Fast technique. Fast reading technique with high memorization rate

Every seven-year-old American child knows English. He didn't put any extra effort into it. His intelligence is no higher than yours. This is a fact that proves that anyone can speak English. But in order to move towards the goal along the shortest path, you need to choose the right methods. This article is about super techniques that will help you learn English in as soon as possible.

The first thing you encounter when you start learning a foreign language is unfamiliar words. A huge number of foreign words that need to be remembered. The most common method of memorization is cramming, which is also the most tedious and ineffective. There are a couple of techniques for quickly memorizing words. Let's start with them.

Memorizing words. Mnemonics.

Popular wisdom says: “It is better to see once than to hear a hundred times.” A person quickly and effortlessly remembers vivid pictures. Mnemonics teaches us to use this feature of our memory to remember various information: historical dates, numbers, shopping lists, etc. Mnemonics methods are excellent for memorizing foreign words. They are many times more effective than cramming, because cramming ignores the principles by which human memory works, and mnemonics, on the contrary, uses these principles to ensure the most effective memorization of words.

How does mnemonics work? Young children remember the order of the colors of the rainbow using the mnemonic phrase:

"Every hunter wants to know where the pheasant is sitting."

the phrase is easy to remember, especially if you imagine what it will look like - a hunter with a gun at an advantage looks at a bright iridescent pheasant sitting on a branch.

In one of the novels by Sergei Lukyanenko main character uses as a password to a top secret computer system killer mnemonic phrase:

"Forty-nine monkeys stuck a banana in their ass."

It is impossible to forget such a password. Especially if you imagine a picture of how it happened, it will be remembered the first time for the rest of your life.

We are interested in memorizing English words. Here is an example of how this is done using mnemonics. Word

eagle [eagle] - eagle

remember using a phrase "EAGLE Claws are 10 Hellish NEEDLES". Imagine an eagle - what a huge powerful bird it is, imagine its feathers, imagine that it is above you and that its claws are piercing your shoulder, but instead of claws the eagle has 10 needles from a syringe, and there is a red cross on its side, imagine the pain you are experiencing. Introduced? Now you remember this word for a long time, you can check it.

Memorizing words. Card method.

The card method is very simple. You will need to buy small sheets of paper at a stationery store, approximately 5 by 5 centimeters in size. Let's say you have prepared 20 words that you need to remember. You do the following:

1. Write the word and transcription on one side of the piece of paper, and the translation on the other. One word - one leaf. In total you will get a stack of 20 cards.
2. You memorize all 20 words using mnemonics.
3. A week after memorizing, the words need to be repeated. Take a stack and for each card do the following:
   1. look at the word written on the card, try to remember the translation.
   2. Turn the card over and check that it has been translated correctly.
   3. If you forgot a word, put the card aside.
4. Similarly, check the translation of a word from Russian into English.
5. After a while, you will have a whole stack of cards that you have put aside. You need to work with them more carefully, repeat them until you remember them.

Besides the effectiveness of this method, I like that you can carry a stack of flashcards with you at all times and repeat the words anywhere. There is always something to do while in line or on the way to work. A minimum of free time is spent - only on preparing cards.

You may ask: “Why is the flashcard method more effective than traditional cramming?” There is a strict scientific explanation for this.

The fact is that a person has two types of memory: short-term and long-term. The characteristic of short-term memory is fast and easy memorization and equally quick forgetting. With long-term memory, the opposite is true - both remembering and forgetting take a long time.

If we repeatedly retrieve information from short-term memory, then this information gradually begins to move into long-term memory. Cramming is based on this principle. Mnemonics immediately transfers information into long-term memory, which is more effective.

If we repeatedly retrieve information from long-term memory, then that information becomes less susceptible to forgetting. The card method is based on this principle. Cramming, on the other hand, does not use long-term memory, so it is ineffective for repeating information.

So, the flashcard method will allow you not to forget the words you have already learned and at the same time spend very little time on repetition. Read detailed description method .

