POWER READING COURSE – Spring 2010

A short-term course for students who desire increased reading speed, concentration, and comprehension

Students have requested and are now going to be able to take advantage of a POWER READING COURSE that is designed to improve their reading speed, concentration and comprehension. The typical University student is expected to spend two hours of reading/study for every hour spent in class. The average university student reads at 250 words per minute with average comprehension. If the same student increases their reading speed by a mere 100 words per minute without sacrificing comprehension, they will cut their study time by one third. With proper instruction the same student has the potential to double, triple, or quadruple their reading speed without losing any comprehension.

Is this a course only for students who read poorly? Emphatically, NO!

Regardless of how well you read, you are probably reading below your potential. Many students are still reading with the same skills they acquired in primary school. There are a variety of factors which effect reading speed, comprehension and concentration. Exercises to correct or improve reading strategies are important steps toward reaching your learning potential.

The design of the course is developmental, focusing on encouraging specific planning or habit strategies to gain efficiency in reading speed, concentration, and comprehension. The central focus of the course is strategic reading, with an emphasis on replacing poor, inefficient habits, with strong well-calculated ones. The course helps students develop an understanding of the structure of written materials and a mind-set for receiving information. The results are increased speed, comprehension, and concentration. The emphasis is speed plus comprehension.

The goal of the course is for students to develop these competencies:

• Demonstrate an improvement in reading speed
• Maintain or improve comprehension at an increased rate of reading speed
• Adopt efficient reading methods in response to a variety of reading materials
• Utilize effective strategies to enhance concentration and the retention of material

This is a non-graded, non-credit, twelve session course that meets for 50 minutes on a M-W or T-TH sequence. Sessions will be available twice a semester. Books and materials will be provided. A materials fee of $15.00 will be assessed each student.

Schedule

First Session:

M&W Sections: February 1 - March 10 at 12pm, 1pm, & 2pm in Room 4 Gregory Hall.
T&TH Sections: February 2 - March 11 at 9am & 10am in Room 4 Gregory Hall, and 11am in Room 329 Gregory Hall.

Second Session:

M&W Sections: March 15 - April 28 at 12pm, 1pm, & 2pm in Room 4 Gregory Hall.
T&TH Sections: March 16 - April 29 at 9am & 10am in Room 4 Gregory Hall, and 11am in Room 329 Gregory Hall.

Registration Information

Applications for Spring 2010 will be available January 4, 2010.  Register online at www.illinois.edu/goto/powerreadingregistration. If you have questions regarding registration or need any additional registration or need any additional information, please email Susan Herbert at skherber@illinois.edu.

Study Skills – Some Helpful Tips

Try five reading and Study Tips that work:

• Preview what you plan to study – we call this “developing a game plan.”
• Invite your mind to concentrate by asking yourself questions - active aggressive reading.
• Read thoroughly and rapidly for information and to determine conceptual relationships. Don’t get bogged down by details before grasping the concept – get the big picture.
• Review notes soon after class. Highlight to clarify details – predict possible test questions.
• Learning is discovering what you don’t know – ask questions of yourself, your instructors and your classmates.

Follow this link to access a variety of resources on study related topics:
Counseling Center Village Virtual Pamphlets (link to various study related resources)