There are two comments that we hear frequently that are false :
- To understand well you have to read slowly
- He who reads fast understands less than he who does it slowly.
The reason is the following: During reading the eye does not move uniformly along the line, but advances in jumps , with small stops, so good readers progress in large jumps with very wide recognition spaces. The fact that one reader can read faster than another is due to the amount of material that can be covered in each stop .
The recognition space of a slow reader covers a few letters or syllables while that of a fast reader covers several words or phrases.
Characteristics between a good reader and a bad reader
Good reader
- Understand the content of the written message.
- Interpret the words, understand the meaning and grasp the ideas of the message.
- He is aware that premature judgments are misleading.
- He strives to have as many clear and precise ideas on the subject as possible.
Bad reader
- Can’t concentrate on reading.
- He is passive and does not worry about rereading, underlining.
- He does not understand what he reads or what the author wants to convey.
- Leave unresolved doubts.
- His small field of vision makes him slow and regressive in reading.
- Reduced vocabulary.
Bad habits that we must eliminate
The bad habits that should be stopped and replaced are:
- REGRESSION : re-read what has been read
- VOCALIZATION : read aloud or with lip movements
- UNDERVOCALIZATION : read by mentally pronouncing the words
- BODY MOVEMENTS : bad posture, head movements, necks, arms
Do not forget that being good readers makes the study effective, providing satisfaction and good results.
