Jason can now read the 374 words in this article in under 11 
seconds, having broken through the 2000 words a minute barrier 
with style.

And three of his fellow students in the latest night class on 
Speed Reading at Rangitoto College now need only 22 seconds to 
grasp its details  -  compared with the 1 minute 18 seconds the 
average NZ adult takes.

Overall,  the Speed Reading trainees from Term 3's tuition ended 
up improving their reading speed by a massive 124% over the six 
weeks involved.

Starting with an average reading speed of 335 words a minute,  
this very diverse group quickly got control of whatever sub- 
vocalisation learning to read aloud had left them with,  reports 
tutor Miles Maxted.

They also easily lost their instinctive habits of "looking back", 
learning instead to "read forward" to predict and verify the flow 
of the author's words.

Developing strategies to control the normal distractions of today 
was another important task covered by the course,  which also 
instilled in all students the SQR3 routine that trebles anybody's 
studying capacity.

The outstanding performer in the practice routines  was 14 years- 
old Michael,  the youngest of the group,  who quadrupled his 
reading speeds over the 6 week course to shatter the 1000wpm 
barrier.

The biggest challenge ordinary readers face ?  "The handicap of   
`hearing' the words being read",  says Mr Maxted.  "While 
`hearing' is very useful for some purposes,  really efficient 
reading needs the mind to `see' the material as a developing whole 
rather than `hear' it arrive piecemeal".

The speed reading classes are run at Rangitoto College's Community 
Education Department once a term,  with most students doubling or 
trebling their reading speeds - 18% trebled speed and 36% doubled 
it in term 3.  Sheer speed is not an end in itself, however.

"The real rewards of the course lie in the improved comprehension,  
the thinking and studying skills that most people go away with".

Reading is a 5,000 years-old learnt skill that uses the way our 
brains have evolved,  Mr Maxted explains.

"Reading will now never be replaced as the best means of getting 
information into the head.  Those who need to deal with to-day's 
growing information technologies cannot do without the best 
possible reading techniques." 

His next course starts at Rangitoto College at 7pm on October 
19th, 2005.

:-)
 
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