _____ __ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ ___ __ _____ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ ____ __

Regardless of whether you’ve completed this course successfully, please provide feedback via our online survey. Go to this URL: http://www.memletics.com/surv http://www.meml etics.com/surveys/speedeys/speed-reading reading

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Appendices

Appendices

A n i n t r o d u c t i o n t h e M e m l et i c s A c ce le r a t e d L e a r n i n g Sy s t e m Memletics draws together much of what we know about effective learning into an easy-to-apply system. This chapter provides you with an overview before you start learning about the individual parts of Memletics. This helps you learn Memletics faster. Having this overview also helps you understand links between the different parts of Memletics. You will soon begin to see the power of Memletics comes from bot h the indiv in dividu idual al par ts and an d t he who le sys tem. tem . This appendix outlines the five parts of Memletics. These parts are the Memletic State, Memletic Process, Memletic Techniques, Memletic Styles and Memletic App roa ch: •

•

•

•

•

The Memletic State. How State. How to make sure your brain cells, physical systems and mental systems are in the best state for learning. The Memletic Process. Process. The steps you take to LEARN the knowledge needed for your goal. The Memletic Techniques. These Techniques. These techniques improve the speed and quality of your yo ur lea rning rn ing.. The Memletic Styles. Styles . Use your stronger and secondary learning preferences to improve your overall learning. The Memletic Approach. Approach. Manage the overall learning journey by prior planning and then tracking along the way.

Don’t worry too much about the details of each part at this point. In this chapter, I just jus t pro vide vid e a n overv ove rview iew of eac h par t of Memlet Mem let ics. ic s. This Th is is bec ause aus e there th ere are many man y interrelationships between the five parts of the system. Having a broad understanding first helps you recognize those linkages as they arise.

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Memletic State is the right state for learning Memletic State helps you ensure your cell state, physical state and mental state are in good condition for learning. It’s harder to learn if your cells, body and mind do not perform well. Cell state refers to the state of the cells, primarily neurons, which make up the brain. Physical state involves the different bodily systems that support life, such as breathing, blo od circ ci rcula ula tion, ti on, sle ep and an d genera gen era l bod ily health. Mental state involves mental processes that predominately occur in the mind, such as motivation, concentration, awareness and attitude.

Relaxation

Glucose Memletic

State Fitness

Nutrients

Health

Cell State Layer

Physical State Layer Good learning state supports the building of Mental State Layer the networks of neurons for the material you learn. learn. At the same time, positive learning experiences build neural networks that improve how you learn. learn .

Wha t is “good “go od condi co nditi tion? on? ” L et’ s l ook at some som e exa e xampl mpl es: •

•

•

Cell state. The brain is a cell-based system and relies on essential materials such as oxygen, water, food and nutrients. These materials are essential for the proper functioning of neurons and other key brain cells. Good cell state requires a good supply of all these during learning. Physical state: state: Your physical environment has a big impact on your body, so fresh air, right temperature, good light and correct furniture are important. Controlling your breathing and stress helps good state, as does getting enough rest and sleep. Longer term, good diet and exercise also have positive effects. Some dietary supplements can also increase brain performance. Mental state: state: Clearly defined goals and defined steps for achieving those goals are essential for motivation. Attention and concentration are critical for learning. Longer term, good mental health and “mental exercise” also improve your yo ur ove ral l l earni ea rni ng.

There are also some negative impacts on state. For example, excess stress and tension are enemies of good state.

Memletic Process—the steps to LEARN The Memletic Process Memletic Process provides steps to follow when whe n lea rni ng new mater ma terial ial . Locate Explore Arrange Reinforce eNquire You use this th is pro ces s at var yin g level le velss of det ail throughout your learning. For example, you first use this process at a high level to understand the overall organization of your material. You then repeat the process at lower levels of detail until you are learning individual chunks of knowledge,

L E A R N

100

Appendices

such as a particular skill or fact. This approach provides a repeatable process you can refine to improve your overall learning performance. The diagram above shows the five activities of the Memletic Process. These are: •

