A “must have” skill for the 21st Century
Accelerated learning is a method of learning that helps you organize, arrange and assimilate information at rapid speeds.
Ever since the creation of the printing press, it’s hard to argue with the fact, that most of the information we are exposed to on a daily basis is presented to us in the written word.
With the ever increasing influence and expansion of web multimedia services, the written word is somewhat losing a little ground, however it is still the most prevalent and popular way of presenting information in the modern era. Although it can be argued that it is also the number #1 culprit of the societal epidemic known to us as information overload. This epidemic is sweeping the world and putting extensive pressure on information gatherers who are doing their very best to try and make sense of the world.
Given this, it is critical that we learn to collect, absorb and completely assimilate the written word in a way that will save us time, energy and also our sanity. 
Today we will delve into the intricate details of reading and break down the speed reading process, including a step-by-step explanation on how to utilize a combination of speed reading and complimentary study skills to obtain a thorough and comprehensive understanding of an entire textbook. We will also take a closer look at a subconscious process of Photo Reading, which can enhance your learning and understanding of information at a profoundly deeper unconscious level of awareness. And finally, we will present you with some examination, study tips and strategies that incorporate the Photo and Speed Reading accelerated learning principles.
Reading Facts, Stats, Methods and Benefits
From a very young age, we are conditioned and trained to assimilate the written word in a variety of different ways.
The vast majority of us are first taught the methods of pronunciation one letter of the alphabet at a time. Next, we are introduced to short words and instructed to pronounce each letter of the word as an individual character before verbalizing the word as a whole.
As we grow older, and gain more experience with reading, we naturally progress to larger words and learn to verbalize them in whole chunks, which essentially enhances and improves our speed of reading. However for the vast majority of the population, this is where our reading progression essentially stops in its tracks, and this sets up a lifelong pattern of inefficient reading habits that present us with ineffective strategies for assimilating large amounts of information into our psyche.
Key Reading Facts and Stats
Here are some interesting statistics about reading:
- The average reader only reads 150 words per minute (wpm).
- Only 5% of readers read more than 400 wpm.
- Most of us can only assimilate what we hear when it is presented at 250 wpm.
- Most of us can assimilate what we see at 2,000 to 10,000 wpm.
- 4% to 11% of the text you read carries 80% of the meaning.
Two Methods of Accelerated Reading
Throughout this post we will be discussing two specific methods of accelerated reading that will help you to improve your assimilation, comprehension and understanding of the information you are studying.
Here is a quick look at the two principles of Photo Reading and Speed Reading.
Speed Reading Principles
Speed reading involves the process of skimming, chunking, identifying and filtering specific pieces of information in order to accelerate learning.
You skim over information in a way that will allow you to acquire an overall picture of the topic without losing yourself within the meticulous details.
You would chunk relevant aspects of this information together, following the same process you utilize when chunking individual letters into words. This helps to absorb sentences and paragraphs in quick succession. You would likewise identify or filter out aspects of the information you are reading that aren’t relevant or necessary to further your understanding of the topic.
Given all this, it is important to understand that speed reading isn’t just about reading quickly. It rather involves an analysis process of information assimilation that will accelerate your ability to learn information quickly.
PhotoReading Principles
PhotoReading involves a pre-conscious level of awareness that naturally stimulates creativity, rapid information assimilation while opening the doors to non-judgmental learning.
While PhotoReading, you are essentially shutting-off the conscious critical mind from the learning cycle.
Even though the conscious mind is essential for stimulating your short and long-term memory, it however can become a hindrance due to its habitual preconceived ideas and notions about the information you are learning.
Benefits of Accelerated Reading
Learning to read at an accelerated and rapid speed utilizing the methods described within this post and mind map, can dramatically reduce your study time and efforts, while enhancing your speed of comprehension and assimilation of new information.
Principles of Speed Reading
Speed reading is far more than just a process of rapid reading. It rather involves an intricate method of learning that will help you to become a smarter and more effective learner.
Within this section we will break down the speed reading process in detail, providing you with essential guidelines that will help you to rapidly assimilate this method of learning into your study regime. We will also overview the two processes of learning that incorporate the methods of speed reading to help you assimilate information at a faster rate.
