Five reasons why speed reading is better than slow reading

Here are five myths about reading that have been debunked:

Myth 1— Concentrate better

Many parents and teachers believe that reading slowly increases concentration. When it comes to the current generation, kids encounter a lot of information in the form of text and visuals and that is a lot to take in.

Reading slowly may help the in comprehending the situation or theory but it lets the mind wander to previous paragraphs and kids tend to forget what they just read. Quick reading eliminates the element of a wandering mind.

Myth 2— Comprehension and understanding

Reading quickly does not mean one is skipping out on comprehending the material. This can be understood by comparing the way you read text books to the way you read novels. Students tend to read all the words and sentences in text books very slowly as they think it is the way to learn. When they pick up novels, they brush through paragraphs and still understand the story.

One must always keep in mind that there are a lot of words that are not essential to the meaning of that paragraph. They are supposed to be read for ideas, not words.

Myth 3— Memory and retention

There is no connection between slow reading and memory. As pointed out above, slow reading encourages a wandering mind and makes it more difficult to concentrate.

The human brain is capable of grasping knowledge and information at a much higher speed and by reading one word at a time, the brain starts day dreaming. It takes about 25 minutes for the brain to return focus to the original task. By reading fast, the concentration doesn’t waver and one is able to completely focus on the particular subject.

Myth 4— Natural reading speed

It is scientifically proven that reading comes from learning. This breaks down the belief that human beings are born with a particular reading speed and this cannot be improved. Reading skills may differ from person to person but there is no such thing as a ‘natural reading speed’. With practice, anyone can read faster.

Myth 5— Reading 1000 words per minute is impossible

An average person read around 200-400 per minute and this limit can be increased by regular speed reading exercises. Speed readers read up to 3500 words per minute, and some even beyond that. Today a world speed reading champion reads approx. 4500 words per minute without losing the essence of comprehending what is written.

For more stories on reading and education, click here