•

•

•

•

Locate. Firstly, you find and prepare content for your learning goal. This may involve using standard books and manuals, however it could also involve getting notes from lectures, one-on-one tutoring sessions, the Internet and other references. Explore. Here Explore. Here you work through and understand your content. There are some general principles to follow, such as learning to a level deeper than needed. There are also some approaches relevant to particular learning styles that you may want to try. Arrange. Next, Arrange. Next, you select which material you want to memorize, memorize, and prepare it for memorization. You select Memletic Techniques based on the type of knowledge you want to learn. This book has over twenty different techniques you yo u can ca n apply app ly to var ious iou s forms fo rms of con ten t. You then the n prepar pre par e you r cont co ntent ent for use with those techniques. Reinforce. Reinforce. You then use those techniques to reinforce knowledge, skills and beh avior av iors. s. Fur the r reinf rei nfor orci cing ng tec hniqu hn iques es help he lp you yo u lock lo ck in that th at mat eri al for the th e long term. eNquire. eNquire. Lastly, you review both how well you learned your content, as well how well you applied Memletics along the way.

Notice how the first letters of these steps spell out LEARN (eNquire starts with the ‘N’ sound). Don’t feel like you have to stick rigidly to these activities. They sometimes overlap. For example, when you explore content you start to form ideas on the techniques to use to memorize it. You start to reinforce material when you explore and arrange it. You may need to rearrange some material during the reinforcing process, as it may not be suitable for the particular technique you chose. Your mind naturally connects topics, associates information and does its own reviews as you progress. Letting it do so helps the whole memorizing process.

Memletic Techniques lock in knowledge You mai nly use the th e Memlet Mem let ic Tec hniqu hn iques es during the reinforcing activity of the Memletic Process. The techniques are the primary methods of reinforcing the knowledge you need to remember for the long term. You can ca n use man y tec hniqu hn iques es in you r lea rning rn ing activities. I’ve grouped these into six main categories, based on the underlying principles of how the techniques work. These categories are: •

Visualize

Verbalize

Memletic

Techniques

Simulate

Perform

Associate. Assoc As soc iate ia te new knowl kn owledg edgee with wit h knowledge that’s already in your memory. These techniques are great for facts and procedures.

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•

•

•

•

Visualize. Use your “mind’s eye” to recreate sensory abilities, experiences, ideas and views in your mind. Visualization can be creative, for example for experiences that have not happened yet. You can use it to rehearse new procedures and skills, and as well use it to strengthen other techniques. Verbalize. Your Yo ur inter int ernal nal sel f-t alk al k inf luenc lu enc es you r behav beh avior ior . Usi ng ver bal techniques such as assertions (or affirmations), scripting and a “mental firewall” you can alter your internal self-talk to align with your learning objectives. Simulate. Simulation reinforces a behavior or skill using external tools. Basic simulation can involve just cardboard cutouts or household items, while PC bas ed simul sim ulati ati on is becomi bec omi ng mor e and an d more mor e adv anced an ced . Rol e-p layin la yin g is also al so another form of simulation. Perform. There are specific techniques to improve skill performance. Some of these techniques involve understanding the theory behind learning and performing skills. Other Perform techniques help change existing behaviors, as well wel l as improv imp rov e perf p erf ormanc orm anc e o f a lread lr eady y lear le arned ned skill ski lls. s. Repeat. Wh Repeat. Whil ilee Memlet Mem let ics ic s aims ai ms to reduc re ducee rote rot e repeti rep eti tio n, rote ro te lea rning rn ing is still sti ll a common and sometimes useful technique. Flashcards are also useful, however some newer software can significantly improve the way you learn and retain new material.

I’ve listed the techniques in each of these categories in the following table: Assoc As soc iat e

General association

Peg events

First letter mnemonics Acros Ac ros tic mnemon mne mon ics

Mental journey or story Roman Rooms

Linked lists

Chunking

Peg words Visual Vis ual ize

General visualization

Mental rehearsal

Creative visualization

Strengthening techniques

General verbalization

Mental firewall

Ass ert ion s

Scripting

Simulate

Basic simulation PC simulation

Advan Adv ance ced d simu s imula latio tio n Role-playing

Perform

Three stage skill learning

Shunt

Part task training

Anc hor ing

Performance variation

Modeling

Verba Ver baliz lize e

Overlearning Repeat

Rote learning

Scheduled review

Flashcards

Programmed repetition

As well wel l as the th e tec hniqu hn iques, es, I also al so discus dis cusss som e commo co mmo n rea son s why tech te chniq niques ues may not work as well as you expect at the end of the techniques chapter.

