Holistic Path

• Use visual guide
• Reduce regressions
• Expand visual bite (do exercises)
• Ok for sub-vocalisation- use to emphasise key-words
• Practise scanning and skimming for things that you read
• Metronome practice

President Thomas Jefferson believed in mapping out his reading into a definite plan of action, defining specific goals for each topic, never allowing himself to deviate from his reading schedule until he had completed his task. No distractions, no dissipation of time by 'scattered inattentiveness'. He believed a good reader should choose a course of reading with a specific purpose:
a) to hunt out specific knowledge
b) to cultivate the mind
c) for recreation
Jefferson described his reading speed as 'always calm, even stately, like the tick of a tall mahogany clock'.

President Theodore Roosevelt was a renowned speed reader, known for his ability to get through far more reading material than his contemporaries. Dickens was one of Roosevelt's favourite authors, yet the president still applied scanning techniques when reading his novels.
'It always interests me about Dickens to think how almost all of it was mixed up with every kind of cheap, second-rate matter.... the wise thing to do is to simply skip the bosh and twaddle and vulgarity and untruth and get the benefit out of the rest'.

-> Benefit of speed reading: Read the fluff fast so that you have more time to digest/re-read the important parts.

Concentration - your eye/brain system becomes laser-like in its ability to focus and absorb.

Mindmap

• Keywords
• As many images as possible
• Codes

Paragraph Structure

• Explanatory Paragraph - first/two sentences gives general idea, last two gives conclusion, middle contains details
• Descriptive Paragraph - embellish
• Linking Paragraph - summarise what has preceded and what follows

Newspapers/magazines:
First and last paragraphs contain significant information -> Concentrate more
Middle paragraphs contain details

Games:
- As you read, make up Memory Words for the paragraph
- Relate, the first sentence to the remainder: introductory, transitional or encompassing

Reconnaissance

• Apply what you already know, mindmap what you already know
• Interact actively with author- two way conversation with author, note down questions/comments in margin
• Be a detective- try to predict what is going to happen next, try to be one step ahead