PrincessMommy Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I know there are speed reading programs, but I heard they teach skimming. I do want to enjoy a book... but my reading is getting slower and slower... and I fall asleep after about a page or two. I love to read, but sometimes I get bogged down trying to finish a 400 page book and I want to move on. Is there any hope? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forty-two Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Do you know what your current reading speed is? And do you have any ideas on what might be slowing you down? Sub vocalizing - where you aren't just hearing the words in your head but are actually moving your lips a bit or otherwise effectively reading it "aloud", but without making noise - is a common culprit. Generally, reading with sub vocalizing tops out around 150 words/min. Hearing the words in your head is "bad", per the speed readers, as it limits your speed to what the auditory processing center of your brain can handle - supposed to top out around 500-600 words/min. Idk, I hear the words in my head and read around 500-550 words/min and that's been fast enough for me. I do unconsciously skim a bit on easy material - automatically fill in the short words and other expected words - and that boosts my speed somewhat. Speed reading doesn't have to be skimming so much as it is moving fast enough that you quit trying to use the auditory center of your brain to process the words but instead use the visual center of your brain, which is a few orders of magnitude faster. But a problem with reading that fast is that your ability to *do* something mentally with the words you read - aka comprehension and remembering it - isn't used to working that fast. So it's not just learning to take in the words fast but also learning to comprehend and think that fast - else it's the reading equivalent of in one ear and out the other. I know my reading speed varies based on the complexity of the material - not just so I can initially decode and comprehend it, but also because I am pausing to think about what I just read, connect it to other things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartosunshine Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I think my reading has slowed considerably recently because I need new glasses. Have you had your eyes checked recently? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 okay...good food for thought. 42 - I do sometimes move my tongue while reading.. and I do hear the words in my head...so it looks like I'm doing a double-whammy. I hadn't thought about comprehension keeping up with reading...that's something to think about. Sadie - yup - non-fiction is verrrryyyy slow. I heartosunshine - I have newish reading glasses... they definitely help. I haven't had them checked though - I just buy the cheap ones from the drugstore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I hear the words in my head but read 700 - 900 WPM depending on the material. I just trained myself to read that fast, I don't know how. I tried speed reading to read even faster but it hurt my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I'm a pretty quick reader - not sure of my reading speed though. I don't move my mouth or hear words in my head unless I'm reading something especially meaty and purposely slow myself down. Off to google reading speed tests now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I read pretty fast--faster than I comprehend. So I end up reading books twice, if they seemed pretty good the first go-around. My dh reads slower, but he comprehends things when he does and so reads ONCE. It's a wash. :0) I actually LIKE skimming fiction, because if the story doesn't hold up or but the writing is good, I can enjoy that. And the other way around--great story, so-so writing--OK. But when I find one I like both parts of,...I read it again. And often, again. :0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 It's actually hard to slow down a very rapid reading style. I read very fast and have to make myself slow down when I want to. It's hard for me, but at my usual speed I don't always absorb everything. I also slow down when I am reading some especially good writing, because I like to enjoy it. I have to do it purposefully though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blessdmommy Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/speed-reading-technology-read-90-minutes/story?id=22819573 You can get an idea of the Spritz app on their homepage. http://www.spritzinc.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Years and years ago. My parents got a speed reading program for the computer. What it did was train your eye to read in bigger chunks and move your eye faster. When we read the eye doesn't sweep smoothly. It pauses and reads a chunk, and then moves on. It did that by fuzzing out all but the chunk you were supposed to be reading. It didn't take long at all to get up to a relaxed 1200. 1500 if I pushed it, but then it started to be work. That computer was so old it did not have an internal hard drive. So, I would guess that there is freeware out there that does the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/speed-reading-technology-read-90-minutes/story?id=22819573 You can get an idea of the Spritz app on their homepage. http://www.spritzinc.com/ I love this and want it now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 It looks like Spritz is for eReaders? Would it work for paper books as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 It looks like Spritz is for eReaders? Would it work for paper books as well? No. Did you try the second link? It is all about showing one word at a time with one letter highlighted. So no way to work with anything but digital. I downloaded the bookmarklet and you can use it with any webpage! Having fun with it! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 I just took a test and read at about 200wpm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 No. Did you try the second link? It is all about showing one word at a time with one letter highlighted. So no way to work with anything but digital. I downloaded the bookmarklet and you can use it with any webpage! Having fun with it! :) What is the purpose of having one letter highlighted? I read the link, but I don't understand how it knows what content I am interested in, and how the letter highlighting will help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 What is the purpose of having one letter highlighted? I read the link, but I don't understand how it knows what content I am interested in, and how the letter highlighting will help. http://www.spritzinc.com/the-science/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I am surprised it isn't freeware right now. But, this has some reviews of software. http://speed-reading-software-review.toptenreviews.com/7-speed-reading-review.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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