1.  What is the objective of reading?

 This may sound obvious but the lack of a clear objective is of itself a reading difficulty; it may be, to acquire information, reach a decision and retain something. Now everyone is under pressure to absorb more information, more quickly. This course will help you do that.

 2. Common problems associated with reading

 In order to read faster it is worth nothing what slows us down. Common issues highlighted on training programmes are:

 i) Lack of time – reading under pressure

ii) Volume – too much to read

 iii) Importance – consequences and implications lead us to read slowly

 iv) Discrimination – knowing what information to value and what to discard

 v) Presentation – poor/difficult appearance

 vi) Organisation – verbosity or poorly organised ideas

 vii) Interpretation – differentiating between fact, fiction and interpretation

 viii) Limitations – physical and intellectual capacity for concentration and interpretation

 ix) Environment – poor reading environment = too cold/hot, noisy, etc

 x) Motivation – not interested or excited by subject matter

 xi) Training – a lack of knowledge and practise in reading techniques

 The last of these can help overcome all of the other difficulties

 3. The educational legacy

 To add to this list of difficulties, our educational background can be limiting. Most people were taught to read using the look/say or phonetic methods. This may have been appropriate for childhood but can hold us back when we want to move on and speed up because it is hard to stop sub-vocalising. Here are some ways of reading more quickly.

 4. Short cuts

 i) Always have a reading objective

 Read with a purpose and you will learn and remember more

 ii) Have a time limit

 Get into the discipline of working quickly

 iii) Pre-read and re-read

 Read a text more than once

 iv) Make notes

 Make brief notes as you go

 v) Scan

 Look quickly for headings, summaries, bullet points etc

 vi) Sentence sample

 Read first sentences of each paragraph only

 vii) A little and often

 Read for short spells – maximum 20 – 30 mins.

 vii) Review

 Review previous reading to reinforce

 ix) Conceptual reading

 Look for themes, get the big picture then look for detail

 x) Interactive reading

 Interact with the text, be aware of what you do and do not understand. Ask questions.

 These techniques combined will make your reading much more efficient and constructive. However, to move to the next stage in increasing speed whilst retaining comprehension you will need to understand the mechanics of reading and speed reading techniques.

 5. The mechanics of reading

 When we read, the following events take place -

 i) Image transfer from page to eye

 ii) Transfer of information from retina to visual cortex

 iii) Recognition, comprehension of words

 iv) Intra-integration – sticking the words together to make meaningful combinations

 v) Extra-integration – combining the new information with our existing knowledge to form a new understanding

 Two other important points need to be noted in understanding how we read:

 Firstly, like a camera, our eye only takes pictures when it is still. So although we have the illusion of movement, reading is made up of a series of freeze frames involving what are called movements and fixations. Secondly, most people tend to hear or even mouth the words as they read them. This is call sub vocalisation and hinders our reading speed. For, whilst ever we a sub-vocalising, our reading can only be at the speed of speech.

 6. Advanced reading techniques

 In order to read significantly faster, we need to adopt a different approach. This may seem alien but most people already use such a style when skimming through magazines or newspapers.

 i) Rapid scan

 Scan over a page every 3 to 5 seconds. Don’t worry about what you are taking in, just relax and allow your subconscious to take over.

 ii) Use a guide

 Use your fingers or a piece of card to guide your eyes like the camera steadied by the tripod

 iii) Read words in blocks

 Instead of reading one word at a time, read two or three. This is called widening your visual span

 iv) Reduce sub-vocalisation

 Try to stop hearing the words. Block reading, will help as will reading so quickly you can not say the words. At first, you will worry that you are not taking anything in but with practice become more confident

 v) Use accelerated reading

 Get used to reading text quicker than feels comfortable then slow down to a comfortable speed (this will then be quicker)

 vi) Multiple read

 Instead of reading cautiously once, read a number of times quickly

 vii) Use whole brain thinking

 Don’t be limited to the logical hemisphere of your brain but integrate creativity, imagination and lateral conceptual thinking

 viii) Remember you still need to be organised

 You still need to have an objective and take notes – use mind mapping and/or – 5 W, H – who, where, what, when, why and how

 xi) Be perspicacious

 Work at it; excellence takes time

 x) Good luck!

PART I: looking after your brain.

• Get enough sleep. Sleep is the time that the brain uses to reflect upon the day, to replay events and to store them in our memories. Several scientific studies have shown that people who regularly do not get enough sleep find it much more difficult to memorise and recall information or events. Adults should be aiming to get between 7-9 hours sleep most nights – sleeping too little or too much can have negative effects on the brain and memory. This may be important to note for people studying for exams – all night revision sessions can have a negative effect on brain function!
• Eat well. Any healthy balanced diet, rich in fruit, vegetables and key vitamins, as well as suitable levels of protein, carbohydrates and the right types and levels of fats will contribute greatly to your overall health and the overall health of your brain. Particular “brain foods” to try to include more of in your diet are things such as antioxidants, which are commonly found in many types of berry, and omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 is an oily substance found in oily fish such as tuna, as well as in some nuts, such as Walnuts (a very healthy nut). It has many great health benefits to the brain and is one of the best fats that you can (and should!) consume. A diet that supports good brain health will support a good memory.
• Reduce stress. Not easy if you are studying for an important set of exams or tests, but it is really important for the health of your brain to keep stress levels under control. Chronic stress can damage brain cells, particularly those in the hippocampus – a region heavily associated with the formation of new memories. Meditation, if practiced regularly, has many health benefits and is used primarily to reduce stress. If stress is a problem for you, then it would be definitely worth a try. In addition, depression should be kept under control and treated.
• Exercise! Regular exercise will increase blood and oxygen flow to your brain.