Speed Reading Uses
As previously mentioned, speed reading is a conscious process of accelerated learning that is best utilized for skimming large chunks of information in a structured and proactive way.
Speed Reading Guidelines
There are some simple yet fundamental rules for speed reading that we must abide by if we seek to rapidly accelerate our learning ability and get the most out of this study technique.
Learn to utilize and apply each of these methods progressively and you will begin to rapidly accelerate your speed of reading to ever higher levels. The key however is to be patient. You will not learn these skills overnight.
Years of reading and learning from an early age have conditioned you into specific patterns and habits of information assimilation that you will progressively need to breakaway from. It simply takes time and diligent effort. However, if you commit yourself and stay disciplined throughout this process, then you will no doubt be rewarded for your efforts.
Read in Chunks and Blocks
As kids we learned to chunk letters into whole words. As a speed reader we must now take this process to the next level and begin chunking individual words into multiple word blocks that must be read as a whole.
These word blocks can then be chunked further into larger word blocks, sentence blocks, and later whole paragraph chunks that can be read and comprehended within a single glance.
If you are not familiar with this process, then it might at first seem like a daunting task. However, you must remember that when you were a child, chunking letters into words at first seemed rather difficult, however you persisted and learned how to read more proficiently.
Simply begin by reading chunks of two words at one time. Once you become comfortable with this method of reading, take it to the next level and read in three and then four word chunks. Over time, your conscious brain will adjust to this process and you will see a rapid increase in the speed of you reading.
Every time you progress to a larger chunk, you are effectively accelerating your reading speed anywhere from 50% to 75%.
Use Incomplete Sentence Scanning Method
This method assumes that the first and last two to three words of every sentence are not significant or important to the underlying meaning of the entire sentence. You can therefore simply skim over these words without reading them, and you will still acquire a comprehensive understanding of the content.
Using this method, you can effectively accelerate your reading speed anywhere from 10% to 20%.
Only Move Eyes while Reading
Have you ever seen a typewriter in action? It moves from left to right, and when it reaches the edge of the page, it is pushed left once again. This is in essence how some people read. They are suffering from the Typewriter Reading Syndrome, moving their head left to right then right to left as though their book stretched across the entire horizon.
Did you know that any movement of your head will slow down your reading speed quite dramatically? This is why it is suggested that you only move and rotate your eyes back and forth across the page while you are reading.
Using this method you can effectively accelerate your reading speed anywhere from 20% to 30%.
You can further accelerate your reading speeds by incorporating your peripheral vision. Your peripheral vision will allow you to see more of the page in one glance without having to move your eyes across the page left to right. In fact, the most proficient speed readers actually only move their eyes down the center of a page, while incorporating their peripheral vision to capture words and phrases that lie off-center.
Sweep Hand Across Page while Reading
When it comes to speed reading, it is important to guide your eyes across and down a page at a patterned speed and rhythm. The best way to do this is to use your hand as a guiding pointer progressively leading your eyes down the page.
Think of your hand as a guide dog leading a blind person down the street. Wherever the guide dog points, that is where your eyes must follow.
Establishing a rhythm is also very important here, as it will allow you to progressively increase your reading speed over time.
Using this method you can effectively accelerate your reading speed anywhere from 10% to 100%, depending on how effective you become with assimilating yourself into the rhythm of your hand motion.
Reduce Amount of Skip-backs
We naturally slowdown our speed of reading because of simple skip-backs, which involves rereading words and sentences over and over again.
Many of us partake in this time wasting habit, because as children we were told by our teachers that we must go back and reread words that were mispronounced.
As adults, even though we don’t normally verbalize these words aloud, we nevertheless still utilize skip-backs as an unconscious way of righting the wrongs of incorrect word pronunciations.
Using this method you can effectively accelerate your reading speed anywhere from 25% to 50%.
Reduce Fixation Time
Throughout the reading process, many of us have an unfortunate habit of staying fixated upon a word for an extended period of time. This was okay when we were children learning to read and to recognize word patterns. However, as adults, this habit dramatically slows down the reading process.
The next time while reading a book, identify if you have a habit of staying fixated upon certain words for longer then is necessary. Only once you have become aware of this habit, can you make the necessary changes to overcome it successfully.
