Comprehension and Speed Reading People often confuse comprehension and recall. Comprehension begins with identifying the main ideas. How are they supported? How do they relate to each other? Remembering has a part in the thinking process, as you have to know what the ideas are, before you start to look for links. The questions which […]

Over the past couple of months I have been planning new courses for the autumn. I often sit outside, notebook in hand, jotting down ideas as they come to me. There’s a large clump of comfrey nearby, which attracts lots of bees. They have been busy and so have I.   For a while I […]

Today I’ll be reviewing the Mind Map time plan for the Hexham Book Festival workshop, ‘An Introduction to Speed Reading’. It is a two-hour slot and there is a lot to cover in the time. I spent some time thinking about what was absolutely essential and what I could leave out. This can be a […]

One of my favourite books of 2018 is ‘Botanical Brain Balms’ by Nicolette Perry and Elaine Perry. It is a well designed and well illustrated book which explores the ways that plants can have positive effects on our mental health. I like how the authors explain the science. The book includes recipes, folklore and feel-good […]

I received an email from someone who wants her child to learn good reading habits from the start. Here is my reply. Hello, Thank you for your email about your daughter. You, like me, learned to read using the Look and Say method. We learned to recognise the shape of words, rather than sound them […]

Sometimes I receive requests for reading tips from college students. Here’s my reply to Skylar. We both agree that it would be good to share it with you. Hello Skylar, I thought about your situation and asked myself what my top three tips for you would be. What would have the most impact and be […]

Sometimes people email me with questions about speed reading. I thought I would share with some recent ones with my replies. Brendan asked about guiding technique: ‘As for the guide I don’t k… Source: Questions from Brendan and others

Sometimes people email me with questions about speed reading. I thought I would share with some recent ones with my replies. Brendan asked about guiding technique: ‘As for the guide I don’t know if I am doing it right. As the guide (my finger or pen) is moving along the page should my eye “jump” […]

Francesco emailed the following question: Hi, I have a question on an exercise I found in various “speed reading” books: is it useful to read a paragraph (or, for more advanced, a page) and then to close the book and write on a paper all you can remember of what you just read? Does it […]

Sooner or later, when you are learning to speed read, you are likely to reach a stage where your speed seems to have peaked and stays the same. You are still a way off your target speed.  Learning plateaus are horrible and it can feel as if they will last forever. However, that’s when you […]