Two former US presidents ”John F. Kennedy and Jimmy Carter” swear by it. And so does Carter’s first lady, Rosalynn. We’re talking about speed reading, the learning tool that AHEAD Tutorial & Review Center teaches all students of its review programs.
Speed reading is a skill that increases the number of books, articles, and materials that a person can read. It also lets the reader learn more concepts and get more ideas through reading.
That’s why the Carters, avid readers both, enrolled in a speed-reading course. And they made their staff do so as well. Like all speed readers, they learned the skill of eliminating sub-vocalization, or saying what they read aloud. Sub-vocalization actually slows down the reading process.
Speed reading also involves identifying words without dwelling on each letter. Thus, the reader spends less time on some phrases as his eye travels to the next sentence faster.
Speed reading is a godsend for students with a lot of books to read, research materials to study, and other things to do. It is the answer to the information overload from cyberspace, teachers, peers, and other sources. That’s why Rossana Llenado, AHEAD Tutorial & Review Center president, suggests training children to speed read as early as possible.
“They will not only have more time to enjoy the things they love, they will also be able to complete their school assignments faster,” she explains.
How does one speed read? One technique involves skimming through a page by choosing key words in the sentence while jumping over minor words. For online text, it means ignoring less relevant text and focusing on the more important ones. This requires skill, which one can get through a speed reading session like the one that AHEAD Tutorial & Review Center offers.
Meta guiding is another speed reading technique. The reader guides the eye by using a finger, pen, or pointer over the text. This is said to make the eye move faster.
Whatever technique one prefers, speed reading is very helpful in the digital age. It makes us grasp the main points of a reading material in less time, so we can focus on the more important things. It makes us learn more and enjoy more, which is exactly what AHEAD Tutorial & Review Center wants for its students.