ESL Programs - 12 Tips To Learn Speed Reading and Take Better Advantage of Your Study Time
One of the secrets of success in college is being able to read and understand the many textbooks you are assigned from different courses and seminars. The faster you read, the more you can advance; and this is a must in a society ruled by information reaching us in many different ways and at the speed of light: newspapers, Internet, magazines, and books. But it is not just about reading the material, you have to understand it too, in order to apply what you learn or be able to discern what's good and what's not.
Mastering the language is a requisite of speed reading. If you do not know the vocabulary or sentence composition, even if you read fast enough, you will not be able to comprehend the meaning of the text. Programs are designed to make you proficient in English and help you achieve your needed reading level.
Speed reading teaching has become a very profitable business due to the demand for ways to maximize time when reading. There are companies charging hundreds of dollars for books, computer programs, or training, to teach you how to read faster, but there are some tips you can follow to learn speed reading on your own and save those bucks that never come easy when you are in college.
- Get an eye exam. If you are a slow reader, it may be because you suffer from a vision problem. Do not believe your vision is perfect if you have never had an eye exam performed.
- Measure your reading speed now. You have to know how fast you read now in order to check future improvement and keep you motivated. How do you track your reading speed?
-Choose a page on a book and time how long it takes you to read it, or set an alarm for, let's say, fifteen minutes, and find out how much you can read in that period of time.
-Take an online speed reading test. You will find many options, as well as comprehension tests that will show you how much you understood of what you just read.
Whatever your choice, read at your normal speed and try different pages on different topics. Get an average, which will symbolize your current reading speed.
- Avoid distractions. Music or crowded places are not convenient when trying to understand a text while reading it fast. Choose a quiet place, away from TV's, radios, or cell phones. Your focus on the material must be complete in order to maximize comprehension.
- Read everyday. Make it a routine, even if it is just ten minutes a day. Choose large font books at first, as these are easier to follow. You can start with something you have already read, since it will be easier to train skipping words and maintain a smooth flow.
- Set your reading speed in accordance with the material. Some matters may need more of your time in order to grasp them completely, thus, you need to slow down your speed reading time when working on them. Rushing will only backfire on you, as you will probably have to read the material all over again.
- Learn to separate the substance from the leftovers. Every text has the important parts, and many filling information you can skim quickly. Practice will make you proficient in identifying what matters and what doesn't. Skim the page first to identify repeated words, key ideas, bold print, and other signs of important matter. Once you start reading, you can skim over the majority of the text, slowing down only where you know the important data is. programs are designed to teach you how to identify key information in texts through intensive reading practices.
- Train to not reread. Most of us tend to go over the words we just read again to make sure we understood them. This is unnecessary and can easily become a habit, thus avoid doing it by dragging a piece of paper over the text you just read, covering it.
- Stop reading to yourself. Saying the words out loud to yourself slows your reading speed. Be aware of it and stop yourself as soon as you notice you're doing it. Sometimes putting a pencil in your mouth works.
- Use your hand. Smooth and consistent eye motion is fundamental for speed reading. Using your hand to guide your eyes will only increase its efficiency. Your eyes will follow your hand's motion and it will keep them moving forward steadily. Start slow but at a challenging pace; even if you feel you can't keep up, read a page or two and test your comprehension. You will improve with practice.
- Learn to read blocks of words. We learn to read letter by letter and word by word, but once you master the language, and this is where ESL programs come in very handy, you must go beyond the words and start reading groups of words, even sentences or paragraphs, automatically. Start small, four or five words at a time, and increase the number as you advance.
- Practice. Speed reading requires lots of practice to master. Push yourself beyond your comfort zone a little more every time, in this way you will always increase your capacity. ESL programs offer lots of reading training opportunities, helping you move forward and disciplining your eyes and brain to higher levels of speed reading. Regular breaks are important to keep focus and increase comprehension.
- Time yourself on a regular basis. After a week, time yourself again, as you did in the beginning. Do it from then on regularly, every week, to track your improvement. Reward yourself every time you see you have gotten better at it.
As said before, speed reading will not be achievable if your knowledge of the language is not extensive. If you are a foreign student, you need to find programs that will help you master the language and train your reading skills at the same time. There's no time to lose in college.
LCI English offers programs designed to arm you for success. Experienced teachers, personalized attention, tailored programs, and full assistance through your settling in process, puts us among the ESL programs that really understand the students' needs.
We know what you need so well, that we guarantee all ESL programs we provide. If you do not reach your desired level in a timely manner, we will extend your course for free until you do.
Check us out. Learn what we have to offer, and let us answer your questions and concerns, no strings attached! Contact Us. We always have an answer for you, and we can guide you on your decision.
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