Have you ever gotten to the bottom of a page and couldn't recall a single word that you just read? Have you noticed that you sometimes "space-off" as you read?
Even the best of readers do these things. Here are a few tips that can help with this:
First of all, we need to set a purpose for reading. By setting a purpose, we turn our minds on before we read. Here is what I mean. Before I read something, I will look at the headings or title and give myself a reason for reading it. For example, if the title is The Himalayan Mountains, I will think about what I already know about the mountains and then think of something I'd like to know. By doing this, I will search the text for the answer to my question.
Secondly, we need to ask questions as we read. By asking questions, we will naturally arouse curiosity which will in turn help us with our focus. Some questions might be, "Where are the Himalayans?" "Would I want to go there?"
Thirdly, we can try a technique called Read, Cover, and Retell. After reading a paragraph, cover it with your hand and see if you can paraphrase what it said. If you can't do this, you have not comprehended the information. We teach students at Excel that "If you can't teach it, you don't know it." In other words, if you can't put information into your own words, you have not comprehended the material.
I encourage you to try these tips and then e-mail me and let me know how they worked for you. stephanie@letslearnnow.com
