Even with the hours we spend watching television, traditional reading is still an important skill. Whether it is reading for pleasure, school text books, manuals, or magazines, people still read – though perhaps not as much as they used to. For many, perhaps it is because they don't read well and they don't remember as much as would like to.
It is vital that children be encouraged to read. We can help foster a love of books and reading in our own grandchildren.
As we grow older, it can be that forgetting what is being read spoils the pleasure. Here are a few tips to help!
Read with purpose:
Why am I reading this book or magazine? Answering this question helps us stay on task and to notice the most important parts of the text. If it is a novel for pleasure, then that makes it easier. But perhaps you need to read something where it is important to remember information gleaned. Do you want information to develop a well-informed plan or proposal? Do you want to understand a government policy to know if you want to support or oppose it? Do you want to understand about another culture? The possibilities are endless – and new knowledge is always exciting and stimulating.
Skim read first:
Skim reading includes noticing headings, pictures, graphs, and key paragraphs – usually found at the beginning and end. Even text you are going to study carefully should be skim read first. This primes the memory, making it easier to remember when you read material the second time, it lets you know where the important information is in the document, and creates an overall sense of what is there.
Be Judicious in Highlighting and Note Taking:
Use a highlighter to mark a FEW key points, or use sticky notes in the margins so you can find the important points again.
Think in pictures:
A picture might not be quite worth a thousand words, but it can certainly capture the essence of dozens of words. Making mental images of what you are reading can be a wonderful aid to remembering. It might be that you simply make a mental image of a few highlighted words, or of the headings and sub-headings. If you are reading a story imagine you are watching it like a film – make a mental 'movie' of the characters and plot. This allows the brain to form two memory traces – the words you are reading, and the pictorial images you are creating as you read.
Rehearse as you read:
Read in short segments of a few paragraphs for a few pages and then pause to think about what you have read. Think about and paraphrase while thinking about the meaning if you are reading to absorb information, or remind yourself of the developing plot if you are reading a story. Rehearsing information is one of the 'golden keys' of memory – think about what you have read in the hours and days to come. Practise this skill in everything you want to remember. It is especially useful for remembering names, where you put your keys and glasses, and when you need to remember appointments and so on.
Read within your attention span:
Paying attention is essential for memorisation. Trying to read when you can't concentrate makes it very difficult, indeed. When you feel your attention slipping away from the book or magazine, take a break. Make a cup of tea or coffee and think about what you have already read, rehearsing it in your mind.
Reading is a wonderful gift. We can reading other people's ideas, stories, gather information, poetry and treasured letters. After all, "All that Mankind has done, thought, gained or been: it is lying as in magic preservation in the pages of books." (Thomas Carlyle, 1795-1881)
Be determined to ensure those brain connections are growing!
Dr. Allison Lamont is the founder and clinician at the Auckland Memory Clinic . She may be contacted at Dr.Lamont(at)xtra.co.nz
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