Seven Steps To Improving Your Reading Ability
Posted: Tuesday, July 21, 2009
by David Merkel
Five Star Concept
We can deliver fish to a poor person or we can teach that same person how to fish for his own food. The same analogy applies to reading a selection to an individual or teaching them to read on their own. In order to be considered to be educated and to continue to expand that education it is absolutely essential to improve your reading skills. The ability to read is vital in virtually every facet of daily life...whether it be scanning the newspaper, doing a calculation, or just trying to understand a basic sentence or paragraph.
The Environment You should have a location that is quiet and welllit where you can be comfortable for lengthy periods of time. A very supportive chair with footstool would be a positive addition to this area.
Focus - Your mindset should be aware that you are moving into a period of solitude where total concentration is of great importance.
Equipment It is always a good idea to have a pencil or highlighter' available while reading in order to be able to note those areas of significance for future reference. A current dictionary should also be at hand to ensure that all words and phrases are fully understood this function tends to improve one's vocabulary at a rapid rate.
Preparation It is advisable to scan the index and prioritize those chapters that directly relate to the primary purpose of your reading this particular text. These are the chapters that you will read first moving to the others later. This can be compared to searching for metals on a beach with eyes and hands only or doing the same task with a metal locating toolwhich would give the better results ? This preparation will be instrumental in improved reading skills.
Ask Questions In order to maintain constant attention to the text that is being readexperts state that continually asking questions of that which is being read will accomplish this as well improving reading skills.
Practice Upon finding the proper location, light, chair, and overall environmentthe continued practice of reading while following the tips given abovewill vastly improve the ability of a person to communicate, talk, and ultimately to write.
Report When the book or novel is completed a very good method to ensure the retention of its contents is to write a short capsule summary of the content that was just read. This can also be done chapterby chapter in the case of a textbook or educational text.
These are solid and proven methods to improve your reading skills but to also increase your vocabulary as well as your ability to communicate properly. They are points that I practice every day and they have proven to be very beneficial to me and those that I have given them to in the past. I know they will work for youremember it takes twenty-one [21] days to create a new habit.they do not appear overnight. If you apply these on a daily basis they will soon become familiar and you won't have to keep notes on what to doit will become automatic.
Take Care.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Good tips, David. I know if I am not enthralled by the material, I have a hard time focusing and will read the same sentence over and over. Welcome to SearchWarp.
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