PART II: Learning techniques.

• Don’t just read. Just sitting and reading your previous notes, websites or textbooks is not an effective way to learn and retain information. You may understand it when you read it, and be able to recall it a few hours later, but there is nothing here that imprints on your long term memory. You MUST combine reading with one or more of the techniques below.
• Write new notes. However many notes you already have, write another set. The actual act of writing down the words will help you to take them in more. Don’t just copy! Read your original notes or material, then close or cover them, and write out the key points and details again in your own words. 
• Use colours! Nobody is interested in reading pages and pages of boring black text. Nobody remembers what they read either! Use colours, pictures or shapes to emphasise points and make them jump off the page and into your long term memory. Whether the colours you use follow a particular code or not, using colour to underline, circle or write key points will help them to stick in your brain. Pictures and diagrams should also be coloured, it attracts your eyes to the page a whole lot more. 
• Make use of the space around you. Do not sit and do all of your work in the same chair, at the same desk, every single day. It gets boring so you’ll concentrate (and thus remember) less. Plus, by learning different things in different environments, you may find that you remember where you were when you studied them! Take some notes to the park or garden. Sit at the table downstairs for a couple of hours instead of in your room. Read on a train, or at a friend’s house! A
• As well as remembering where YOU were…. you may remember where your notes are. Write up the key things that you have to learn (in colour, remember!) and stick them up everywhere, in places where you’ll see them often. People with photographic memories (and even those without) may remember that a particular concept was pinned up next to the mirror, or on the back of the door, or on the wall next to the bed, and by remembering those details, it’s easier to remember what it looks like and what was on it. 
• Use auditory learning too. Hearing things read aloud can help you to remember them. Instead of reading your notes in your head, read them out loud to yourself! If you can recite them or say them rhythmically then that’s even better. Failing that, try reading different sections in different silly voices. As well as making study more entertaining, it’ll make it much more memorable too!
• Teach other people. One of the best ways to learn something thoroughly is to try teaching it to someone else who doesn’t know it. When you’re explaining something complicated, it pushes your brain hard to think of new and different or interesting ways to explain or clarify things, and these things usually stick really well. Plus, do this without notes so that everything has to come from you, and encourage your subject to ask you questions too. If you can’t find a willing volunteer then don’t let that stop you! Teach your baby brother, or a poster, or a stranger on the Internet. My pet dog knows GCSE physics by heart!

Finding the Motivation to Study or Revise

Most of the brain training programs use mental exercises which are based on a theory called sound neurological theory. This theory can help improve one’s memory as well as problem solving abilities. One’s mathematical skills can also be improved to some extent. These mind exercise software are particularly famous and a lot of people have already benefited from using it.

However there are also some arguments against these exercises. Some say that these exercises are useless and the difference between the people who practice brain training exercises and the people who don’t is nil; which means that there is no difference at all. Whether or not you want to go for these brain training exercises is completely your choice. Although these reports may put brain training exercises in a negative light but then again you are your best judge. If nothing else, at least these exercises are fun and they keep you engaged and occupied for hours.

Apart from brain training programs, it has been scientifically proven that other activities like listening to music, having a proper diet, reading and also some physical exercises can help to improve one’s memory. So you can go in for brain training programs without the motive of improving your memory but just to have fun, this way if your memory does improve then you can count that as a bonus otherwise you can simply have a good time with all those fun games.

They say that an empty mind is a devil’s workshop, so instead of letting your brain remain idle, it is healthy to engage it in some sort of healthy activity or even constructive activity. This way you’ll not feel bored and you’ll also be doing your brain good! So try out some brain exercises activities today and see if these brain training activities are actually of any use or not!

Brain training video games intended to help you keep your brain fit, such as Nintendo’s Brain Age, which offers to train your brain in 10 minutes a day, have sold millions of copies. However you don’t need to splash out for an expensive games console and software. There are plenty of free online and interactive resources to help you get the benefits of training your brain. Below is a round-up of ten of the best:

1. Brain Metrix

   A website dedicated to brain training with a collection of brain training games and exercises

2. Sharp Brains

   Lots of brain fitness resources, including exercises.

3. Braingle

   Braingle claims to have the largest collection of brain teasers, riddles, logic problems, quizzes and mind puzzles on the internet with over 12,000 items which have been ranked by the site’s users.

4. Brainwaves

   Brain training exercises designed to build mental stamina and ability to organise new data.

5. Brain Arena

   Train your brain by competing online against thousands of other people. Site requires free registration.

6. Queendom

   Games and exercises to get your mind into shape.

7. Games for the brain

   Quiz, memory and brain games to train your thinking.

8. Miniclip brain training

   Flash based word games and other puzzlers.

9. Brain Gym® Exercises

   Some simple physical exercises which boost the brain, based on the work of Paul E. Dennison, PhD.

10. Matica Brain Gym

    Flash based Brain Gym.