My impression of the literature was that reading speeds above 500-600 wpm had drastic effects on comprehension, and there being general scepticism about ‘speed-reading’.
You say ‘speed-reading is not simply skimming’, but I think it basically is? But strategically skimming and making notes of a huge report like you did would definitely allow you to comprehend a lot (most?) of the text with massive reductions in time. It’s definitely a valuable skill that should be promoted. I just think speed-reading is a bit of a false moniker.
Rapid serial visual presentation also has drawbacks because a reader can’t easily pause or re-read sentences, which is often important in understanding difficult text.
Do you know of any compelling peer-reviewed evidence of speed-reading? I couldn’t find any systematic reviews, but the few recent studies I found were in line with my prior view.
There’s some things here that definitely seem like a losing strategy for reading, like reading multiple lines at once. This post itself is definitely not something to speedread, not the least because some skepticism is occasionally required.
However, on balance, the recommendations are extraordinarily positive and seriously worth consideration. Especially the choice of the NSCAI final report as practice material, which is a very very good thing to practice on and I highly recommend trying it.
Another great thing is the Sinocism newsletter, which basically allows anyone to be an amateur China Watcher (or at least an assistant) but it’s pretty long.
My impression of the literature was that reading speeds above 500-600 wpm had drastic effects on comprehension, and there being general scepticism about ‘speed-reading’.
You say ‘speed-reading is not simply skimming’, but I think it basically is? But strategically skimming and making notes of a huge report like you did would definitely allow you to comprehend a lot (most?) of the text with massive reductions in time. It’s definitely a valuable skill that should be promoted. I just think speed-reading is a bit of a false moniker.
Rapid serial visual presentation also has drawbacks because a reader can’t easily pause or re-read sentences, which is often important in understanding difficult text.
Do you know of any compelling peer-reviewed evidence of speed-reading? I couldn’t find any systematic reviews, but the few recent studies I found were in line with my prior view.
There’s some things here that definitely seem like a losing strategy for reading, like reading multiple lines at once. This post itself is definitely not something to speedread, not the least because some skepticism is occasionally required.
However, on balance, the recommendations are extraordinarily positive and seriously worth consideration. Especially the choice of the NSCAI final report as practice material, which is a very very good thing to practice on and I highly recommend trying it.
Another great thing is the Sinocism newsletter, which basically allows anyone to be an amateur China Watcher (or at least an assistant) but it’s pretty long.