You may be surprised to know that the visual properties of text and background affect your reading speed on a com- puter screen. In a recent study involving undergraduate students, Wu & Yuan (2003) found that the colour, lightness and brightness of the foreground, relative to the background, affect the average reading speed. From their findings, they recommend that to improve your reading speed when using a computer screen:
• the foreground should be darker and the background should be lighter
• the foreground colour should be less saturated than the background colour.
And interestingly, while the optimal settings for speed were frequently found to be in conflict with visual prefer- ences, Wu & Yuan (2003) reported they were unable to locate any literature discussing the relationship between visual preference and reading speed.
You should now be comfortable with the differences between the reading tech- niques we’ve discussed. However, it is not enough simply to know about them. You have to know when to use them (Lorch et al. 1993).
So for example, you might know how to scan or skim a text, but this isn’t
the same as knowing when it’s the best approach to use and why. And this
brings us back rather neatly to the importance of knowing your purpose, and being clear about why you’re reading in the first place.
TRY THIS
Circle the technique you would use for each of the following tasks: 1. I need to confirm the percentage of smokers under the age of 25.
Scan Skim Focus 2. I’m going on a field trip to China next month and want to buy a travel guide. There are three books on the shelf, and I don’t know which one to choose.
Scan Skim Focus 3. I need to prepare a 90-minute presentation explaining this author’s
main ideas.
Scan Skim Focus 4. I’ve been asked to critique this research article.
Scan Skim Focus 5. I’m trying to decide whether to take this course next semester. The material for each week is based on a different chapter from this textbook.
Scan Skim Focus 6. I’m revising for my exams, and need to check what year a particu-
lar study was published.
Scan Skim Focus Answers on page 261
Q. How can I use this right now in my study?
Take a few minutes to think about why you’re reading this book and jot down your ideas. Here are some questions you might like to ask yourself.
• How much time do I have for this task? • How important is the outcome to me?
• Would I use different strategies if the assessment was soon, rather than at some future unspecified time?
• What is my interest in the material? • What is my emotional involvement?
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q. Do you have any tips for choosing the best book from a reading list?
A. There are lots of things you might take into consideration, including: • What do you know about the author?
• Who is the intended audience (e.g. undergraduate students, postgraduate students, experts, the general public)?
• What do you already know about the topic?
• What are you supposed to know before you read the book? • Do you like the structure, style and layout?
• Do you like the use (or absence) of visuals, tables and graphics? • Has the book been recommended, and by whom?
• Does the book look interesting?
• How well does it cover the areas you’re interested in?
Q. Can I apply these reading strategies on my e-learning course?
A. Unfortunately, a lot of e-learning courses are not particularly well designed from the learner’s point of view. Often the navigation forces you to work through each page in sequence and so it can be very difficult to scan or skim the material.
We suggest you ask to preview the material before signing up – and see how you feel working through their sample content. If you can’t preview the material, ask how their designs cater for different reading strategies. When enough people start asking, the designs will change!! (And also be aware that although almost all e-learning designers say they cater to different learning
styles, this often means no more than including audio files.)
Q. My friends and I received an email, claiming that:
‘Aoccdrnig to rsceearh at an elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer is in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed
it wouthit graet porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by itslef but the wrod as a wlohe.’
Is this true?
A. No, what this e-mail suggests is probably an urban legend. It claims we can read the text because the brain recognises words as a whole, but Edinburgh scientists, Dr Richard Shillcock and Dr Padraig Monaghan, have evidence that reading actually involves splitting words in two. Although the position of the first letter does help with word recognition, the brain has to recognise both halves of the word.
Reading a couple of scrambled sentences might not seem too hard, but most of us would soon tire of the extra effort required, according to Martin Turner of the Dyslexia Institute. (T. Radford, the Guardian 25 Sept. 2003)
SUMMARY
This chapter is summarised in figure 6.3 (overleaf).
TRY THIS
(continued from page 111)
If you’re curious why focus is important, try this activity now.
You’ve just spent three minutes noticing all the red items in the room, now read on . . .
Close your eyes and give yourself 60 seconds to recall all the green
items in the room.
How easy or hard did you find it? Do you think it might have been easier if you’d focused on green items at the beginning of the exercise?
We receive a lot of sensory information, and our ‘focus’ helps us decide what to pay attention to. The same applies when we skim read. We tend to notice information that is relevant. So spend a moment think- ing explicitly about your focus before you start to skim read.
Then chosose your strategy
What do you know about the author?
Who is the intended audience?
What do you need to know before you read the book?
Do you like the style and layout?
Has the book been recommended, and by whom?
Does the book look interesting?
What do I already know about the topic? What, exactly, do I want from this material?
How quickly can I find what I need?
Will I need to recall the information in future?
Useful for understanding the ‘gist’
Reduced comprehension at very high speeds Apply four top tips from pages 123
–
6
Consider whether ‘quantum’ reading is appropriate 1.
Select relevant material & clarify purpose
2.
Preview
3.
Find the key points
4.
Maintain focus & process actively
Foreword
Table of contents
Headings and sub-headings
First & last paragraphs in each chapter
Tables and graphics
Identify keywords
Choose
your book
Bef
ore
you begin Clarify your purpose Scanning
F ocused reading Speed reading Previe w Skimming Preparation Figure 6.3 Summary of chapter 6