Increase Your Reading Comprehension and Speed

Improved Reading Comprehension:

Build your knowledge through reading and studying - previous knowledge, including vocabulary, facts, and ideas, gives you the context to understand what you read. What you already know impacts your ability to understand and remember important ideas. As such, increase your breath (exposure) and depth (intensity) of reading to acquire a broader range of knowledge i.e. read over the summers and during winter breaks.

Establish your purpose for reading - what do you want to get out of reading? This will determine the level of understanding you need to reach and what to focus on. Four reading purposes are:

•  Reading for understanding (general ideas and specific facts help to explain and support ideas).

•  Reading to evaluate critically (examine cause and effect, evaluate ideas, ask questions, search for assumptions).

•  Reading for practical application (learning to do something, learning information to apply to a specific goal).

•  Reading for pleasure (recreational or entertainment reading).

Remove the doubt and negative self-talk - think: "I can learn this material," not "This reading is too difficult."

Think critically - ask questions. Are ideas and examples clear? Could you explain it to others? Understand the concepts in headings, subheadings, figures, titles etc..

Expand your vocabulary - incorporate the New York Times and/or Wall Street Journal in your recreational reading. You will expand your vocabulary (keep a dictionary handy) and stay abreast of world events.

Increase Reading Speed:

This is applicable in instances where you are not seeking to gain an in-depth understanding for an exam, rather when you need to gain sufficient understanding of the material to decide how to use it or whether it is helpful toward a paper or other purpose.

•  Try to read groups of words rather than single words.

•  Overview the textbook chapter (skimming for headings, subheadings, and paragraphs to locate concepts).

•  Look for cues (skim material in search for cues pertaining to specific concepts or information).

•  Avoid pointing your finger to guide your reading, this will slow your pace.

•  When reading narrow columns, focus your eyes in the middle of the column. With practice, you will read the entire column width as you read down the page.

•  Avoid vocalization or speaking the words when reading.

•  Avoid thinking each word to yourself as you read it, called sub-vocalization.

Russell Conwell Center

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