She’s a writer but has a knack for speed reading. What I found interesting in the interview was how she dissects exactly how she reads so fast:
…I became aware I could read fast when I burned through eight “Sweet Valley High” books in one evening when I was about 9. A lot of it has to do with my music background. I studied voice and piano fairly seriously during my elementary and high school days, and as such, I became very attuned to rhythm and cadence and voice. So what happens when I read is that I can “hear” the narrative and dialogue in my head, but what’s odd is that I’m both aware of the book at, say, an LP rate (33 1/3 revolutions per minute) but in my head it translates to roughly a 78. I’ve tried to slow this down, but realized that my natural reading rhythm is freakishly fast…
As a musician myself, I find that fascinating. Growing up, I had trouble reading and had to work after school to improve my skill. As a result, I was a slow reader and never took to reading for pleasure until I traveled to Australia and had a lot of time to myself to actually enjoy reading… which now I do.
But when I read about Sarah, who read about 457 more books that I did last year, I felt like that young kid in grade school who had to stay late to practice his reading. Then I thought, if that teacher tapped into my musical talents to help my reading along, who knows, Sarah might have some compitition.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I was sooo close to beating that record. I’ve been unable to finish the most recent book I’m reading, due to what I’m sure is a typ-o. I defy you to find Waldo on page 26….he’s not there!!
eBull-
Check out PhotoReading from Learning Strategies, you can learn speed reading in about 10 days.
Groovy
A great article. It taps into Howard Gardner’s “Multiple Intelligences” theory. Perhaps one day teachers will once again be able to apply their creative ideas in their teaching as opposed to the rote teaching to the test that has come to dominate teaching today.