How can I learn to read better?

How focused are you when you read? Do you need to be in an absolutely silent environment to read/comprehend? Do you re-read sections or find that you’re unable to concentrate? If any of these are yes, you may want to consult a professional concerning possible issues that may be underlying or causing your ‘slow reading’.

I can only speak from my own personal experience, but it wasn’t until early in my adulthood that I discovered that I suffer from mild dyslexia. Getting diagnosed explained a lot about my study/reading habits, and further confirmed that I was an auditory learner (most likely a sensory compensation for my visual/cognitive impairments).

As shocking as it seemed at first, eventually I came to accept it and knowing this seemed to encourage my efforts to find more workable study habits that are more suitable for my learning strengths. I believe that if you can understand why reading is difficult for you then you can begin to seek out the solutions that are right for you.

Good luck to you-these are just suggestions, so YMMV.

I agree with sndfreg.. it could be your environment, it could be your ability to concentrate or maybe even mild dyslexia..

When I first read your question, the first thing that came to mind is “Practice Makes Perfect”.

While I was teaching 10th grade, I had a student that hated reading out loud in class because she preferred to read slowly and hated it when the students would whisper for her to hurry up..

I took her aside, gave her a Dr. Suess book and started meeting up with her at the library every few days.. She started reading every level of Dr. Suess until she got the hang of the sounds, how vowels are pronounced and was confident to read again in class..

The more she practised reading, the faster she became, and now she enjoys reading in class..

So sit in your perfect place for reading, make yourself a cup of hot chocolate, play some soft music in the background if you like.. and just take your time reading. The more you read, the faster you’ll get..

My brother is a VERY slow reader, and it used to hurt his grades and in general made him feel pretty crappy. It was a shame because he’s actually rather smart.

So eventually he started listening to books on tape, instead of trying to read them. Now, the majority of books he reads, fiction and non fiction, are on tape. When he has reading to do that he can’t listen to, he gets an early start and dedicates a couple of very quiet hours a day to the task.

Good luck, and good reading!

Practice. There are some very good books and courses on reading as well. The ideal situation is to have a very patient and experienced reading coach. There is also a huge difference between reading for comprehension of texts and technical material and reading for enjoyment, doing each well requires a slightly different process and techniques.

You may also still be reading each individual word. After either substantial practice or training, you can reach the level where your mind largely skips over the less significant words, and also where you read word groups rather than individual words. Once you reach that level, reading really flies.

I have both taken classes and had lots of practice, and my reading rate is very fast. When I am reading material for enjoyment, I find that I am reading at a rate where I “feel” the material rather than actually process each individual word. This is difficult to describe for someone who hasn’t experienced it. An analogy would be any of the martial arts or many sports where you reach a level where you no longer think about any individual move, your body merely senses and instinctively responds to the needs of the moment. It is sometimes referred to as being “in the zone.” For instance, I might read a long descriptive passage about a setting. If I immediately was asked to repeat some of the adjectives and adverbs that are in the description, I would not be able to repeat the same words as the author wrote. I would, however, be able to give you a pretty good paraphrased description, because rather than reading individual words, the words were somewhat unconsciously absorbed and created a mental picture, then I memorized the picture.

I do the same when acting. I do not memorize my lines. When I have done that, my acting suffers and sounds like recitation. I practice repeatedly with other actors, and also repeatedly run the lines and scene by myself, out loud and in my head, until I have not memorized the lines, but rather the character’s thoughts in response to that situation. When I then encounter the situation again during a performance, it triggers the same thoughts, and the words of the lines have been linked to those thoughts in my memory, and thus flow naturally in response to the situation, rather than my simply reciting them. It is a difficult distinction to describe, but it works for me.

This is all very difficult to do intentionally, you have to practice the techniques over and over until it becomes instinctual, just like any sport.

Try and find books that are on subjects you are really interested in. A book I would suggest to try reading is JD Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. It’s short, very absorbing, and great fun to read. Once you find an author, you can read other things that person has written. You can also try some early Phillip Roth, Ann Taylor, Vonnegut , and other authors who write excellent books that a truly hard to put down. Another possibility is to read some short stories.

It’s Ann Tyler I think.

Short stories are great practice. May I recommend: http://www.amazon.com/Alfred-Hitchcock-Tales-Terror/dp/9997607236

Any of the Hitchcock collections contains relatively short stories that are written in a very accessible manner and are ripping good reads. Also any of the McSweeney’s “genre” collections, like:
http://www.amazon.com/Alfred-Hitchcock-Tales-Terror/dp/9997607236

Amurph and Hossman got it. If it’s hurting your education (if you’re in school now), books on tape can be a major help with keeping you up to speed on reading assignments. It is, however, imperative (especially if you enjoy books) to continue reading words on the page. It’s a skill that will serve you extremely well for life. The only way to hone this skill is practice practice practice. If you have no school-related reading obligations, then I suggest setting apart an hour a day (at least) when you just sit and read. Make sure what you’re reading is something you’re interested in, otherwise you might not want to actually read it and will subconciously read slower and with divided attentions so as to put off the actual having to read it.

All the posters above have good advice if you need read faster for school, or if you’re actually suffering from dyslexia or some other learning disability. If you’re only frustrated for yourself, however, there’s only one way to get faster at reading, and that’s to read. Read whatever you want to read: articles, fiction books, non-fiction books, newspapers, magazines, whatever, as long as you find it interesting and challenging. Just read as much as you can. Don’t feel like you have to read things completely just because you pick them up. You can read a few pages out of book if that’s the only thing that you’re interested in.

One other suggestion that I have, and this is weird, but it works for me: read out loud. Alone, obviously, unless you have kids around that you can read to, but for me, it helps me to focus on the meaning of the whole sentence at once, rather each individual word. Especially helpful if you’re tired and want to get to the end of a chapter before bed.

In high school I took the Evelyn Wood speed reading course and increased my reading speed 4 times and understood and remembered more. My grades improved as well.
I listed a couple of sites to courses the first has a free course that may be enough to get you to a speed where reading becomes more enjoyable. If you benefit then you can decide on going further. Their courses are $15 – $25.

http://www.speed-reader.com/
http://www.speedreadingcourse.com/powerreading/index.asp

I’d do the free course first then decide after that if you want to go further.

The Evelyn Wood speed reading course is $700. Here’s a link to a $7 book on the courses basics.

My father paid for my course and for my siblings as well. We all, 6 of us, showed noticeable improvement in school. One brother was able to read a 200 page paperback with 96% comprehension in 6 minutes.

Good luck.

Not only how to read faster, but how to read better:

How to Read a Book
http://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Book-Touchstone/dp/0671212095/