by Braden E. Griffin, M.D.
by Braden E. Griffin, M.D.
For those of you who immediately turn to Griffin's Lair as soon as you receive your issue of ANALOG, without so much as looking at the cover, I would like to say, "Hi, Mom." The rest of you are already aware of this issue's emphasis on education. The programs found in this month's ANALOG will prove to be worthwhile educational tools. Adapting these programs to individual needs provides the opportunity to create a unique educational environment. One does not have to spend megabucks on commercial software to enhance the learning process.
Unfortunately, the word "educational" has the connotation of being tedious, unexciting and, often, involuntary. In a Madison Avenue attempt to combat this attitude, one prominent software company has coined the term "edu-tainment!" William Safire could probably get a whole column out of that one. Everyone should appreciate the inherent pleasures of learning. We should also live in a world without war and hunger, but my plans for that are a little beyond the scope of this column. ANALOG readers, an erudite and select group (really!), realizing the value of knowledge, will find this issue very beneficial.
In an act of extreme mercy (divine intervention?), my soapbox has just been destroyed by a bolt of lightning. I guess it's high time to get on with the show.
ATARI SPEED READING
"Darlin', trace this call -- 'cause I don't know where I am." The glut of reading material inundating many people today does give one the feeling of being lost. Whether keeping pace with the news of the world, maintaining expertise in one's own business, cramming for a final (also, one's business), staying current with the plethora of computer magazines (whose numbers will soon outstrip porno mags) or simply trying to get through the book(s) we received for Christmas, the ability to read faster and comprehend more would be a great asset. In addition, the increase in leisure-time activities has made nearly everyone wish they had more time for reading. Unless we blow up our TV sets, disconnect our computers and move to Iceland, there is never going to be enough time. Since most of us aren't willing to sacrifice our pleasures, the only options are to stop reading (perish the thought) or to read faster.
To rescue us from this stagnation of priorities, methods to teach rapid reading skills have been developed. Atari Speed Reading incorporates many of these methods in a do-it-yourself program designed to improve both speed and comprehension.
The program consists of eight separate units on four cassettes and a superb reading workbook. A fifth cassette is included as an adjunct to outside reading and the maintenance of the newly-acquired skills. Each unit has a similar format and consists of six elements. Each session begins with a WARM-UP EXERCISE, which gets one moving fast and concentrating. A reading window highlights a word on the screen, then it moves over a separate series of words. When the appropriate matching word is highlighted, one presses the joystick fire button. The units differ slightly on the matching word required. The initial exercises are just seeking an exact word match. Others match synonyms, antonyms or phrases. The rate at which the entries are highlighted by the window can be varied, offering a greater challenge as progress is made.
One of the limiting factors in reading fast is that many people tend to subvocalize, or talk silently to themselves, as they read. Using the exercise above, one can practice seeing the words without pronouncing them. This is an important concept, emphasizing that one's reading speed, even for employees of overnight delivery services, relies on understanding, not on being able to speak fast.
The PHRASE-READING EXERCISE comes next. In this drill, the reading window will highlight phrases as it proceeds through a short portion of prepared text. A metronome-like tone accompanies the window movement. The rate can, again, be increased as skills improve. The purpose of this exercise is to force the reader to take in more information with each eye stop, or fixation. It promotes fast, efficient eye movements between these stops in a left to right procession, referred to as saccadic movements. By pushing one forward, it discourages regressions, or movements from right to left within the same line.
The next element is the PACED & TIMED READINGS. For these exercises, selected articles in the workbook are read while the computer supplies the pacing tone and timer. Pressing the fire button initiates the timer and then stops it when the reading is finished. The articles vary from 1500 to 2500 words, and most are quite interesting in themselves. Each selection is followed by a quiz, to help monitor how well one is retaining the material. A score of 70% is felt to be a minimum standard of achievernent. The reading in this part of the program is fairly easy, enabling the user to concentrate on speed while still maintaining an acceptable degree of understanding.
Each segment focuses on the NEW TECHNIQUES used to improve reading efficiency. A variety of exercises in the workbook are employed to accomplish this. Scanning techniques are developed using an excerpt from a telephone directory. Several of the units stress the importance of skimming methods and include some excellent drills to refine them. One unit teaches how to incorporate the skimming techniques with note taking and outlining skills. This latter section is extremely well done and will unquestionably enhance study habits. The final unit deals with the use of the different techniques as they relate to the purpose of the reading.
The fifth element is the FLEXIBLE READING portion. Using the computer-controlled timer without the paced tone, the selections are read as rapidly as possible, while maintaining a pace that does not interfere with one's understanding of the material. There is a wide range of reading difficulty in the excerpts used, serving to illustrate the flexible natures of these skills. Specialized topics with an unfamiliar vocabulary require a different degree of intensity and pace than an article about a subject with which the reader is quite conversant. A selection from Gray's Anatomy is used to demonstrate this. It is obvious that a great deal of thought went into the selection of the reading matter for each unit. Apart from specifically underscoring the respective techniques stressed in each unit, every one of the selected texts stimulates interest, helping maintain a high level of concentration. Again, a short quiz follows this section to ensure that an adequate measure of understanding is continued.
The final element is the READING PROGRESS GRAPH. At this point, the reading rates and comprehension scores for the paced, timed and flexible reading sections are entered, and a Reading Efficiency Index is calculated and plotted on a graph showing one's progress.
Before beginning the programmed course, the student is given a reading pretest. Using the computer-controlled timer, one reads a selection at a normal rate and answers the questions following the section. Current reading rate is thus determined and will serve as a baseline for the succeeding exercises. Each unit should take about two hours to complete. If two units are completed per week, the course can be finished in one month, a pace considered to promote the best progress.
Does it really work? Definitely. The key is motivation. The success of any speed reading course depends heavily on the enthusiasm of the participant. I have always considered myself a slow reader. My excuse has been that, with so much to read from medical school on, I might only have the time to read something once, so I had better read slowly and remember it the first time. These habits influenced my reading in all areas. It took me days to read a novel most people finished in one night. Granted, I remembered every detail, but I'm not often quizzed on Asimov's Foundation Trilogy.
![[Atari Speed Reading screenshot]](pictures/atari_speed_read.jpg)
Knowing that beginning a new book meant many hours of reading, I frequently opted not to even start. No more. Having completed most of the program, I now realize that I was never a slow reader, only a lazy one. My biggest surprise came during the very first unit. My reading speed nearly doubled after just a few exercises. Were the warm-up drills responsible? I don't think so. What happened was that I concentrated on reading fast and retaining the material. I mean, I really worked at it. How often have you sat down to read something important and found yourself rereading sections and drifting away? Most of us put very little effort into reading, and that makes us lazy readers. This program points out bad habits and helps eliminate them. I am not only reading faster, but with greater confidence.
Apparently, a number of studies have shown that the majority of people who develop speed reading skills revert back to their old habits after several months. These skills must be practiced. One may be able to ride a bike, but riding fast requires one to keep working at it. Mental skills are no different; they must be kept in shape. The final cassette helps maintain these skills by providing a pacing and timing program to use with reading material not found in the workbook.
Atari Speed Reading uncovers one's reading potential and develops it to the fullest. A good investment for adults, it is a great one for our children. And yet, I wonder ... now that I can type and read incredibly fast, why does it still take me forever to write this column?
Next issue, Dr. Griffin will take a look at Infocom's new "educational" adventure-type game, Seastalker.