Using this method you can effectively accelerate your reading speed anywhere from 10% to 50%.
Don’t Move Lips or Make Noises while Reading
When we were kids, we were taught to read and say our words aloud so that our teachers could hear our pronunciations clearly and make the necessary corrections accordingly. This was fine, as it taught us language skills that have since become indispensable to our ongoing social growth and development. However, the downside of this method of teaching is that we continue to pronounce our words internally, or through simple methods of moving our lips, while we are reading.
Our eyes can recognize words and sentence structures far more quickly then we can articulate them aloud. Hence, if you are verbalizing the words you are reading inside your head or through the process of just moving your lips, then you are dramatically slowing down your speed of reading.
Using this method you can effectively accelerate your reading speed anywhere from 50% to 250%.
Don’t Read Filler Words
Filler words are essentially meaningless words that add very little substance to the overall sentence you are reading.
Filler words can include “the”, “and”, “is”, “that”, “this”, “what”, “a”, and many others. Through practice you can teach yourself to quickly skim over these words without ever consciously reading them.
Using this method you can effectively accelerate your reading speed anywhere from 50% to 100%.
Alternate Your Reading Speed
As you progress forward with these speed reading guidelines, it is important to test and move out of your comfort zone by progressively challenging yourself to read at faster accelerated speeds.
All of us have a natural comfort level of reading that feels just right. Once we go beyond these comfort levels our comprehension and understanding of the information we are reading naturally begins to plummet. However, we must come to understand that this is only temporary, as our brain takes a little time to adjust to these increased speeds of reading and comprehension.
When you were a child your initial reading speeds weren’t very impressive, in fact it might have taken you a whole 30 seconds to read a short sentence from a book. However, at the time, this felt comfortable and it allowed you to fully grasp and comprehend the information you were reading. In time, you accelerated your speed of reading to a new level of comfort that you experience today. And there is nothing stopping you from transitioning to the next level by testing and challenging your reading speeds on an ongoing basis.
Using this method you can effectively accelerate your reading speed anywhere from 10% to a 1,000% or more.
Form Mental Visual Mind Maps while Reading
In order to improve your comprehension of the information you are reading, it is important to form ongoing visual mind map images of each sentence, paragraph, topic and chapter throughout the reading process.
This topic is beyond the scope of our discussion as it doesn’t specifically relate to the process of speed reading. However as a general rule, it is important to incorporate as many methods and strategies for comprehension as possible.
Practice, Practice and Practice Some More
Finally, you will not improve your reading speed by thinking about these techniques and strategies. The key is to practice, practice and practice each and everyday. Through consistent practice over time you will progressively accelerate your reading speed beyond its present capabilities and limitations.
SQ3R Process of Learning
This is a simple method of learning that will help you to assimilate the information you are studying in a more structured and effective way.
I have presented it here, because a part of this process requires you to speed read through the information you are learning.
Survey Stage
This stage involves taking in a thorough overview of the material you are about to learn. Here you must make sure that you have all your necessary tools and resources on hand before you begin moving through the survey stage.
Begin by overviewing your material, taking into consideration keywords, topics, headings, chapters and other important pieces of information that will be relevant to your understanding of this topic.
Question Stage
This stage involves questioning the material you are about to read in a way that will expand your perspective and understanding of the topic.
The better and more insightful questions you ask, the more thoroughly you will prepare your mind for the learning process.
At this stage, it doesn’t matter if you cannot answer these questions, all that matters is that you open your mind to the possibilities that these questions will need to be answered as you move through your learning regime.
Keep in mind that your questions must highlight important unanswered aspects of the information that are critical to your understanding of each topic.
Reading Stage
Here you will spend time speed reading through the material by following the guidelines discussed above and by utilizing the methods and strategies that will be mentioned further down this post.
As you are speed reading it is important to keep in mind the questions you posed yourself within the previous stage. You should essentially be looking for answers to these questions while you read through the material.
Reciting Stage
This stage involves answering any outstanding questions and organizing the information you have read in a way that will help you to further your understanding of the topic or subject area.
Review Stage
The final stage helps you to lock the information you have been learning into your long-term memory.
