Teach Yourself Speed Reading in a Week by Tina Konstant (30-Mar-2012) Paperback

by Tina Konstant

Read and recall more written information in less time, with Teach Yourself Speed Reading . Includes a variety of easy reading and memory techniques that can be used immediately.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Reference, Education

Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Tina Konstant was born in Zimbabwe, raised in South Africa and currently lives in Scotland with her husband, a pair of beagles and an African Grey Parrot.

Her latest publications include short story collections: "So You're Dead... Now What?" (all about the afterlife), "I Didn't Do It!" (a collection about murder and mayhem) and "I Love You, But..." (short fiction about relationships we hate to love).

Tina's non-fiction focuses primarily on speed-reading and managing information overload with additional titles on copy-writing and managing change.

In addition, Tina is the host of The Waffle-Free Storytelling Podcast - a storytelling podcast without the waffle!

For more about the author and to join in the conversation drop by her author website (www.tinakonstant.com), join her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/TinaKonstant), follow her on Twitter (@tinakonstant), have a random conversation on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tina.konstant/), or a less random conversation on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinakonst...).

Reviews

[JaZzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contents
1 the five step reading system
2 speed reading
3 vocabulary
4 concentration
5 memory
6 types of material
7 eyes
8 distractions
9 real world reading
10 working and studying for a living
11 useful information and speed practice test
12 what next?

Tips
state reading purpose clearly (general idea/information/pleasure)
motivate yourself (visualize outcome)
get excited, interested
empty (your mind, desk, etc...)
break the routine
build the context/framework before you start
meditate, concentrate, be present
use five step reading system (below)
read actively (use as many senses as you can (multisensory reading))
make notes, highlight, mark, underline, circle, argue, ask questions, draw, mind-map, talk
chunk your reading
extract the message, don't read every word
evaluate
listen to music to improve concentration (bach-largo from harpsichord concerto in f minor)
use imagination
push yourself
eat & drink properly (small & often)
warm up, stretch
take breaks often
once you start something don't let anything distract you
do relaxing/breathing exercises (slowly and deeply)
do eye-robics (close, sun, blink, swing, refocus, stretch, massage, acupressure...)
use pacer
practise!
have fun
teach others

Facts
the faster you go the less you will vocalize and the more you will concentrate
memory relies on perception, attention, reasoning, framework
memory can be trained by using it often
what's good for the body is also good for the mind
memory = acquisition + retention + retrieval
retention = organization + revision
retrieval = using accesspoint
10 am = peak performance, afternoon = performance drop

Five step system
prepare (why am i reading this? what i know about the subject?...)
preview (10 min intro to book structure- cover, t.o.c., foreword, index...)
passive reading (scan, highlight, look for words, *language*, arguments...)
active reading (extract the idea from each paragraph/chapter)
selective reading (read selected passages for specific information)

A-Z of effective reading
active reading - take notes, write in margins, circle, highlight, underline, think, argue, debate your way through whatever you read
believe - you are capable of fenomenal things. look constantly for a better way of doing what you do
comfort - make sure your environment is as comfortable as possible. if it's not then change it or move! or take break more often (15 mins))
concentration - without concentration there is no memory
be determined - don't give up when you feel frustrated!
enjoy - the more you enjoy reading, the less stressed you will be and the better you will remember what you read
five-step system - apply it to everything you read
flexibility - develop the skill of being able to identify when you can read fast and when you have to slow down
groups - work with other people. group of brains is better at staying motivated than one working alone
harassed - if you're feeling stressed or tired, your effectivenes will diminish. stop and take a break!
ideas - cross-reference, combine, elaborate on ideas between texts, play the what-if game with the ideas
justify - ask yourself why are you reading it
knowledge - make increasing your knowledge of yourself and the world around you a daily goal
learn - learn something new from your reading every day
manageable chunks - avoid reading for more than 30 mins at a time
memory - improve it by breaking your reading up as advised
novels -
be organized - clear your desk of everything other than what you're working on
pacer - use pacer to increase your speed (esp. when tired)
purpose - have clear and definite purpose whenever you read anything
question - always ask questions!
revise - refer to notes you have made previously, revision!
stretch - stretch if you feel you are losing concentration
time - take time to develop any new skill, be patient!
use - use the information you read (teach someone else, write a summary, report)
vocabulary - identify words you don't understand
work is play with a suit on - make whatever you do fun!
explore - explore new sources of information
you - use tools that suit you, develop techniques that work for you!
Zzz - sleep!!!


