Article criticizes speed reading

GA Russell · 01-13-2011, 08:25 PM

Here's a news article making the rounds among US newspapers that criticizes speed reading and promotes what is called "deep reading".

I took a speed reading course one summer when I was in high school, and after it was over I didn't buy into it, and I never have. I don't believe that people who read particularly rapidly properly digest the ideas they are reading.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...reading11.html

WT Sharpe · 01-13-2011, 08:37 PM

Interesting article. I never was much for speed reading.

Anthem · 01-13-2011, 08:52 PM

Dang, I just read a writers opinion on Speed Reading and Speed Readers to the effect that they don't really take in much because they pick out pieces of sentences and interpolate the remaining information that they didn't really read OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I can't remember. Anyway, the basic criticism was that Speed Readers make for bad readers of Literary Literature because those books require a careful appreciation of every single word as every single word is part of the art.

Might have been S. T. Joshi, but I don't remember.

Anyway, interesting article. I think people should forgo speed reading for careful reading as well.

lilac_jive · 01-13-2011, 09:20 PM

I can't help but speed read, that's just how I've always read. I definitely miss things that way, though. But that fits my personality, a little bit of everything that way!

wvcherrybomb · 01-13-2011, 09:56 PM

I'll admit I do lots of skimming on the internet, newspapers, magazines, and other shorter type reads. My brain does a pretty good job of filling in the blanks. If something jumps out as interesting while I'm skimming, I'll slow down and reread it.

With books, I tend to read fast, but I don't skim. I often reread paragraphs or whole pages if things get deep. I don't feel like I miss anything and reading too slow would put me to sleep.

I guess I'm just not a good citizen.

CWatkinsNash · 01-13-2011, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wvcherrybomb

I guess I'm just not a good citizen.

Well, I see by your location that you've stopped taunting the FBI at the library, so there may be hope for you.

My reading speed varies with the material, but I'm never really fast. I've tried to read faster, but I always feel like I'm missing something and that bothers me, so I just go with what happens naturally.

wvcherrybomb · 01-13-2011, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

Well, I see by your location that you've stopped taunting the FBI at the library, so there may be hope for you.

Probably not since I lie to get out of jury duty. I tell them I'm mentally unstable

I guess they figure a person that wasn't would never have the nerve to say such a thing. Keeps 'em guessing...

silasgreenback · 01-14-2011, 01:03 AM

I think using speed reading techniques definitely sacrifices too much.

You can throw 1/3 of a bag of M&Ms away and wolf down what's left as fast as possible, but it doesn't equal taking the time to taste and savor the candy.

There's a podcast I heard recently about this very thing that some may find interesting. There's a transcript also, for those who'd rather not listen.

Skeptoid Podcast on Speed Reading

Phogg · 01-14-2011, 01:21 AM

When I took speed reading (early 70s), it was structured to improve what you retained both long term and short term.

There is nothing at all to keep you from ruminating on the material later.

Maggie Leung · 01-14-2011, 03:19 AM

I tested for a high school program and learned that I had taught myself to speed read. For me, speed reading is a tool. Anything I want just the gist of, I speed read. Anything I read for pleasure, I read at a more leisurely pace. Anything I edit for a living, I read even more slowly.

A sprinter can run at top speed when needed; that doesn't mean he can't enjoy a leisurely stroll when he wants to.

HarryT · 01-14-2011, 05:36 AM

Surely it depends what it is that you're reading.

If it's 11 o'clock at night and you have to read a 500 page report for an important business meeting first thing tomorrow morning, speed reading techniques can be both useful and valuable.

If you're reading a novel for pleasure, then I see no value in them; you're just going to miss the majority of what the author wrote.

bevdeforges · 01-14-2011, 06:03 AM

They put us through a round of speed reading at some point in elementary school, I think it was. (Part of an advanced reading program.) But even at the time, they told us that using speed reading depended on what you were reading and why you were reading it. We never speed read novels or "pleasure reads" - mostly it was for text books or doing research.

Lemurion · 01-14-2011, 06:19 AM

What I found interesting is that the article isn't about speed reading at all: It's an indictment of skimming, not speed reading.

Speed reading the way I learned it is about reading anything from a group of words to a line, paragraph, or even page as a unit, without moving one's eyes. It's not about reading the minimum necessary to extract the key points from a passage: that's skimming.

People shouldn't skim when reading for pleasure, you do lose a lot of what makes a book; but that says nothing about speed reading. As a previous poster noted, one of the goals of speed reading (as a technique and not just trying to read fast) is to increase comprehension and retention.

DMB · 01-15-2011, 09:10 AM

I'm not sure about what amounts to speed reading. I read more than twice as fast on average as my husband but seem to have a better memory for what I've read. But perhaps I'm a slowcoach by speedy standards.

I typically find a lot of fiction is a quick read whereas NF may make me stop and ponder an argument for quite a while.

The slowest reading I do is of mathematics when I am trying to follow a proof and sometimes find myself going, "Uh! How did he get that from the previous line?"

ebusinesstutor · 01-17-2011, 12:01 AM

I have been speed reading as long as I can remember. Never took a course for it - I just do it.

I definitely do miss some detail. But I don't believe that you must "carefully appreciate every word." Rather, if it is a good story, it will work either way. Books that are too dense in detail turn me off and I don't continue with them. Kind of like desserts that are too rich to enjoy more than a mouthful or two.