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Appendices

Memletic Styles personalize your learning The Memletic Styles recognize that each of us prefers to learn in different ways. There are many variations on this theme and different way s to descr des cribe ibe these th ese prefer pre fer ences en ces,, howev ho wever er the Memletic Styles uses the seven shown in the diagram as its basis. These seven Learning Styles are: •

Visual. Visual. You use pictures, images, visua vi sua liz ati on, and an d s pat ial arr angem an gement ent s.

•

Aural. Aural. You use voice, sounds and music.

•

Verbal. You Verbal. You use words and writing.

Visual

Logical Social Memletic

Styles Aural

•

Physical. You Physical. You use your body, hands, and sense of touch.

•

Logical. You Logical. You use l ogic, reasoning and systems.

•

Social. Yo Social. You u pref p ref er to learn le arn with wit h groups gro ups or oth er people peo ple..

•

Solitary. You Solitary. You prefer to work alone and use self-study.

Solitary

Verbal

Physical

All Al l of these styles are effective learning styles. Your favored use of particular styles does not make you a more or less effective learner. Current school approaches tend to focus on only two of these. This bias may have influenced how you yo u view v iew you r own o wn lea rning rn ing abi litie li ties. s.

Memletic Approach—the path to your goals The Memletic Approach is a Memletic Approach series of tasks that you can Target Plan Track use to approach and manage Do it for life any learning journey. The time you spend in this activity varies according to the length and importance of your yo ur goa ls. The four tasks of the Memletic Approach are: Target. Target. Choose and clarify your goal. Targeting your goal involves understanding your reasons, exploring your goal and setting your objectives. •

•

•

•

Plan. Plan. Decide your approach. Do prior research, plan your course map, and wor k o ut time ti me and an d c ost est ima tes. tes . Track. Track. Track your progress. This involves regularly (but not too regularly) checking your progress and adjusting where necessary. Do it. Enjoy it. Enjoy it for life. This one is self-explanatory!

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Le a r n m o r e a b o u t M e m le t ic s If you’d like to learn more about the Memletics Acce Ac celer ler ate d L ear ning ni ng System Sys tem,, visit vis it the th e home hom e page pag e for fo r the Memletics Manual at www .me .meml mleti etics. cs. com com/ma /ma nua l/d l/defa efa ult ult.as .as p This manual is the core reference for Memletics – there are no other materials describing Memletics in depth. Also Al so on the Memle Mem letic tic s webs w ebs ite, ite , you’l you ’lll find: fi nd: •

•

•

•

•

Memletics Statistics. Statistics . See some interesting statistics on Memletics users. Instructor-led training. training . upcoming instructor-led Memletics.

Learn about training for

Testimonials. Don't just take our word for it. See some comments from Testimonials. readers and reviewers of Memletics. Resources. See some of the additional resources that are available to Resources. Memletics Members. Ac cel era Accel erated ted Lea rni rning ng Res ear earch ch Pro Proje jects cts . Find out about some of our current research projects, including information on Memletics VR (Virtual Reality).

You can ca n a lso lea rn more mor e about us. us .

Discount code for the Memletics Accelerated Learning Manual We’re We’ re hap py to pro vide vid e you wit h a 20% dis cou nt off of f the Mem let ics Manua Ma nua l. To obtain the discount: 1.

Go to the Manual home page at www .me .memle mle tic s.c om/ om/man manua ual/d l/defa efa ult ult.as .as p

2.

Page down to the bottom and click “Continue” under the format of the manual you ’d lik e. You can ca n a lso selec sel ectt y our reg ion for inter in ter nat ional io nal prici pri cing. ng.

3.

On the order form, be sure to log in first! Use the link at the top to log in as an existing user. Enter the discount code SPDRDC in the discount code field (in the payment part of the order f orm).

4. 5.

Complete your order normally. As long as you provide the discount code above you' yo u'll ll rec eive eiv e t he disco dis count unt (chec (c hec k t he order or der tot al on the th e orde o rderr v erify eri fy page) pag e)..