Conclusion
+ well structured book, each chapter starts with list of objectives and ends with a summary
+ introduces useful 5-step system for effective reading
+ provides practical exercises
+ emphasises importance of mindset, concentration, active reading, interest and flexibility
+ gives practical lists (vocabulary roots and prefixes)
+ explains function of memory and why it's important to build a framework in your mind before
starting to fill it with new information

#book #summary #howto #speedreading #learning

[Robert Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes (but only sometimes) it's the books that take you the longest to read that are the most beneficial. This book falls into that category.

Here's one part of one of the chapter end summaries:

The following are examples of 'speed stoppers', with suggested ways of preventing them from slowing your reading.

Sub-vocalizing (reading with your ears) is using the voice inside your head. The faster you make yourself read, the less you will sub-vocalize.

Vocalizing - If your lips move as you read you are vocalizing your text, literally speaking silently to yourself. This slows you down even more than sub-vocalizing; you are limited not only by the pace at which you can speak, but also by how fast you can move your lips and keep silent.

Habit - Most habits are below the level of your conscious awareness (you are not aware that you have them). They are easier to rectify when you become aware of them. To extinguish vocalization, read with a spoon between your teeth and you will soon stop trying to move your lips while you read. Don't allow children to do this as it could be dangerous.

Useful, yes?

[Josh Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot about speed reading from this book.

Read with your eyes, not your ears.

Prepare before reading. Know why you're reading and what you want to learn.

Reading the first sentence of each paragraph is a great way to get a general idea of what it's about. Doing this will increase reading speed later if you decide to read every sentence.

Read only what's necessary to accomplish your goal for reading. If there's something specific you want to learn from a book and there's only one chapter on it, read only that chapter.

[Diet Coca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I re-read this as a refresher before I revisit grammar and copywriting. It has helped me a bit in the past but not quite significantly enough for it to compel me to strive for more. Perhaps, it’s the state dependent learning in me talking but I think my habits (or how I’d like my habits to look like, at least) are more in line with the suggestions scattered throughout the book. I find it easier to digest now that I am on the same page, so to speak, with one of the most fundamental teachings in it which is to know why you are reading something, enough to keep you going. Although I do agree with some of the reviews here, it’s not quite a ‘speed reading tutorial’ but more of a lesson in reading efficiently. Nonetheless, it can be quite beneficial especially to individuals who are considerably determined to make some positive changes in their lives rather than to those who are simply in it for a crash course in speed reading—both of which I’ve been guilty of.

[Marcos Pensive · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book on how to read quicker. I found the pacer to be the most valuable piece of advice in the book, and really appreciated the exercises, along with how to map a book and the utility of visualizing what you read.

I couldn't achieve reading two lines at the same time. I know I could do it, but I haven't managed to quite yet. Maybe some day. Know that some of the more advanced techniques in the book are difficult like that, but you can still achieve them if you're persistent. I'll try to be.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn to read faster.

[Sebah Al-Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

الكتاب مفيد ، عبارة عن (ورشة) تستطيع القيام بها وحدك . معظم الطرق الأساسية فيها كنت سبق تعلمتها ، و مع ذلك أفادني الكتاب ، خاصة في مسألة "تحسين الذاكرة" ، و الوحدة السابعة كانت أكثرها متعة --عن عملية القراءة .

أعجبني تطرقها لمسألة طريقة تعلمنا للقراءة و أثرها على قراءتنا و سرعتها . حيث أنها وضحت أننا أولا نتعلم كيف نميز و ننطق الأحرف ، ثم نتعلم كيف نميز الأحرف في الكلمات ، ثم نتعلم كيف ننطق الكلمات بصوتٍ عالٍ ؛ و نترك بعدها لنتعلم القراءة . لهذا ، غالبا -توضح- ما تكون سرعة قراءة الشخص بمعدل سرعة تحدثه (150-200 كلمة في الدقيقة) ، لأنه يقرأ النص لنفسه بصوت داخلي . و بالتالي تنشأ عادة أن نسمع النص بأذننا بدلا من أن نقرأه بأعيننا .


مما دونته من الكتاب :

طرق تذكر مادة الكتب .. أظن هذه الطرق تفيد كثيرا في الدراسة أيضا :
أ. خطية : تدوين النقاط الأساسية من الكتاب بينما تتم قراءته . (ما أقوم به بشكل أساسي و أجده أسهل الطرق و أكثرها نفعا ) .

