LibGuides: Wolfson College Academic Skills: Speed reading

If you are keen to increase the number of words that read, take this test at the start of the process to give you a baseline measurement:

• Set a timer for fifteen seconds
• Read at your normal pace
• Stop after 15 seconds
• Track across to the number at the end of the line this gives you an indication of how many words you are reading per minute (it is the number of words in total x 4)

You can repeat this exercise (best to choose a section that you haven’t read before) after practising a few exercises and then again after a few weeks of trying some new techniques. Has you time improved?

This exercise helps you train your brain to take in information at a single glance, rather than dwelling on it. It uses numbers, because we find it harder to memorise a meaningless set of digits than a word we have seen before. But you can try it with words; start with 3/4 letter words and increase to 8/9 letter words.

• If you can, print out the sheet or try on a tablet, as it is easier on a flat surface but still works on a vertical screen
• Get a plain piece of paper and pen. This is to cover up the numbers in between looking at the them so put on the other side to which you write e.g if you are left-handed, cover up the right-hand column and central column, and write in the left-hand column.
• With your non-writing hand, quickly slide the paper away to reveal the long list of numbers. Look at one number at a time and then slide the paper back. Try to remember the number and write it in the empty column.
• Repeat, looking at the next number down in the list and writing it in the empty column. As the numbers get longer, you may find that you need to spend longer looking at the number before you can remember it.

Memorisation is not essential to effective reading, but it can help us understand what we have just read and stops us repeatedly revisiting the same section of text. If you struggle to remember things after a single glance, don’t worry. Try some of the other exercises that help keep your eye focused and stop us wandering through the text.

• Reading short sentences

Try to read each line in a single ‘gulp’ (after you have practised the Visual Gulp numbers exercise)

• Reading long sentences

Try reading in phrases, only pausing a couple of times per line

A lot of time can be ‘wasted’ pausing on every word in a line. We can be more efficient readers if we only pause a few times every line. These two exercises use the same text. In the ‘short lines’ example, the sentence has been divided up to help train you to look at each chunk and move on to the next line. If you find you regress (look back over what you have read), slide a card down over the line once you have read it.

In the second exercise, the sentences have been put back together. Still try just to look at the groupings of words in the first exercise. This means you only pause on the line a few times, taking you less time to ‘read’ it.

Remember, these techniques aren’t for deep reading; they are part of a suite of techniques that help you scan through the text looking for the information you need or to identify areas that you need to spend more time reading in detail.

This is something we do when learning to read as a child but has huge value for  advanced readers too. It is best employed when you don’t need to read every word. Using a pointer, you can force your eyes to read more quickly. You will still be able to take in the gist of argument despite not reading every word. It will help identify repeated keywords and arguments.

What to use: thin pencil, knitting needle, chopstick. You need to be able to see round it and so it is best not to use a finger as it will block your vision.

How to do it: Place the pointer under a line and move smoothly as you read. Don’t jerk it in fixation groups, leave that decision up to your brain. As you become used to this, you can start to draw it down the page, take in more than one line at a time, moving to a general sweep of the page. The diagram below suggests different approaches.

Other methods:

Hop - similar to the ‘sweep’ method is the ‘hop’, but in the ‘hop’ you actually lift your pointer and make two even bounces on each line. Each time you bounce, you are making a fixation which hopefully catches sets of three or four words. Moving to a “hop” method also makes it easier to keep a steady pace as it is a lot like tapping our fingers on a desk. Balance on your arm muscle, don’t just wiggle your wrist or you might get repetitive strain.

Card  - use a card or a folded-up piece of paper above the line of print to block the words after you read them. Draw it down the page slowly and evenly and try to read the passage before you cover the words up. This helps break you of the habit of reading and reading a passage over and over again. It makes you pay more attention the first time. Be sure to push the card down faster than you think you can go.