Increasing Literacy Through Speed Reading

If you are new to an area and need to find your way around, it is essential that you are able to read road signs, maps, and atlases. If you are trying to make it through school, you are likely spending a large percentage of your time reading textbooks, essays, powerpoint presentations, and directions. For this reason, success in life is largely dependent on your literacy. Despite this, many adults in the U.S. are still not up to the level of reading that would deem them literate in English.

In 1992 the National Adult Literacy Survey found that 23% of adults age 16 years and over were only proficient on a Level 1 reading level. Because of these negative results, many programs have been put into place in order to increase the literacy of American adults. One effort in this movement has been put into place by public libraries all across the nation. Many libraries have literacy centers with daytime and after-school programs dedicated to increasing the literacy of both children and adults. Many of the teachers and mentors involved in these programs act as volunteers.

This emphasis on literacy has even had positive effects for people with normal reading levels. Often people who achieve normal results on reading and literacy tests, may find that they would like to increase their literacy level in order to excel in their schooling and career. One way to accomplish this is to practice something called speed-reading. When people think of speed-reading, you might get a mental picture of someone trying to speed through a book as fast as possible. However, true speed reading focuses on increasing not only reading speeds, but reading retention as well. For example, if you were required to read a chapter in your history textbook and then take a test, it would do you no good if you were able to read the chapter faster than anyone else, but forgot everything you had read. You would still fail the test.

Many speed reading methods focus on breaking bad reading habits such as subvocalization and re-reading or regression. Subvocalization is when you pronounce the words silently in your head as you read. Though this can be a benefit in the initial learning process, it can hinder your progress as you grow in literacy. Re-reading or regression is when you let your eyes wander back to text you've already read. Practicing speed reading can help you reduce these bad habits and sharpen your focus to increase retention. Because so much in life depends on how well we read, many people find that practicing speed reading helps increase important literacy skills that will help us succeed in life.