Grammar. Milashevich method.

Grammar. Dragunkin method.

Unlike Milashevich's method, which is applicable only to reading English texts, Dragunkin's method is comprehensive; it allows you to understand English grammar in all its diversity. At the same time, the form of material delivery differs sharply from traditional methods. The author of the method abandoned outdated, often simply artificial “rules”, and gave his own description of English grammar - simple, logical and understandable.

Dragunkin uses his own terminology - functional, clear, absolutely transparent and understandable. Many original parallels with Russian grammar and its own transcription are used, with the help of which any beginner can easily read and learn English words! In addition, the author of the method systematized exception words and solved the “problem” of articles and “irregular” verbs. And what is especially important is that the most difficult “times” are mastered using Dragunkin’s method in a couple of days.

If your task is to master English grammar in full in order to write and speak rich English, then Dragunkin’s method will allow you to achieve results in the shortest possible time and without extra effort. Read a detailed description of the technique .

Ilya Frank's method.

The most expensive courses in English are held with trips to English-speaking countries - the USA, Great Britain, Australia. People pay thousands of dollars to be immersed in a language environment because words and grammar are memorized automatically, without effort. There is another, accessible way to immerse yourself in the language environment - read books in English. The method is good, if not for the tiring need to constantly refer to the dictionary.

The fast reading technique means easy comprehension of what you read, more free time, broadening your horizons, developing your intellect, improving your memory and many other pleasant effects. Even if you don’t like to read, once you have mastered the technique, you are unlikely to be indifferent to the eternal source of knowledge, because you can read one or even several books a day.

Why improve your reading speed?

In the age of Internet technology, a huge flow of information flows together, both necessary and uninteresting, pleasant and poisonous to the minds. To be able to find as quickly as possible important information in a huge stream, filter out false information and not be vulnerable to smart and cunning people, you need to read. After all, reading, like reading, improves mental activity, increases intelligence, broadens horizons, trains memory and develops imagination.

Now imagine that during quick reading, all this happens in three or even five times faster. What knowledge will you have in six months? And what knowledge can you pass on to your children?

In physical terms, by increasing the speed of reading, a person strains his eye muscles less, forgets about headaches and does not get tired of work, since high concentration allows him to quickly solve work issues.

Famous people and their records

The technique of fast reading appeared a long time ago, many famous people owned and actively used it:

• Vladimir Ilyich Lenin read 2500 words per minute. Many people were amazed by such speed; some did not believe that it was possible. But despite his speed, he always understood and remembered what he read.
• Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin had his own huge library. His daily quota was at least 500 pages.
• Maxim Gorky had his own speed reading technique. He read texts in magazines, “drawing” a zigzag with his eyes: 1 text - 1 zigzag. Its speed reached 4000 words per minute.
• Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin had an exceptional memory. And he used the speed reading technique, which he learned from the notes of the monk Raymond Lull.
• Napoleon Bonaparte read at a speed of 2000 words per minute.
• The writer Honore de Balzac read with great speed. And he wrote a work about his abilities, but with a fictional character: “The absorption of thoughts in the process of reading reached him with a phenomenal ability. His gaze covered 7-8 lines at once, and his mind comprehended the meaning at a speed corresponding to the speed of his eye. Often just one word allowed him to grasp the meaning of an entire phrase.”
• Evgenia Alekseenko, she read 416250 words per minute, it’s even hard to believe, but it’s a fact.

Fast Reading Techniques

There are a huge number of methods for teaching speed reading techniques, but it is worth highlighting the most effective and frequently used among fans of this method of perceiving information.

Regression is the main enemy of speed

First of all, you should get rid of habit of returning with your eyes back to the text already read - regression. With slow reading, there are more returns. What does this have to do with? Habit, complex text, lack of attention.

Our parents and teachers always told us, if you don’t understand, read it again. But it turns out that this is the first and most annoying reason for slow reading; with regression, speed decreases by half, and understanding of meaning decreases by three times. We need to get rid of this habit. This will help integral reading algorithm.

