Chariot Learning
  • About
    • FAQ
    • Our Curriculum
    • Areas Chariot Learning Serves
  • Services
    • SAT & ACT Prep
    • SAT/ACT TestFlip
    • Academic Coaching
    • Subject Tutoring
    • Strategic Reading Club
    • Proctored Practice Tests
    • GRE Prep
    • College Essay Coaching
    • Roots2Words
  • Calendar
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Contact
April 6, 2020 by Mike Bergin

Want to Read Faster and Better? Read Every Day

The more you read...The prevailing wisdom still holds that reading is fundamental. Why then are even our most academically ambitious teens spending so little leisure time with books?

Yes, we live in a multimedia world awash in audiovisual delights. Any argument that people don’t consume enough information or immerse themselves sufficiently in art and stories falls flat in the Internet age. Tweets, emails, and videos may constitute the bulk of our information diets, but too much valuable knowledge is locked up in longform text. The only way to mine those rich veins of meaning is to read.

The funny thing about reading is that just about all of us know how to do it, but not everyone does it well. Even worse, we don’t generally understand that reading is something that can be done better. Practice, in this area as in so many others, makes perfect because reading is a skill.

The primary skill of reading entails recognizing combinations of letters as words and combinations of words as sentences, paragraphs, and chapters. But if you think that mastering those skills accrues mastery in reading, you’ve sorely underestimated what the process really entails. Reading effectively requires so many skills from the ability to engage and anticipate what a writer is saying to a sense of what sentences carry weight and which are filler.

If you want to read faster while understanding what you are reading, read every day.
 
Technology consultant Tim Tan cogently sums up how this process works on Quora:

Looking back, I’ve come to realize that the sheer act of reading every day was the single most beneficial factor in quickening my speed and enhancing my comprehension. In everything I tried, reading for enjoyment was the most substantial factor in helping me become a better reader. It sounds over-simplified and just like common sense, but it works. I would compare reading to a sport or playing music: practice improves your efficiency and effectiveness. Since we make use of our reading abilities daily, however, it’s much harder to get out of shape or lose some of our capabilities. One of the best things you can do to read faster and think better is find some books that you really love and read as much as you can.
 
Psychology professors Anne E. Cunningham and Keith E. Stanovich have collaborated extensively on research into what reading does for the mind. The thread that runs through their writing is that that comprehension ability and reading volume are in a reciprocal relationship:

…this very act of reading can help children compensate for modest levels of cognitive ability by building their vocabulary and general knowledge. In other words, ability is not the only variable that counts in the development of intellectual functioning. Those who read a lot will enhance their verbal intelligence; that is, reading will make them smarter.
 
Even the most simple skills can be sharpened to the finest edges through practice. All of us know how to throw a snowball, even if we haven’t enjoyed that simple pleasure for years. Yet nobody could credibly argue that an amateur ice tosser would be expected to throw more quickly or accurately than a major league pitcher, who has thrown countless pitches on a daily basis with the intention of improving incrementally over time. Anybody on a track to higher education or professional life is looking down the road at a LOT of reading. Start getting better now by reading every day. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you see benefits.

(Need some support and structure in order to read every day? That’s what our Strategic Reading Club is all about!)

productivity reading

Previous articleThe Problem With The Official Beginner’s Guide for the ACTNext article Getting College Admissions Stuff Done While Life Is On Hold
Mike Bergin
Tens of thousands of students a year prep for the SAT & ACT through programs Mike Bergin created or organized. After more than 25 years of intensive experience in the education industry, he's done it all as a teacher, tutor, director, curriculum developer, blogger, podcaster, and best-selling author. Mike founded Chariot Learning in 2009 to deliver on the promise of what truly transformative individualized education can and should be.

Helping high schoolers with tests, school, and life is what Chariot Learning is all about. Let us know how we can help you!

Latest Posts

  • Tests as Equalizers and Predictors of Success
  • Beginner’s Mindset for Advanced Results
  • Make This Your Year of Preparation
  • Who Benefits from Admissions Tests?
  • The Case for the February ACT

What is TestFlip?

Learn about the ultimate in self-directed supplemental SAT/ACT prep, powered by Chariot Learning:

  • Knowledge isn
    by chariotlearning 5 months ago
    Knowledge isn't free. You have to pay attention.
  • Believe in yourself, champ.
    by chariotlearning 5 months ago
    Believe in yourself, champ.
  • The depth of your struggle determines the height of your success.
    by chariotlearning 6 months ago
    The depth of your struggle determines the height of your success.
  • Be stronger than your excuses!
    by chariotlearning 6 months ago
    Be stronger than your excuses!
  • Consistency for the work week. Intensity for the weekend!
    by chariotlearning 6 months ago
    Consistency for the work week. Intensity for the weekend!
  • Decide your habits well. Your habits decide your future.
    by chariotlearning 6 months ago
    Decide your habits well. Your habits decide your future.
  • The one thing you can control is your effort.
    by chariotlearning 6 months ago
    The one thing you can control is your effort.
  • Bring a little extra to your day ;)
    by chariotlearning 6 months ago
    Bring a little extra to your day ;)

Subscribe to Mike’s Podcast

Subscribe to Tests and the Rest

PARENT GROUP AND NEWSLETTER

Are you an Upstate New York parent with questions about college admissions, testing, and scholarships? The Upstate NY College Conversations Facebook group is for you. Join today!

And also sign up for College Road, our free email newsletter delivering expert educational advice, test news, admissions action steps, special offers, and more.

Testimonials

Thanks again for all your help, I’m more than happy with my scores and I appreciate all of your help in the past few months.

Greg, Brighton student

Read more testimonials...

PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is the ultimate college admissions industry podcast. Join Mike Bergin and Amy Seeley every Tuesday and Friday as they discuss the latest issues in testing, admissions, learning, and education with leading experts.
© 2023 Chariot Learning, LLC. All rights reserved.