ب. كلمات مفتاحية : تظليل الكلمات المفتاحية الأساسية في الكتاب للعودة لها لاحقا و تذكر المحتوى . و من المهم تذكر مسألة عدم التفريط في مسألة التظليل -والذي غالبا أفعله :/- ، إنما ينصح ألا يتم تظليل أكثر من كلمة في الجملة ، و عدم تظليل أكثر من جملة في الفقرة .

ج. القراءة الهامشية : التفاعل مع النص عن طريق الهامش . (أنا لا أحب فعل هذا ، لكني أكتفي بوضع نجمة بالرصاص عند المقاطع التي أود العودة لها أو الإشارة لأهميتها ، كي أستطيع أن أعود إليها حين أقلب الكتاب أو أود أن أقتبس منه شيئا)

د. context-mapping : في هذا النوع من التخطيط ، تبحث عن أجوبة الأسئلة : لمَ ؟ أين ؟ كيف ؟ متى ؟ ماذا ؟ من ؟ (الـ wh questions) . تكتب الأجوبة بالطريقة أ أو على بطاقات ، أو تكتب صيغة السؤال على هامش الجواب -طريقة ب .

ه. الخرائط الذهنية : اكتب الفكرة الرئيسة في دائرة في وسط الصفحة ، من هذه الدائرة تمدد خطوط تنهتي بدوائر لأفكار نابعة من الفكرة الرئيسة ، و من كل دائرة تمدد دوائر أخرى حتى تنتهي بأدق التفاصيل المطلوبة . (أذكر في إحدى المؤتمرات عن تدريس اللغة عن طريق المحتوى CLIL ، كانت هناك محاضرة مخصصة لهذه الطريقة تشير لأهمية و فائدة تلخيص دروس المحتوى للطلاب عن طريق هذه الخرائط . )

و. indexing : على بطاقة A5 ، ترسم خطا طوليا بالنصف ؛ النصف الأول تعنونه بـ مفاهيم concepts ، النصف الثاني بـ تعاريف definition . بينما تقرأ ،تكتب في النصف الأول أي مفاهيم جديدة مهمة -باختصار شديد عن طريق كتابة الكلمات المفتاحية منها - ، و على النصف الثاني تكتب المصطلحات الجديدة و تعريفها .
ثم تجمع هذه البطاقات -التابعة لموضوع واحد- و تؤرشفها . حين تقرأ في نفس الموضوع لاحقا ، عد لنفس هذه البطاقات و أكمل عليها الإضافات .
(^ أظن هذه الطريقة تجدي نفعا للدراسة ، خاصة لغرض التلخيص لليلة الامتحان )

ز. القراءة الحسية -إن صحت التسيمة- : و هي عن طريق استخدام الحواس لتذكر المادة ، و هي تعتمد على طبيعة الشخص و طريقة تعلمه. البصري : حاول أن تتخيل النص حين تقرأه كفيلم أو قصة . السمعي : حاول أن تخبر أحدا بما قرأته أو اشرحه لشخص آخر أو اسأل و أجب نفسك بصوت عالي . الحركي : حاول أن ترسم صور أو إشارات عن المحتوى ، و إن كان هناك ما تستطيع أن تؤديه بنفسك فقم به .
و كلما استخدمت حواسا أكثر ، كلما تذكرت المحتوى أكثر . هي مثل الطرق للذاكرة ، كل حاسة تمثل طريقا . فبدلا من طريق واحد ، 3 طرق قد تساعدك أكثر في الوصول .

[Matthew Chasco · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title of this book is a little misleading. More of a "how to read more efficiently" type of book. Primarily aimed towards helping one read education, professional & more technical material. It shows how much time can be saved by sizing up a book, spotting the pertinent parts and avoiding filler.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good guide to getting yourself reading faster. There are some great tips, and a useful section on developing vocabulary. If you follow all the little tasks, your reading is sure to get faster.

[Erickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful. At least learnt how to make myself more systematic.

[Trung Vo · Rating 3 out of 5]

- do like the preview method (skim and scan before selective reading) to increase the focus on the current reading.

[Foxy Blu]

terrible. ...so boring I read even slower then stopped..trying another book by another author

[Haytham Badawey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book that taught me speedreading, I should thank the author, this book is helpful, thank God.

[Yassin Salama · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tina Konstant gives us the best introduction to speed reading with effective steps, the only thinh we need to do is to practise what Tina taught us.

[Bhanu]

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[J Crossley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book about speed-reading had some good suggestions.

[Patrick Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. Instantly doubled my WPM.