Many people read books randomly, read at the end, open the middle, they don’t have any algorithm, so the meaning is lost. This way, the information received does not stay in the head for long; the next day the person will not even remember the title of the book.

For better assimilation, a figurative representation is necessary. You can come up with your own scheme or take an existing one. The diagram consists of blocks and looks like this:

1. Title (books, articles).
2. Author.
3. Source and its data (year, no.).
4. Main content, topic, factual data.
5. Features of the material presented that seem controversial, criticism.
6. The novelty of the material presented.

You need to remember this diagram. And mentally, from the information you are reading, highlight the main thing and break it down into appropriate blocks. Integral algorithm promotes suppression bad habit – regression.

When using this scheme, the dynamics of mental processes will not leave time for recurrent eye movements. Remember, it is important to read the text to the end without backtracking. Only after reading it completely, if necessary, can you read it again, which is unlikely to be necessary using this scheme.

How to Achieve Reading Comprehension

Another important factor is understanding the essence. There are three methods:

• highlighting semantic reference points;
• anticipation;
• reception.

Identification of semantic reference points implies dividing the text into parts and highlighting the main idea, which contributes to better assimilation of information. Any association that arises can be a support. It is necessary to reduce the content to short, concise sentences that highlight the main idea of ​​​​the work.

Anticipation- a semantic guess. That is, the reader guesses a phrase from a few words, and understands the meaning of entire paragraphs from a few phrases. With this speed reading technique, the reader relies on the meaning of the entire text, rather than individual words. This method of understanding is developed through the accumulation of a dictionary of text cliches and semantic stereotypes. Then the processing of what you read reaches automaticity.

Reception is a mental return to what has been read. It is mental reflection on what you read, not to be confused with regression. This method helps to understand the deep meaning of the material or work.

Methods to combat articulation

Articulation during reading slows down the speed very much, so it needs to be suppressed. Reading speed depends on how speech processes work, that is, how quickly you can process and assimilate text.

There are three types of reading:

• with speaking out loud or whispering (slow);
• with talking to yourself (more quickly, but still not effective);
• silently, but the main internal dialogue is suppressed and only key and meaningful phrases pop up in the head.

For example, psychologist E. Meiman suppressed articulation with the help of counting. While reading, he counted “One, two, three” and this greatly helped him in increasing his speed.

Researchers have developed three methods suppression of articulation:

1. Mechanical delay information (or forced) - clamping the tongue between the teeth while reading. But this method has a disadvantage: it inhibits only the peripheral speech-motor system, leaving the central (brain) system to work. Therefore, this method is not very effective.
2. Speaking foreign text out loud when reading to yourself. This method is better than the previous one, but still not ideal. Since a lot of attention and energy is spent on pronunciation of other words, they could improve the quality of information perception.
3. Central speech interference method, or the method of arrhythmic tapping was developed by N. I. Zhinkin. When reading to yourself, you must use your hand, beating out a special rhythm with your fingers. One of them is push-pull tapping with four percussion elements in the first beat and two in the second, with an increase in the beat in the first stage of each beat.

The peculiarity of this technique is that there is no effect on the speech organs, but at the same time, from tapping the hand, a zone of inductive inhibition appears in the brain, which makes it impossible to pronounce readable words.

Memory and attention training

Attention- this is a person’s concentration on the task he is doing at the moment. Without attention, understanding of work decreases by 90%. Only on the condition that the concentration on a certain lesson is maximum, then the work, studying the material, or any lesson will not be in vain. And therefore, when interested in speed reading techniques, it is very important to develop concentration skills.

Scientists give good advice: To develop concentration, read words and sentences backwards. You can recite the alphabet in reverse.

Memory. How often, after reading a work, a week later it is impossible to remember either the author or the title, not to mention the content. For better memorization, after reading it completely, you need to retell the content in your own words, and for better assimilation, translate the material into the language of your own thoughts. The task is to find the meaningful and semantic part of the text.

