How to Teach Speed Reading
Speed reading is a beneficial skill to have as a child or adult. It can help you read books, articles, textbooks and information at high speeds, helping you finish faster and more efficiently. It can be challenging and time-consuming to teach speed reading. The key is to take it step by step and regularly time your pupil when reading a certain amount of information to see if there has been improvement.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Challenging
Instructions
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1
Begin by timing your pupil reading. Pick a block of text, such as a page or couple of paragraphs. Have your pupil read this text and use a stopwatch to time them. Throughout the course of you teaching them to speed read, regularly time them while reading this same block of information on a weekly basis. There are also online speeding tests that can be taken to measure how fast one reads (See Resources).
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2
Have your pupil go through different blocks of text and highlight the important major points of each line. While reading, there is a lot of filler material, which is what slows people down when reading. Look for patterns of bold print or repeated words that emphasize important concepts. This helps speed up reading time significantly. Your pupil should highlight these ideas first to understand what they need to look for while speed reading.
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3
Go back over the highlighted text and have your pupil read just the highlighted area. They should do this several times for practice to get the hang of just reading key ideas and words.
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4
Teach your pupil not to re-read text. A lot of people unknowingly go back and read over sentences or certain words to make sure they understand the meaning. In speed reading, the point is to focus on the main, simple ideas. A good exercise for a pupil is to keep an index card under each line that is being read, then move it down to the next line to be read. As time goes on, the card will go down faster as your pupil learns to speed read.
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5
Help your pupil use their hand to keep focus while speed reading. Following a hand with the eyes helps create a smoother reading process. Keep your hands moving down the page as your pupil reads, and tell them to keep up with it by reading. After awhile, your pupil should use their own hand.
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Keep timing your pupil regularly. Timing them and seeing that the speed reading exercises are paying off will be a great motivator for your pupil, and encourage you as well.
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Start your pupil with books that have large font, and start with a book or article they have already read to make it a little easier on their mind and eyes.
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Tips & Warnings
The point of speed reading isn't to get through a body of information as fast as possible; it is to gain knowledge in a faster fashion by focusing on the main ideas and content. Be careful that your pupil doesn't misconstrue this idea and speed read through material without actually reading anything (this can happen easier than one thinks).
