(Speed) Reading

[Your name here]

Student Careers & Skills2016

In groups of 3-4 write up to 5 sentences to describe your:

• Reading habits

• Reading approach

• Priorities for this workshop

Your approaches to reading

• Choosing what to read

• Techniques for reading more quickly

• Ideas for reading on screen

• Your reading strategy

www.warwick.ac.uk/skillsfeedback

Today we’ll look at

Your reading habits

Choosing what to read

A Search Strategy

Want more? GetWISE

Defining your key words:

• Helps focus on important points/texts

• Primes you to read and think about the text

• Produces more manageable reading lists

Can’t read it all- so be realistic!

Searching

Doing the reading

You need to read things more than once. You need to read things more than once. You need to read things more than once. You need to read things more than once. You need to read things more than once. You need to read things more than once. You need to read things more than once. You need to read things more than once. You need to read things more than once. You need to read things more than once. You need to read things more than once.

Search the context: Choose what to read

Zoom out: Quick read for the general landscape

Zoom in: More detailed read for understanding (take notes here)

Check and verify: review meaning, critiques, gaps in knowledge

Sorting out a strategy

Read the text for 1 minute. Note your words per minute score.

250 wpm- UK average

400 wpm- get through your academic reading

800 wpm- speed reading (but you’ll need to practice)

Start from the beginning your current speed

1

Sub-vocalization?

Regression or backskipping?

Always looking up unfamiliar words?

Reading each word at a time?

What slows you down?

1

Technique 1: The Shark

1

Technique 2: Get a little help

Your eye muscles need visual cues to move smoothly

Use a pen, your finger, or a piece of paper under the words.

Aids concentration and helps you get through the words more quickly.

Technique 2: Get a little help

1

“Chunk” your words together.

Try reading 2 at a time. If that’s easy, try reading 4 at a time.

Use punctuation to guide you:

Technique 3: Two at a time

1This one’s a bit trickier. We don’t always know what our mannerisms are, so you might need to ask someone to give you some honest comments

• Spreeder chunks text you upload by flashing it on the screen.

• No visual navigation.

• Motion sickness?

Help with chunks

• Evidence for/against paper or screen is inconclusive-personal preference

• When reading on screen consider

– Lack of spatial markers

– Screen clutter

– Visual fatigue

But I don’t read on paper!

Makes the most difference

• Use full screen PDFs

• Hit CTRL + to enlarge text or F11 for full screen mode

• ‘Reading’ function on your browser (check settings)

• ‘Mercury Reader’ for Chrome strips excess text/screen clutter.

Cut the clutter and reduce distractions!

Tidy up your screen

Backlit screens (laptop, phones, tablets) are more visually tiring than paper-may read more slowly!

• Use f.lux to fix light levels and reduce eyestrain

• Try changing text colour on e-readers or iBooks

• Most importantly take breaks

Visual fatigue

Skimming: get the general idea

Scanning :Decide what you’re looking for

Try reading in this order:

HeadingsSubheadingsFigures/tables/images

Structure helps

• Read text using all the techniques we discussed.

• Work out your WPM score

• Take 2 minutes to explain it to someone

Putting it all together

1

Set yourself 2-3 action points to try out over the next two weeks

The Warwick Skills Portfolio Award (WSPA) will help you to develop skills that are valued by employers and that will be useful for you more broadly, in your personal life and whilst studying here at Warwick.

Complete 3 workshops and 3 sets of reflections, guided and supported by an online coach

What next?

1:1 Academic Skills Advice appointments

Writing mentors

Get in touch:

skills@warwick.ac.uk

@warwickskills

Give us some feedback:

www.warwick.ac.uk/skillsfeedback

Workshop: Speed Reading

Tutor:

Further advice and feedback

Buzan, Tony The Speed Reading Book

Spreeder

f.Lux

Mercury Reader

GetWise

Reading on screen blog

Resources

Slide 4 Child Reading, Jessie Wilcox-Smith (1863 – 1935) Public Domain

Slide 5 Warwick Media

Slide 12 White Shark, Sydney Aquarium, By Pedro Szekely from Los Angeles, USA CC BY-SA 2.0,

Slide 13 Eye, Open Clipart

Slide 16 Building Blocks, Open Clipart

Slide 20 & 21 Dry Etsoha Pan by Alchemist-hp (talk) (www.pse-mendelejew.de) - Own work, FAL,

Image Credits