Spend time reviewing the information you have collected using your seven intelligences or sensory learning skills in order to lock everything away for future recall.
Speed Reading Book Analysis Process
Finally, let’s quickly touch on a simple method you can utilize in order to rapidly assimilate the content of a single book in quick succession using speed reading strategies as well as other accelerated learning skills.
As you move through this process it is important that you stick with the time constraints presented below. They are there to guide you through an accelerated form of learning that moves through time specific stages that must be adhered to for best results.
This process presents a very powerful method for cramming before examinations, as it will assist you with assimilating large chunks of content in much less time then you normally would when reading a book from cover-to-cover.
Index Analysis Stage
Your first objective is to gather an overview of what the content of this book is about.
Take your book and spend two to three minutes just scanning the index pages. Keep an eye out for unfamiliar words and word patterns that signify specific themes and issues that will be discussed in further detail throughout the text.
As a general guideline, keep in mind that the more unfamiliar words you identify through the Index Analysis Stage, the longer it will naturally take you to thoroughly learn and grasp the topics presented within the book.
It may also be a good idea to highlight some key unfamiliar words and word theme patterns as you move through this process.
Overview Information Stage
Your next objective is to quickly overview the contents of the book in order to grasp a thorough understanding of the information and the difficulty of the material you are about to learn.
This stage will assist you with identifying important patterns within the information, thusly allowing you to take study shortcuts as you progress through the learning cycle.
You should effectively be spending five to ten minutes quickly perusing the book from cover-to-cover.
As you are moving through each page of the book, keep an eye out (even make a few notes) for key diagrams, pictures, graphs, major headings, subheadings, bolded text, bullet points, patterns within the information and its overall structure. The more thoroughly you are able to make sense of all these elements, the quicker you will be able to assimilate all of this information into your long-term memory.
Quick Scanning Stage
Here you should spend about seven seconds per page just scanning the content and material of each chapter in a little more detail.
As you are undertaking this process ask yourself “How…? When…? What…? Why…? Who…? questions to help you further clarify the relevance and importance of the information you are about to learn.
It can be helpful to jot down some important questions that come to mind on a piece of paper as you are progressing through this stage. The better quality of questions you are able to bring to mind about this material, the more thoroughly you will prepare your mind for the speed reading and learning stages that follow.
Sketching Analysis Stage
Having now overviewed the content of the book using three different methods, you are now ready to begin sketching out your knowledge about the material through the use of diagrams, pictures, and mind maps.
Throughout this stage, it is still very important to keep asking insightful and thought provoking questions about the material in order to stimulate your thinking and creativity.
Approach the book one chapter at a time and begin sketching out your knowledge and understanding of the material in three minute intervals per chapter.
By the end of this stage you will have quite a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the topics presented within the book. Moreover, the ongoing associations you are forming will enhance your ability to piece the information together far more thoroughly then when simply reading the book.
Speed Reading Stage
I suppose this stage doesn’t require any explanation as we have already discussed the process in detail.
As a general rule, you should spend about 30 seconds per page reading through the chapters of the book.
You will find that your understanding of the material is quite extensive at this point because you have already gone through the book four prior times using different comprehension methods.
Stick to the time limits, however focus a little more time on areas that are difficult to understand or comprehend.
At the conclusion of each chapter you may also like to add a little more information to the diagrams and mind maps you created within the Sketching Analysis Stage.
Review and Learning Stage
The final stage simply involves reviewing what you have learned in a way that will allow you to lock the information away into your long-term memory.
Principles of PhotoReading
PhotoReading is an accelerated learning method first presented by Paul Scheele. It involves a somewhat mysterious process of learning that taps into the unlimited powers and resources of our unconscious minds to help accelerate our learning ability by improving our memory and recall of information.
Within this section we will briefly introduce you to the methods and principles behind the process of PhotoReading. This is by no means intended to be a thorough analysis, but rather an overview of an intriguing method of learning that is rapidly growing in popularity.
On a personal level, I have used this process to some extent and have experienced some rather surprising and welcoming results.
It is best not to judge the process, but rather practice this method of learning for a few weeks or months without any preconceived expectations. The PhotoReading process only works if you let go of your inhibitions and step into it wholeheartedly with an open mind.
