HOW READING CAN HELP IN THE PROCESS OF LEARNING

RODOLFO L. ORODNIO II

One great writer said it best: “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”

An innate skill to all human (in normal condition), reading is part and parcel of the entire learning process. It relates to all the skills essential to learning. One cannot speak what he has not listened or read. One cannot write what he has not read or listened. Also, one may not be able to speak what he has not written and vice versa.

To be a “proficient, intelligent and lifetime reader” means becoming a successful learner. One must learn how to read effectively in order to derive vital informative faster and easier. The exercise that we did last week made me more aware of my capacity as a reader and a learner. When I was told that the movement of lips while reading could be a hindrance in one’s reading rate, I immediately did a research at home.

Sub vocalization or the sounding out of words, either verbally or nonverbally, could limit reading speed to about 150 words per minute. Such can greatly affect the amount of information and the quality of learning a reader gets. That is why it is important to diagnose one’s reading skills and correct the factors that are holding back the reading-learning process.

Reading does not stop at correcting sub vocalization, eye movement, and eye stops. Effective reading continues with comprehension, processing of words read by the two eyes and utilizing them when a situation calls for it.

It is also worth sharing that through the Internet, a great volume of information is made available to everyone. With the advent of additional blogs and websites, not to mention the publication of some 300,000 new books written in English annually, the amount of information is growing exponentially every minute. The challenge for us is to keep updated with what is happening with the world. How do we do that? Through speed reading. A learner should know his purpose for reading. This allows him to prioritize what needs to get read in full details and what can get read in passing, of course, still keeping comprehension in mind.

One thing I have learned through reading is that the level of understanding in rapid reading is 20% higher than that of traditional reading. Meanwhile, the fatigability of the eye is higher when one is doing slow reading. Such amazing facts are only few of the many wonders of the human body.

The Advanced Reading Techniques class, hopefully, won’t require us to be as incredible as Gorky, who was able to read at a speed of four thousand words per minute, or Thomas Edison who had the capacity to read 2 – 3 lines simultaneously and on top of that, was able to memorize the text of whole pages through utmost concentration.

To achieve a significant improvement in reading skills will be greatly appreciated, knowing that this will indeed help one become an effective learner and a teacher. And as Gustave Flaubert noted, “read in order to live.”

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The author is Teacher III at Moras Dela Paz Elementary School, Sto. Tomas District