Where to start self-study

The fast reading technique does not require any material costs. You don’t have to go shopping, choose unknown materials, be surprised at prices and waste your valuable time. All you need is your desire and perseverance, this is the key to successfully achieving your goal.

You will also need books, many books. There is no need to run and buy bookstores, every person has at least a few good books in their home, start with them, and then turn to your friends, they will definitely find something interesting for you. After all, this is the 21st century, interactive technologies and e-books will adequately replace paper publications.

1. One of the popular and very effective books by O. A. Kuznetsov and L. N. Khromov is “Fast Reading Technique.” The techniques are described in a very accessible and interesting way. At the end of the book there are lessons where all the stages are explained in accessible language.
2. S. N. Ustinova “Development of oral and written speech skills.” Good book, a lot of interesting tricks and tips.
3. Mortier Adler "How to read books." He writes not only about speed reading techniques, but also about reading in general. Gives interesting recommendations, this book is worth reading.
4. There are also new programs that allow you to increase your reading speed, for example, Spritz.
5. Online speed reading trainers from Sergei Mikhailov: Flasch – speed reading training.

If you don't want to study on your own, sign up for online courses. Take a free trial lesson at the Eshko school right now.

Feel free to be smart. This will improve your self-esteem and quality of life. Love reading, it will give you great benefits and make you happier. Reading can be considered one of the best ways to maintain a sound mind and interest in life.

The human brain, like a super-powerful computer, is capable of processing and storing an amazing amount of information. A person could remember absolutely everything that his organs of perception recognized at least once, if there were no “buts”. And this “but” is the process of losing access to acquired knowledge. In other words - forgetting.

Forgetting is a protective unloading mechanism. But it is precisely this property of memory that often prevents us from reproducing previously received information at the right time. But by understanding what memory is and how it works, you can significantly improve its performance and master the technique of quick memorization.

Unsolved mystery

Memory is the ability to store and reproduce previously acquired information. The connections between the nerve cells of the brain - neurons - are responsible for this process. The quantity and quality of these connections is directly proportional to the amount of accumulated knowledge and the amount of life experience of the individual.

However, not everything is as obvious and simple as it might seem at first glance. And here there is an interesting paradox: over 10 years, brain cells are completely renewed, but the memories remain and do not lose any of their quality. Numerous experiments using hypnosis techniques prove that absolutely everything that we encounter along the path of life is stored in our memory. And although most of this information is stored at the subconscious level, under certain conditions it is quite possible to bring these memories out.

Memorization process

At the physiological level, perceived information causes irritation of a group of neurons. Under the influence of such information impulses, neural connections are formed. Each repetition of the same material will activate the corresponding group of neurons, and the connections between them will become stronger each time. Accordingly, the memory itself at the level of consciousness will become more stable and long-lasting. Although, in addition to the usual mechanical repetition, other factors also influence the quality of memorization.

Factors influencing the speed of memorization

1. Emotions

As you know, emotionally intense events always leave a vivid mark on a person’s memory. By the same principle, information associated with great joy or great sorrow will certainly be remembered deeply and for a long time.

2. Concentration

The ability to abstract from external distractions and focus on the object of memorization also plays a significant role. Associated with the ability to concentrate, of course, are both motivation to remember and willpower.

3. Interest

This is one of the most productive states for memorization. Interest in something releases incredible energy potential, and a person finds himself in the so-called state of flow. Many people are probably familiar with the state when some activity is so captivating that sometimes even the need for food and sleep is forgotten.

4. Physical and psychological condition

It is obvious that in a harmonious state a person will be more effective. It's a completely different matter when the body's resources are depleted by lack of sleep, poor nutrition, illness or emotional stress. In this case, there simply will not be enough energy for full-fledged brain activity.

5. Importance and usefulness of information

It is easier for us to remember what is applicable in our Everyday life. The brain's defense mechanisms quickly erase useless information from random access memory so that overload does not occur. As an example, a foreign language will quickly be forgotten if there is no constant language practice.

