FIRST PACED READING

     Most of us can learn to read much faster than we do now, and with
better comprehension.  (If you want to compare your reading speed in the
previous exercise with other people's speed:  most people read about 100 to
300 words per minute before giving special attention to improving their
reading speed.)

     Slow reading is a result of the way we were taught to read--word by
word.  We can think, and get information from a printed page, much faster
than we can put those thoughts into words.  Reading word by word is almost
as slow as speaking.

     To make this clearer, look at a picture for 15 seconds.  Then see how
long it takes you to put into words the description that was stored in your
mind as you viewed the picture.  This little experiment shows that we can
take ideas into our minds much faster than we can form words, even mental
unspoken words.

                                 --More--
     Maybe you move your lips as you read silently.  Many people do.  Or
maybe the rest of your speaking machinery is trying to form words even if
your lips don't move.

     To increase reading speed, we need to stop "thinking" the sounds of
words while reading.  Of course, if you are reading poetry or certain other
kinds of literature, you want to think the sounds.  But for many kinds of
reading, the aim is to get the most information in the least time.

     Here's one way to stop thinking the sounds of words while reading:
force yourself to read faster than you can think the sounds of the words
you read.  We will do this by pacing you while you read.

     Another cause of inefficient reading is looking at text word by word.
This is obviously related to thinking the sounds word by word.  Look at a
word in the middle of a line of text.  Without moving your eyes, you should
be able to read one or two words, or more, on each side of the "target"
word.  So you can read a whole line of text with just two or three "looks"!
This is important, because it takes time to move your eyes and focus them.

                                 --More--
     So you can see from three to seven words, or more, with one "look"
(also called "eye fixation").  Thus it makes no sense to focus on the first
or last word of a line.  You would be wasting half of your eye span on blank
paper, reading the margins!

     Now we are ready to begin SPEED READING!

     Choose a book that has about ten or twelve words per line (maybe a few
more, if there are lots of small words).  Then select about five pages to
read.  On each page, draw three vertical lines from top to bottom down the
page, as described previously.  Now let's see why you mark up your
book this way!

     As you read, you will focus your eyes only in the middle of the spaces
between vertical lines--three places on each line.  You will see several
words at each eye fixation.  Don't look at each word!  That's one of the
habits we are trying to break.


                                 --More--



     You will hit the space bar in just a moment (you will be told when to
hit it) to begin the timing and pacing of your reading.  The computer will
produce clicks to pace you.  At each click, move your eyes to the next
focus point, in the middle of a space between vertical lines.

     It's okay to get ahead of the clicks, but don't get behind!  Have your
finger ready to turn the right-hand page when you get to the bottom, so
that you won't lose time fumbling.  You will hit the space bar again the
instant you finish reading.

     After you finish reading, write a summary and check it as before.
Remember to record your results in your notebook.

     Be sure your book is marked with vertical lines as instructed above,
and get ready for speedy reading!  Now hit the ESC key.