On the other hand, sight reading makes use of flash cards with predetermined words written on them. The theory is that each word has its peaks and valleys that are easy to remember for they represent a "picture" of the word. There are even studies wherein toddlers were taught how to "read" using the sight reading method.
The thrust of both reading methods is linear reading - left to right, line per line. Reading was approached as syllable for syllable, word for word progression. We were all taught to read aloud when just starting out and then told to read to yourself later which is tantamount to subvocalization - reading words silently. This method of reading is well and fine, if you are in grade school. However as you progress on the ladder of academics and there's a need to digest large volume of information, you need to read faster without sacrificing comprehension. This is where speed reading comes in.
What is speed reading?
The world's fascination with speed reading started when the U.S. Air Force used the tachitoscope to flash four words on a screen at the rate of 1/500 of a second with the reader recognizing all four words. This experiment opened the possibility of training someone to speed read. From then on the quest for the best speed reading technique has been ongoing.
It is a misconception that speed reading is a specific method that can help readers process (read) written materials at a certain pace without sacrificing comprehension and retention. There are different methods of speed reading and as a general rule, none is 100% effective with regards to comprehension and retention of processed information. Each individual reads at his own pace and the speed is dependent on the type of material being read. For example, reading a romance pocket book would definitely be easier and faster to read compared to reading a book on human anatomy. Being able to read more than 8 books a day would be meaningless if you cannot understand, much more, retain what you have read. It is the ultimate goal of speed reading programs to process and absorb written information with a comprehension rate of at least 70%.
Speed Reading Methods
There are three basic methods used in speed reading: skimming; meta guiding and schematic processing.
Skimming refers to quickly browsing reading materials while searching for the important or main idea of the text or page. The average person can read from 200 to 400 words a minute. There are some untrained skimmers who can actually read 2500 words with a high rate of comprehension.
Meta guiding is basically guiding the eyes to glide on groups of words with the help of a pointer or a finger to speed up the reading process. The idea is to take in whole sentences in one glance. It entails marking a text page with invisible shapes so as to broaden the visual span to speed read.
Schematic processing is based on the principle that the human brain's ability to process and understand written information is based on the familiarity or unfamiliarity of a word. This process is called brain mapping. By training individuals to use their existing brain maps, they would be able to handle familiar words and concepts quickly while they process new and unfamiliar information through techniques taught to them.
speed reading