Before proceeding, it is important to understand that our unconscious mind remembers absolutely every single visual experience that we have ever perceived.
Just because we cannot remember something, does not mean that it never existed.
Your unconscious mind is essentially a storehouse of all the sensory stimuli that ever touched your life experience. This is why within a deep hypnotic trance people are able to remember incredible details from their past that they never actually took the time to consciously acknowledge.
This unconscious information lies dormant within our brains until it is brought forward into our conscious mind as a result of life triggers that stimulate associative memories about people, events and circumstances.
PhotoReading works on the same principles by instilling a deep learning state of unconscious awareness that can later be brought into the forefront of our minds on the conscious level.
Let’s now take a look at it in a little more detail.
PhotoReading Uses
PhotoReading is best utilized for rapid unconscious level learning that expands creativity and assists with problem solving.
PhotoReading Guidelines
Before undergoing the PhotoReading process it is important to keep in mind the following set of guidelines:
Gain Clarity About Your Goals and Objectives
For PhotoReading to be successful you must first clarify the goals and objectives that you seek to obtain as you undergo the PhotoReading process. Only once you are clear on your primary goals and objectives, should you move forward.
Stay Focused and Relaxed
Focus and relaxation are the two key fundamental aspects of the PhotoReading process that will help you to sink into a deep state of unconscious awareness that is necessary for accelerated learning. This essentially requires shutting out all external sounds and distractions, while slowly moving beyond conscious repetitive thoughts that tend to sweep through our heads.
Hold Book at 45 Degree Angle
Before beginning the PhotoReading process you must sink yourself into a comfortable seating position and hold the text book you will be PhotoReading at a 45 degree angle in front of you at a comfortable reading distance.
Utilize Photo Focus
Getting into a Photo Focus State is explained in great depth within Paul Scheele’s Photo Reading audio course. However, for the purpose of this discussion it basically involves centering your focus and attention on the middle groove of the open text book you are about to PhotoRead. By groove I mean the middle central margin that connects all of the pages of the book together, which is only visible when the book is open in front of you.
While your focus and attention is directed upon this groove, you must work on creating a fuzzy vision of sorts, while expanding your peripheral awareness of the two pages that are laid out in front of you.
It is important to understand, that you will not at any time be consciously reading specific words from a page. Instead, you will be reading at an unconscious level of awareness, thusly the reason for the fuzzy vision.
For best results, the Photo Focus State also requires that you fix your attention on the top back part of your head while you are PhotoReading.
Utilizing Affirmations
In order to help you to develop the right frame-of-mind, it is important to utilize a few powerful affirmations to assist with getting into a deeper PhotoReading state:
As I PhotoRead my concentration is absolute.
All that I PhotoRead makes a lasting impression on my inner mind.
I desire this book to help me accomplish my purpose of…
I am fully absorbing and assimilating this material into my being.
Stick to Time Constraints
Within the next section, I will briefly touch upon the PhotoReading process. Please be aware, that some of these steps are time specific, and that it is highly recommended that you stay within these time constraints for best results.
Do Not Judge or Rationalize
Finally, the biggest drawback to standard conscious levels of learning is that it is riddled with rationalizations and judgments.
Because we have a tendency to judge and rationalize the information we are learning, this indirectly influences our beliefs, values, self concept and the decisions we make about our learning in unexpected and at times unresourceful ways. This likewise tends to inhibit our natural learning ability and creative self-expression. This is why it is very important and critical that throughout the PhotoReading process that you do not rationalize or judge the method or the potential results.
PhotoReading Book Analysis Process
The following is an abbreviated overview of the PhotoReading process:
Preparation Stage
Before undertaking PhotoReading one must become clear on the goals and objectives one seeks to obtain by undergoing this process. You must essentially gain clarity on your most important learning objectives.
Ask yourself the following set of questions:
What do I expect to know or do differently after PhotoReading this material?
How important is this information to me?
What specific value does this information have for me?
What level of detail am I seeking to gain from this material?
How much time am I willing to commit to accomplish my purpose?
Preview Stage
This stage incorporates the Overview and Scanning Stages described within the speed reading section.
