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Muna Tengi
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10 Tips On How To Read Faster In Nigeria
In today’s fast-paced world, the ability to read quickly and efficiently is becoming increasingly important. Whether you're a student preparing for exams, a professional seeking to stay up to date with the latest developments, or simply someone looking to make the most of your reading time, learning how to read faster is a skill that can greatly enhance your productivity. In Nigeria, where the education system places heavy emphasis on reading for success in school, especially in exams like WAEC, NECO, and JAMB, this skill is especially valuable. This comprehensive guide will explore strategies, techniques, and practical tips to help Nigerians improve their reading speed while maintaining comprehension.
Why is Speed Reading Important in Nigeria?
Nigeria is a country with a dynamic educational system, and students at all levels—primary, secondary, and tertiary—are often required to cover vast amounts of reading material in limited time. Whether it’s textbooks, academic papers, or exam preparation materials, the volume of reading can be overwhelming. Furthermore, for professionals who need to keep up with industry trends, legislation, or even news, speed reading can be a significant advantage.
In the Nigerian education system, reading and comprehension play a vital role in success. Exams such as the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), and university-level coursework require students to absorb large amounts of information. Developing fast reading skills can help you efficiently digest these materials, retain key concepts, and perform better academically.
Beyond academics, speed reading is beneficial in the workplace, where professionals often need to sift through reports, emails, and industry publications. With Nigeria's growing economy and competitive job market, being able to process information quickly can give you an edge in your career.
Steps to Reading Faster in Nigeria
1. Assess Your Current Reading Speed
Before you start trying to improve your reading speed, it's important to assess where you currently stand. You can do this by timing yourself while reading a section of a book or an article. Note how long it takes to complete a page or a chapter, and how much information you retain afterward. You can use online tools and apps that measure your reading speed and comprehension levels. This self-assessment will give you a baseline from which to measure your progress.
A typical reader reads at a speed of about 200-300 words per minute (wpm), but with practice, you can push this number higher. Speed readers often reach 500-800 wpm, and experts can exceed 1,000 wpm while still retaining comprehension.
2. Eliminate Subvocalization
Subvocalization is the habit of silently pronouncing each word in your head as you read. This is something most readers do without even realizing it. While it helps with comprehension in early stages of learning to read, it slows you down significantly in more advanced reading.
To reduce subvocalization, practice reading in chunks or phrases rather than word by word. Instead of focusing on each word, aim to understand the overall meaning of the sentence or paragraph. This will allow you to process information faster without the mental "soundtrack" of reading aloud in your head. Over time, you will find that you can still comprehend the material without subvocalizing every word.
3. Expand Your Peripheral Vision
Many people focus on just a few words at a time while reading, which limits their speed. By training your eyes to see and process larger chunks of text at once, you can increase your reading speed. This is where your peripheral vision comes into play.
One way to expand your peripheral vision while reading is to practice focusing on the middle of the line while trying to absorb the words on either side of it. You can use a guide, such as your finger or a pen, to move across the page and force your eyes to move faster. Over time, this technique will help you read multiple words in one glance, rather than one word at a time.
Another method is to train yourself to read words in clusters or groups. This means reading two to three words at once instead of reading each word individually. By chunking words together, you can significantly increase your speed without losing comprehension.
4. Minimize Eye Movements (Fixations)
When you read, your eyes don't move smoothly across the page. Instead, they make small stops, or fixations, on individual words. The more fixations you make, the slower your reading speed. To read faster, you need to minimize these eye movements.
You can reduce the number of fixations by practicing speed drills where you focus on fewer points on each line of text. A good goal is to reduce fixations to two or three per line. With practice, you can train your eyes to glide over the text more fluidly, reducing the amount of time spent on each line.
Additionally, try to avoid regression—going back to re-read previous lines or words. This is a common habit when you're unsure about comprehension, but it slows down your reading considerably. Practice moving forward through the text without backtracking, even if you don’t grasp every word. The more you practice, the more confident you’ll become in your ability to understand the material without re-reading.
5. Use a Pointer or Guide
Using a pointer, such as a pen or your finger, can help guide your eyes and control the speed at which you read. This technique, known as "meta guiding," helps reduce distractions and trains your eyes to move faster across the page. The guide ensures that your focus remains on the text, helping you avoid unnecessary pauses and distractions.
As you become more comfortable with this technique, you can increase the speed at which you move the guide, gradually forcing your eyes to keep up. Over time, this will naturally lead to an increase in reading speed.
6. Improve Your Vocabulary
One of the reasons people read slowly is because they frequently encounter unfamiliar words. When this happens, the reader may pause to figure out the meaning of the word, which slows down the reading process. By expanding your vocabulary, you will reduce the number of times you need to stop and interpret unfamiliar words.
In Nigeria, you can improve your vocabulary by reading a wide range of materials, including newspapers, novels, academic papers, and magazines. Additionally, you can use vocabulary-building apps or flashcards to learn new words regularly. The larger your vocabulary, the less time you will spend deciphering words, and the faster you will be able to read.
7. Practice Skimming and Scanning
Skimming and scanning are essential techniques for speed reading. Skimming involves quickly running your eyes over the text to get the main ideas without reading every word. This is useful when you need to grasp the overall meaning of a passage without focusing on details.
Scanning, on the other hand, involves looking for specific information within the text, such as names, dates, or key terms. When you scan, you don’t read everything—just what is relevant to your needs.
Both skimming and scanning can help you save time, especially when dealing with lengthy reading materials. For instance, if you're preparing for an exam and need to quickly review a textbook, skimming for key concepts and scanning for important dates or formulas can significantly speed up the process.
8. Set Reading Goals
Setting specific goals for your reading can help you stay focused and motivated to improve your speed. For example, you might set a goal to read 50 pages of a textbook in an hour or to finish an article within a specific time frame.
By setting clear targets, you’ll have a tangible measure of your progress and something to work toward. As you become more comfortable with your reading speed, you can gradually increase your goals, challenging yourself to read more quickly and efficiently.
9. Reduce Distractions
Reading in a quiet, distraction-free environment is crucial to improving reading speed. Distractions such as noise, phone notifications, or a cluttered workspace can significantly slow down your reading pace. Find a place where you can concentrate fully on the text.
In Nigeria, students often face distractions from family, friends, or the environment. To minimize these distractions, consider reading during quieter times of the day, such as early mornings or late evenings. You can also use noise-cancelling headphones or find a quiet corner in your home or local library.
10. Practice Regularly
Improving your reading speed requires consistent practice. Dedicate time each day to practicing speed reading techniques, and you will gradually see improvement. Like any other skill, the more you practice, the better you will become.
You can start by selecting reading materials that interest you, such as novels, news articles, or academic journals. This will make the practice more enjoyable and sustainable. Track your progress over time to see how much your reading speed improves, and adjust your techniques as needed.
Conclusion
Reading faster is a valuable skill in Nigeria, where academic success and professional growth often depend on the ability to process large amounts of information efficiently. By implementing the strategies outlined in this guide—such as eliminating subvocalization, expanding peripheral vision, minimizing eye movements, and practicing skimming and scanning—you can significantly improve your reading speed while maintaining comprehension.
In addition, setting goals, practicing regularly, and reducing distractions will help you become a more effective reader. Whether you are a student preparing for exams, a professional aiming to stay competitive, or someone looking to maximize your productivity, learning to read faster will serve you well in Nigeria's increasingly demanding educational and work environments.