Quick Memorization Methods

1. Associations

With the help of associations, you can create connections between new unfamiliar information and already well-studied old information. This method is especially good when you need to memorize something with maximum accuracy. For example, an excerpt from work of art, poem, foreign words, set of symbols, or theoretical definition.

Examples various types associations:

• Consonance: ion pair – horse pair;
• Simple associations: snowboard - winter - snow - north - deer - antlers;
• Specifying concepts: mammal – cow, berry – blackberry;
• Similarity of shapes and colors: graphite – night, planet – ball

2. Structuring

Dividing it into logical sections and building cause-and-effect relationships between them will help you quickly absorb information.

For example, in history, certain turning points can serve as points of division: the outbreak of war, the conclusion of a treaty, restructuring in the government, a revolution. And connections will be formed around these key points when analyzing previous and subsequent events (for example: the causes of the war, the consequences of the war);

3. Emotional content

As previously noted, things that have a bright emotional color are remembered better. Therefore, by connecting the information being memorized with personal emotional experiences, this process can be significantly accelerated. A text read dramatically with appropriate gestures and facial expressions will be remembered much better and faster than the same text read monotonously and insensitively;

4. Intent

Preliminary volitional adjustment to learn a given amount of information will also increase the efficiency of memorization;

5. Practical examples

Long-term memorization is facilitated by awareness of the applicability of the material being studied in real life. life situations. Therefore, it is important to draw your own conclusions from any information you learn: ethical lessons, current legislative precedents, or everyday tricks. Everything that has practical benefits will take root in memory for a long time.

The integrated application of the above methods will significantly reduce the time spent on memorization. And as a bonus, boring cramming is transformed into an exciting learning practice.

Have you ever, while replaying in your head the negotiations you just completed or your participation in a heated discussion, admit with annoyance that, unfortunately, only now, after some time, did the right argument for your partners or an exact retort come to your mind in defiance to your opponent? And the train, as they say, has already left. What determines the speed of decision-making, and how to develop quick thinking?

Let's turn to simple comparison. Have you noticed how different the speed of information flow is between a film in a cinema and a series on TV? When making a film, directors have a good idea of ​​the environment in which the audience will watch it, and depending on this, they choose the appropriate speed of plot development. In the cinema, you are completely involved in what is happening on the screen.

The pace of information delivery is so high that to make it easier to perceive, other stimuli are removed by turning off the lights in the hall. On the contrary, at home you watch the series at a measured pace, you have the opportunity to run to the refrigerator for something tasty, get distracted by a phone call, and still remain aware of the events happening on the screen.

Different people's brains also work at different rhythms.. Some people easily navigate the information flows that fall upon them like frames of an action film, while others are only able to process the speed of the tempo of a soap opera. The speed of processing incoming information available to a person is called the speed of thinking.

Developing the speed of thinking is one of the directions for developing a disciplined mind.

The speed of thinking is determined by the speed of the basic nervous processes - excitation and inhibition. These are psychophysiological characteristics and cannot be influenced by simple willpower. But what you can really do is, by training your mind, achieve an increase in the speed of information processing.

So, here are 10 effective exercises for developing speed of thinking.

1. "What if..." scenario

When preparing for a complex negotiation or meeting where you will be required to respond quickly to a rapidly changing situation, think ahead possible options developments of events. Ask yourself what you will say in response to such and such a question, or how you will act in such and such a situation, or how you will respond to your opponent’s remark.

Such training is useful because it encourages you to build probabilistic models of the future in your head. Use preventive calculation of possible events as a simulator, because when imagining a situation, you can arbitrarily speed up or slow down the speed of your reasoning.

As long as your vocabulary is littered with this verbal husk, the tempo of your thoughts will be slower than the tempo of which you are actually capable.