Your most important objective here is to ask insightful questions that expand your understanding and awareness about this material, while identifying 20 to 25 key trigger-words that are essential to your comprehension of this information.
Spend about five to ten minutes moving through this stage. Once complete ask yourself the following three questions:
What is this information really about?
Does this information fit my current purpose and outcomes?
In what ways must I further clarify my purpose and outcome to better fit the content I am about to PhotoRead?
PhotoReading Stage
Follow the PhotoReading guidelines presented above and begin to PhotoRead through the book at a rate of two seconds per page.
It is suggested that you PhotoRead from the front cover to the back cover, and then from the back cover to the front cover, while chanting a mantra that will put you into a deeper state of relaxation.
A good relaxing mantra to begin with involves a simple yet continuous “Hmmm…” or “Ahhh…”.
Incubation and Activation Stage
This stage involves the process of fully assimilating the information you have just taken into your unconscious mind through the PhotoReading process.
In order to encourage incubation of the material it is suggested that you sleep or meditate on the information.
Using affirmations that will assist you with triggering future insights are also of importance here. Here are a few examples:
I acknowledge the feelings I have used within this book.
I release this information for my body and inner mind to process.
I am curious how many ways my mind can demonstrate that this information is available to me.
I found through personal experience that activation is triggered when you enter a deep and relaxed state of meditation the very next day, and then ask questions of the material you PhotoRead the day before:
What is important to me about this information?
What are the main points that I must know?
What is in here that can help me regarding…?
What must I know in relation to…?
The depth of your questions will help you to unlock deeper and more meaningful insights from the information you PhotoRead the previous day.
Patience is the key, and it is critical that you do not expect to receive immediate answers.
At other times I found it helpful to ask a question and then simply physically scan the book for an answer. I was pleasantly surprised with the results, however they were inconsistent.
Questioning Stage
The final stage involves an analysis of the PhotoReading process. Here you would ask yourself a set of question that will help you to improve your PhotoReading methods the next time around.
In conclusion, please understand that there is a lot more to the PhotoReading process then what has been presented within this post. It is a rather extensive and interesting topic that we may give more time and attention to in the future.
Accelerated Learning Study Strategies
To finish off our exploration, I thought it might be helpful to briefly discuss how you can incorporate these accelerated reading strategies to help you during exams and also for class preparation purposes.
Examination Study Strategies
The way you approach your examinations must be structured using methods presented within this post. You should effectively be looking for patterns within the information you are reading. Patterns will reveal hints and snippets of information that will help you to answer questions more effectively.
Before you begin your examination you should essentially move yourself into a deep relaxing learning state similar to the one that was presented within the PhotoReading section of this post.
The second step is to begin PhotoReading your examination paper from front to back and then from back to front, all the while following the methods presented within the PhotoReading section.
Once PhotoReading has been completed, apply the speed reading principles discussed within this post. At the same time, keep your eyes open for key pieces of information, word and question patterns. Remember that in many instances the answers to questions within your examination can be obtained from other questions presented on your examination paper. Expand your awareness and understanding that this possibility could exists, and work from there.
Finally, once you have completed the speed reading process, read at your normal pace through your examination paper one question at a time, continuously looking for specific patterns within the information.
Before Class Preparation Strategies
Before heading into a lecture it is important to prepare your brain as well as your physical notes so that you are within an ideal frame-of-mind — ready for learning.
Your first objective is to move through the PhotoReading process focusing on the chapters your teacher will be discussing in class.
Secondly, speed read through the appropriate chapters using the speed reading strategies discussed within an earlier section.
Finally, create a mind map representing the main chapter headings and subheadings of the topics under discussion.
During Class Learning Strategies
As a general rule, you should always record your lectures just in case you need to clarify the information that was discussed at a later time. Also bring your mind map into class and expand on the headings and subheadings in further detail — creating new interlinking pieces of information that will help you to gather a more thorough understanding of the topic under discussion.
During class, your number #1 objective is to do all you possibly can to chunk information into related and easily manageable categories that will help you to remember and recall the topic easily at a later time.
source:
How to Dramatically Increase Your Reading Speed and Improve Your Memory