Memletics for organizations & businesses Representatives of organizations and businesses may be interested in the following programs: •

•

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Vol ume lic ens Volume ense e pro progra gra m. m. This program is ideal for organizations that wan t t o prov p rov ide the th e Meml M eml eti cs produc pro duc ts to many man y studen stu dents ts or employ emp loy ees. ees . Partner certification program. program. For individuals and training organizations wanting to conduct training specifically on Memletics, or create new products or services based on the Memletics content.

Appendices •

•

Aff iliat ili ate e progra pro gra m. If you would like to receive rewards for referring visit vi sit ors to our sites, sit es, the th e a ffil ff iliat iat e prog p rog ram is for fo r y ou. Reseller program. If program. If you would like to resell Memletics, for example as reference with your existing training program, you can obtain the Manual at a discount.

For more information on these programs, please visit www.m ww w.m eml emleti eti cs. com com/su /supp pport ort/pr /pr ogr ogram ams.a s.a sp

Other sites we run Feel free to visit these sites as well: •

•

•

ww w.l ear www.l earnin ning-s g-styl tyl eses-onl online ine.co .com m – Discover your personal learning styles, graphically! Thousands of people have done this test. ww w.a cc www.a ccele elera rated ted-le -learn arning ing -on -onlin line.c e.c om – General information accelerated learning plus thousands of research article abstracts.

on

ww w.f ind www.f ind-he -heal althth- art artic icles les.c .com om – – This site helps everyone discover medical research information more easily.

You Yo u can c an also al so infl in fluen uence ce the conte co nte nts of this th is secti sec tion on by doi ng the sur vey at: at : http://www.memletics.com/surv http://www.meml etics.com/surveys/speedeys/speed-reading reading

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106

Index

Index

A abstraction, 77 African-American descent, eyesight risk, 20 Alphabetics, 13 Anne Jones, teacher, 8 applications, compatibility, 30 astigmatism, test for, 18 attention, 66 Aural style exploration techniques, 79

B back cover, skim read, 46 Be here now, concentration technique, 66 blinking, 22 blurred vision, 22 bold text, skim read, 49 bottom up approach, 77

C CBT, Computer-Based Training, as content source, 69 ClearType, 29 colors, monitor settings, 27 comprehension need for, 9 computer monitor. See monitors Computer-Based Training, as content source, 69 concentration, 66 and environment, 67 longer term improvement, 67 techniques, 66 content book examples, 69 collection tips, 71 exploring, 74 locating, 68 organizing tips, 72 sources of, 68 Cornell, note taking, 71 course guide, 84 covers, skim read, 46 crossways path, 57 CRT monitors, choosing, 24

D

F

dark spot, in vision, 22 diabetes, eyesight risk, 20 diagrams exploration technique, 78 skim read, 49 systems, 78 dictionary, for vocabulary, 34 diet, and eyesight, 22 discount code, for Memletics, 102 distractions log, for concentration, 67 training to ignore, 67 double vision, 22 downwards path, 57 DPI (dots per inch), 26 draft printing mode, 24 dry eyes, 22

fatigue, eye, 22 finger, for regulating speed, 41 fitness, and eyesight, 22 Five Ws technique, 77 fixations, 7 fluency basic skills, 39 developing, 39 font, readability, 23 front cover, skim read, 46 fruit, and eyesight, 22 full screen mode, skim reading, 52

G games for concentration, 67 graphs, exploration technique, 78

E embarrassment, 42 environment and concentration, 67 examples content sources, 69 excessive blinking, 22 exploration techniques aural style, 79 general, 75 Logical style, 81 Physical style, 80 Social style, 82 Solitary style, 83 Verbal style, 80 Visual style, 78 explore step, 74 eye movements, 41 eyesight astigmatism test, 18 diet and, 22 frequent checks, 22 higher risk groups, 22 macular degeneration test, near sight test, 14 protecting, 22 testing, 14 eyestrain, 22

H halos, in vision, 22 headaches, 22 headings, skim read, 49 high altitude view, 76 highlighting, 72 history, of words, 36

I index skim read, 48 index cards, for exploring content, 81 italics skim read, 49