01-13-2011, 08:25 PM	#1
GA Russell Stampeders are hot! Posts: 7,692 Karma: 31487351 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	Article criticizes speed reading Here's a news article making the rounds among US newspapers that criticizes speed reading and promotes what is called "deep reading". I took a speed reading course one summer when I was in high school, and after it was over I didn't buy into it, and I never have. I don't believe that people who read particularly rapidly properly digest the ideas they are reading. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...reading11.html

01-14-2011, 05:36 AM	#11
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Surely it depends what it is that you're reading. If it's 11 o'clock at night and you have to read a 500 page report for an important business meeting first thing tomorrow morning, speed reading techniques can be both useful and valuable. If you're reading a novel for pleasure, then I see no value in them; you're just going to miss the majority of what the author wrote. Last edited by HarryT; 01-14-2011 at 06:17 AM.

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01-13-2011, 08:37 PM	#2
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,072 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	Interesting article. I never was much for speed reading.

01-13-2011, 08:52 PM	#3
Anthem Guru Posts: 704 Karma: 1622328 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: USA Device: Kindle Oasis, OnePlus Nord	Dang, I just read a writers opinion on Speed Reading and Speed Readers to the effect that they don't really take in much because they pick out pieces of sentences and interpolate the remaining information that they didn't really read OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I can't remember. Anyway, the basic criticism was that Speed Readers make for bad readers of Literary Literature because those books require a careful appreciation of every single word as every single word is part of the art. Might have been S. T. Joshi, but I don't remember. Anyway, interesting article. I think people should forgo speed reading for careful reading as well.

01-13-2011, 09:20 PM	#4
lilac_jive Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,870 Karma: 27376 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Device: PRS-505	I can't help but speed read, that's just how I've always read. I definitely miss things that way, though. But that fits my personality, a little bit of everything that way!

01-13-2011, 09:56 PM	#5
wvcherrybomb Sharp Shootin' Grandma Posts: 847 Karma: 1123940 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Sunny Florida Device: Kindle 3, Kindle Fire, Literati (has been adopted by my daughter)	I'll admit I do lots of skimming on the internet, newspapers, magazines, and other shorter type reads. My brain does a pretty good job of filling in the blanks. If something jumps out as interesting while I'm skimming, I'll slow down and reread it. With books, I tend to read fast, but I don't skim. I often reread paragraphs or whole pages if things get deep. I don't feel like I miss anything and reading too slow would put me to sleep. I guess I'm just not a good citizen.

01-14-2011, 01:03 AM	#8
silasgreenback New Leaf Turner Posts: 260 Karma: 1026664 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Hadestown Device: Kobo Glo	I think using speed reading techniques definitely sacrifices too much. You can throw 1/3 of a bag of M&Ms away and wolf down what's left as fast as possible, but it doesn't equal taking the time to taste and savor the candy. There's a podcast I heard recently about this very thing that some may find interesting. There's a transcript also, for those who'd rather not listen. Skeptoid Podcast on Speed Reading

01-14-2011, 01:21 AM	#9
Phogg PHD in Horribleness Posts: 2,320 Karma: 23599604 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: In the ironbound section, near avenue L Device: Just a whole bunch. I guess I am a collector now.	When I took speed reading (early 70s), it was structured to improve what you retained both long term and short term. There is nothing at all to keep you from ruminating on the material later.

01-14-2011, 03:19 AM	#10
Maggie Leung Wizard Posts: 1,449 Karma: 58383 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: Kindle, iPad	I tested for a high school program and learned that I had taught myself to speed read. For me, speed reading is a tool. Anything I want just the gist of, I speed read. Anything I read for pleasure, I read at a more leisurely pace. Anything I edit for a living, I read even more slowly. A sprinter can run at top speed when needed; that doesn't mean he can't enjoy a leisurely stroll when he wants to.

01-14-2011, 06:03 AM	#12
bevdeforges Addict Posts: 288 Karma: 1094000 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Essonne, France Device: Kobo Forma; Sony PRS600B; Sony 350; Sony T-2	They put us through a round of speed reading at some point in elementary school, I think it was. (Part of an advanced reading program.) But even at the time, they told us that using speed reading depended on what you were reading and why you were reading it. We never speed read novels or "pleasure reads" - mostly it was for text books or doing research.

01-14-2011, 06:19 AM	#13
Lemurion eReader Posts: 2,750 Karma: 4968470 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Note 5; PW3; Nook HD+; ChuWi Hi12; iPad	What I found interesting is that the article isn't about speed reading at all: It's an indictment of skimming, not speed reading. Speed reading the way I learned it is about reading anything from a group of words to a line, paragraph, or even page as a unit, without moving one's eyes. It's not about reading the minimum necessary to extract the key points from a passage: that's skimming. People shouldn't skim when reading for pleasure, you do lose a lot of what makes a book; but that says nothing about speed reading. As a previous poster noted, one of the goals of speed reading (as a technique and not just trying to read fast) is to increase comprehension and retention.

01-15-2011, 09:10 AM	#14
DMB Old Git Posts: 958 Karma: 1840790 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Switzerland (mostly) Device: Two kindle PWs wifi, kindle fire, iPad3 wifi	I'm not sure about what amounts to speed reading. I read more than twice as fast on average as my husband but seem to have a better memory for what I've read. But perhaps I'm a slowcoach by speedy standards. I typically find a lot of fiction is a quick read whereas NF may make me stop and ponder an argument for quite a while. The slowest reading I do is of mathematics when I am trying to follow a proof and sometimes find myself going, "Uh! How did he get that from the previous line?"

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01-17-2011, 12:01 AM	#15
ebusinesstutor Star Gawker Posts: 526 Karma: 6944314 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Spruce Grove, AB Canada Device: Kindle Paperwhite	I have been speed reading as long as I can remember. Never took a course for it - I just do it. I definitely do miss some detail. But I don't believe that you must "carefully appreciate every word." Rather, if it is a good story, it will work either way. Books that are too dense in detail turn me off and I don't continue with them. Kind of like desserts that are too rich to enjoy more than a mouthful or two.