

Researching the Speed Reading Software – A Guide

This is helpful information about the speed reading software – a guide for those unfamiliar with this type of program. Speed reading is a way of reading faster while still retaining the information in the text. Normally an increase in reading speed would be accompanied by a decrease is memory and understanding. When you remember and understand what you read, this is called comprehension. Reading comprehension is a very important skill that is included on many standardized tests, including the General Education Development test, or GED, and the Graduate Record Examination, or GRE. Being able to read quickly without losing comprehension is a very important skill. There are many different software programs that claim to teach speed reading.

Some speed reading programs teach users to follow the words on the page with their finger. This is supposed to help train the eye and the brain to process the words faster. This technique has been proven to increase reading speed without losing comprehension. However, the finger-following technique has limited use for anything other than print reading. Frequent users of computers are aware of how different screen reading is from print reading. The finger-following technique is not really applicable to computer screens, and can actually damage some types of computer screens. The liquid crystal screens found on laptop computers and flatscreen monitors should never be touched. A software program that uses the finger-following method is good for people who read books, magazines, and newspapers for pleasure, employees who must read printed manuals, directions, and reports, teachers who must read printed student work, and college students who must read many pages of textbooks. Those who do most of their reading on the computer or internet will need to use a different method to learn speed reading.

Some speed reading programs help users learn to broaden their field of vision. The programs begin with a single word in the center of the page or screen, and require the user to read the word without moving his or her eyes. The program then adds other words and builds on this new ability, until the user can take in several words or lines of text without moving his or her eyes back and forth across the page repeatedly. When a person can view text as a complete picture instead of a group of individual letters, their reading speed will increase dramatically. An advanced speed reading program can allow a user to read a book or other text while guiding the user to the correct place to focus his or her eyes.

Many people believe that the word subvocalization refers to a person moving his or her lips while reading. Actually, most people subvocalize when they read, by saying the words inside their own head. This limits a person’s reading speed to however fast they can mentally say all the words. speed reading software helps the user reduce or eliminate subvocalization, allowing him or her to understand the text as a whole without losing comprehension. This is a useful skill that can be applied both to text reading and to screen reading.

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