I'll tell you about the Speed Reading app, which teaches you to read faster and memorize more.
I like to read books. But for this I need to retire so that nothing interferes – this rarely happens. Otherwise, I read slowly, get distracted and have to reread the last sentences. Therefore, in public places I rarely read, and if I do, then small articles or notes. But more often I just listen to music or podcasts, browse social networks, play simple time killers. And I want to spend more time on the road, in queues and in any other places where you need to wait for something longer than five minutes.
I am of the opinion that the brain, like muscles, can be trained. There is a lot of scientific evidence for this theory. So what remains is to find exercises that will help you concentrate better, have less distractions and read faster. I found such workouts in the Speed Reading app.
We train reading
There are no fantastic techniques here that will make you a super reader in 5 days. The Speed Reading app helps you learn to read quickly and without compromising your understanding of the material. These skills are developed through exercises that simulate actions in different readings: when we get to know the text superficially, study the content, or search for a specific word or phrase.
You need to watch the highlighted word
But first, the application will ask you to read a short text and ask four questions about the content. This will help evaluate reading speed and attentiveness. Based on the results, the app will create an initial training plan.
I will not say that Speed Reading has cool algorithms that select the load of exercises with 100% accuracy. But for me the tasks were chosen optimally – not too difficult and not too simple. And in the future, the load will increase gradually. Even too slow, it seems to me.
I divide exercises into three types:
- for speed;
- for understanding;
- for concentration.
Although many exercises in Speed Reading help to develop several directions at once.
There is also a separate PowerReader mode, which works like a karaoke. The text is selected according to the difficulty level and the reading speed (words per minute) is adjusted. Next, the app highlights the words to read:
Any text can be loaded into the PowerReader. So it can be used for large amounts of text that needs to be read quickly.
Why is it needed
When you just read, the brain chooses the pace and does not go beyond. If abilities develop, it is very slow. And the Speed Reading exercises allow you to gradually and purposefully increase the load.
The main thing is that there are no useless exercises in Speed Reading. Any of them can be applied in life: to learn how to quickly find something from the canvas of the text, to better understand the content or to concentrate on something. Also, the exercises are constantly changing, so you won't get used to the monotonous load.
Although, for example, there are flaws in the 'Suggestions' exercise. In it, you need to remember the sentence that appears on the screen for a split second and write it. After a few sessions, I noticed that the sentences started repeating and the task became too easy.
You can evaluate your results in the development of reading speed in general statistics or by individual exercises. Although I do not believe these numbers and prefer to focus on more realistic indicators. According to rough measurements, in five days of classes of 5-10 minutes in the application, I managed to improve my reading speed by 20%. Of course, this cannot be measured, but it feels like I began to concentrate better on the text.
Outcome
A miracle will not happen: if you do not study, there is no result; if you study, you read more effectively. This will help those who cannot devote more time to reading, but want to read more volume in the same time.
'Speed reading' is great if you put in the effort on a consistent basis. The plus of the app is that the exercises are very similar to real life actions. There are no tips here like 'read aloud to memorize the text better'. Only specific tasks that were created to develop specific skills: read faster, memorize and concentrate better.
The main disadvantage is that the application is paid and there is no trial version. 'Speed reading' for Android costs 140 rubles including tax, but there are no in-app purchases.
I recommend it if you find yourself reading slowly, constantly rereading the last sentences, or getting distracted. Take the money and try it if you don’t like it — you can return your purchase within the first two hours.