1. Practice thinking in another language

When you have the opportunity to reason outside of strict time frames, force your brain to reason in a foreign language, not your native one. The process you initiate is similar to how Tibetan monks are trained. Performing various physical exercise with a load, they will then be able to perform the same exercises without a load many times easier and faster.

The same principle works here: by forcing the brain to build logic in a non-native language, you train it so that it can then do the same thing in its native language much faster.

1. Reading with a stopwatch

Read a chapter of any book as quickly as possible. Record the time it took you to read. Now time yourself again and quickly retell the main information you just read. Do this exercise regularly, each time trying to reduce both the time you spend reading and the time you spend retelling what you read. This way you develop both the speed of perception and the speed of reproducing information.

1. Speed ​​alphabet

Place a piece of paper with the letters of the alphabet in front of you. Come up with 3 words starting with each letter of the alphabet as quickly as possible: three words starting with “a”, then three words starting with “b” and so on until the letter “i”. Gradually increase the number of words you need to come up with up to 10.

To make this exercise more challenging, use a stopwatch again. Time how long it takes you to come up with 30 words. Then try to reduce this time by speeding up the pace of the task.

With Vikium you can do exercises to develop your thinking speed according to an individual program

1. Dear calls

Sometimes money abroad goes very quickly for international calls on a mobile phone. Imagine that every second of your conversation costs a lot of money. When you remember a conversation you just had with someone, make it a point to mentally repeat it in a way that shortens the duration of the conversation as much as possible. Think about how you could clear this conversation of unnecessary information noise - unnecessary phrases and questions that could be completely avoided.

Practice engaging in business dialogue with someone if the situation allows. Imagine that you are talking on a phone where calls are very expensive. Try to speed up the dialogue, speak and think faster than you usually do. Focus only on the main thing, choose only the most precise words, do not get distracted from the topic, speak and answer quickly.

1. Determine your priorities

To train your thinking speed, use the practice of prioritizing. Everything you deal with, come into contact with, surrounds you, you can rank from important to unnecessary and useless. The habit of ranking structures your personal information space.

Just as it is easy for you to find the things you need where they are located in a certain order that you know, it will be easy for you to look for the information you need to make a decision. Although this recommendation is hardly a developmental exercise, following it means preparing your brain in advance for quick decisions.

1. Read humorous stories

Not just stories. You can also make it a rule to look at humorous drawings. A sense of humor is always associated with a high speed of response to a situation. Plus, this includes the ability to see a non-obvious contradiction and identify it in the most vivid and precise formulations. All this together represents quick thinking.

Don't just read or memorize witty jokes, but strive to understand what the point of the joke is, why it makes you laugh?

Collecting a collection of puns will also benefit your mind. By accumulating such unusual experience of responding, you train your brain to produce something similar at the right moment.

1. "Upside Down"

This exercise is similar to exercise 3, but it is much easier to perform. And, moreover, more fun. When you pick up any magazine or book or newspaper, turn it over so as to change the top and bottom and flip through it, looking at the drawings and photographs placed there.

Try to understand what is shown there, and do it as quickly as possible. This is how you train your brain to recognize non-obvious signals and navigate “shifting” situations. And, most importantly, do not be satisfied with the first answer, but delve into a deeper assessment of the situation. You can place a complex, intricate picture upside down on your computer desktop.

1. Changing speeds

Since we are talking about quick thinking, it is worth practicing controlling the speed of your processes. Do the same thing, changing the speed at which you do it. For example, you can brush your teeth at different speeds, drink a glass of water, or read a letter received in the mail. By deliberately speeding up or slowing down your actions, you train your brain to work at different paces. Try to gradually make slow execution even slower. And, on the contrary, speed up fast execution every now and then.

These exercises will not be effective if not performed regularly.. Doing one task every day will stimulate your brain to develop in the right direction.

If you really intend to seriously approach the problem of how to develop speed of thinking, the exercises proposed here will help you

• promptly respond to a problematic situation,
• do not regret that the right decision came to mind late,
• protect your brain from early aging and devastating diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.

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