J journal, for exploring content, 83 journal, for new words, 35 20

K Kim Peek, 7

L LCD monitors, choosing, 24

107


lectures, for exploring content, 80 line spacing, and readability, 23 locating content, 68 logic tree, 82 logic, for analyzing content, 81 Logical style exploration techniques, 81

M machines, reading, 8 macular degeneration, test for, 20 margins, and readability, 24 maximum reading speed, 7 megasavant, 7 Memletic Approach overview, 101 Memletic Process overview, 98 Memletic State for fluency, 40 overview, 98 Memletic Styles overview, 101 Memletic Techniques overview, 99 Memletics, introduction to, 97 Mind-Maps, 78 modes reading, 58 monitor optimizing, 24 monitors and skim reading, 51 choosing, 24 correct use, 26 CRT, 24 LCD, 24 native resolution, 28 settings, 26 suggestions, 25 mouse, for regulating speed, 41

N native resolution, LCD, 28 near sightedness, test for, 14 new word journal, 35 noise, and concentration, 68 note taking, 71

O optimizing your monitor, 24 OSAID model, 81

P paragraph marking, 67 paragraphs skim read, 49 paths crossways, 57 downwards, 57

108

reading, 57 straight through, 57 Peek, Kim, 7 pen, for regulating speed, 41 pencil, for regulating speed, speed, 41 peripheral vision, and concentration, concentration, 68 peripheral vision, loss of, 22 phrases, pivotal, 60 Physical style exploration techniques, 80 pivotal words and phrases, 60 Post-it notes, for exploring content, 81 prefixes, 35 presentations example content, 69 printed text, optimizing, optimizing, 23 pyramid, for content, 75

Q questions about material, 56 about objectives, 55 questions, for content pyramid, 77

R rainbows, in vision, 22 Rainman, Movie, 7 readability on screen, 23 reading modes, 58 paths, 57 strategies, 55 reading speed compare, 11 testing, 11 varying, 59 refresh rate, 26 regression, 40 regulator technique, 41 role-playing for exploring content, 81, 82 rote learning, 74

S screen resolution, 26 screen, reading on, 23 screens. See also: monitors sensitivity, to light, 22 sketching, exploration technique, 78 skim reading, 45 exercises, 52 structured content, 46 unstructured content, 51 smoking, eyesight risk, 20 Social style exploration techniques, 82 software, reading, 8 Solitary style exploration techniques, 83

sound, for exploring content, 79 speech synthesis, 39 speed drills for fluency, 42 speed paths, 43 Speed Reading World Championships, 8 spider approach, 66 sport, and eyesight, 22 spreadsheet, test and progress tracking, 10 squinting, 22 straight through path, 57 strategies, for reading, 55 structured content, 46 study buddy, 82 subvocalizing, 41 suffixes, 35 summaries skim read, 50 SuperMemo, 35 symbols, words as, 13 systems diagrams, 78

T table of contents, skim read, 47 techniques abstraction, 77 aural style exploration, 79 Be here now, 66 bottom up, 77 concentration, 66 deeper, wider, 76 diagramming, 78 distraction log, 67 Five Ws, 77 general exploration, 75 graphing, 78 high altitude view, 76 highlighting, 72 logic tree, 82 Logical style exploration, 81 Mind-Mapping, 78 note taking, 71 OSAID, for logic, 81 paragraph marking, 67 Physical style exploration, 80 regulator, 41 sketching, 78 Social style exploration, 82 Solitary style exploration, 83 spider approach, 66 study-buddy, 82 systems diagrams, 78 Verbal style exploration, 80 Visual style exploration, 78 tests astigmatism, 18 eyesight (general), 14 macular degeneration, 20 near sight, 14 typeface, readability, 23

Index

U unstructured content, skim reading, 51

V varying reading speed, 59 vegetables, and eyesight, 22 Verbal style exploration techniques, 80 video, as content source, 69 vision, loss of, 22

Visual style exploration techniques, 78 visualization for exploring content, 79 vocabulary and dictionary, 34 and reading speed, 33 increasing, 33 test results, 33 vocalizing, 40

W watery eyes, 22 Windows XP, configuring monitor, 26 Windows, monitor drivers, 27 word history, 36 word journal, 35 words as symbols, 13 pivotal, 60 World Championships, Speed Reading, 8

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Memletics - Effective Speed Reading Course

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