Speed Reading Can Be Used Effectively When Studying Difficult Material

Every student is required to learn difficult study material at some point or another during school or college. Speed reading has advantages in these areas as well as disadvantages. The student must learn how to incorporate his speed reading skills in a way that facilitates reading complicated information. He should also know when speed reading will not be of any help.

There are various ways to tackle work that you do not understand very well. I am firstly going to highlight the ways where speed reading will be advantageous. Just for general advice, always handle difficult work in smaller sections than you would normally read with easier work. This makes it appear more manageable and will be easier to understand.

Use your speed reading skills to scan the section of work that you have chosen. Focus on the title, headings, subheadings and first sentences of each paragraph. Notice, as well, any words printed in bold or italics and pay attention to graphs, charts and illustrations. Do this in order to get a feel for how the information is organized within the writing. The student can also read the introductory and conclusive paragraphs in full. This initial reading will determine what you do know and exactly how difficult it is.

To help with understanding this work it is important that you do read it to the end. Do not get discouraged – ideas can become clearer as you read on. You may do this reading at a reasonable speed.

The next stage will be to apply methods that will aid your understanding or the work. For these methods, speed reading is not so helpful as they require a slower analysis of the information. As you read difficult sections, look away from the text now and then and ask yourself questions. Try to respond to the questions in your own words. This will assist you in determining if you understand the work or not, as well as to make connections between the various concepts within the writing.
Any vocabulary that you do not know should be looked up. Understanding the meaning of a word could shed some light on parts of the information that you have not understood.

Try to organize your notes by connecting the ideas in a mind map or concept map. Use colors, pictures or symbols – not only words – and try to visualize the information as you summarize it. At this point, if you are still unsure of the information, it would be best to give it a rest and re-look at it again the next day. Your brain may need some time to process the material. For any ideas that are still unclear, seek additional advice from your teacher or academic counselor.

It is fairly obvious when speed reading will not assist the student, but in most circumstances, speed reading is a vital part of the learning process. Remember that it is fine to slow your reading pace when it is required. Not all information needs to be read with the same rate of speed.