reading and retention

[pontifex]

I am a pretty fast reader but I have trouble retaining what I read. is there a way to fix this or is it just one of those things where you're either good or not?

 

[Montano]

For me, I have to really pay attention to what I'm reading. If my mind wanders, I can't remember what I read.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Montano
For me, I have to really pay attention to what I'm reading. If my mind wanders, I can't remember what I read.

even if its something i am interested in reading, i still can't usually retain waht i read. Sometimes it feels like i am so interested that i just want to keep reading and finish it so i know what happens and enjoy the story.

 

[pulse8]

I have the same problem. I just stopped reading books. 🙂

 

[gamepad]

i stop occasionally to see if i can remember everything that happened on the last page including events, details (what color something was), names, etc. if i'm not satisfied with my retention i'll go reread even if i understand the story. i think this helps me a lot in my reading comprehension/retention.

 

[iamaelephant]

Originally posted by: pontifex
I am a pretty fast reader but I have trouble retaining what I read. is there a way to fix this or is it just one of those things where you're either good or not?

Slow down. If you're not retaining what you're reading then you need to slow down, stop after a couple of paragraphs and reflect on what you have just read. I sometimes write notes on a piece of paper or record which chapters I want to go over gain if I have time later.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Back in college I'd write my own chapter summaries, and take the time to do the self-study exercises in technical classes. The summaries also helped when studying for tests.

For general reading I don't make that kind of effort, but my retention is still good. I'd guess it comes from having read so much that even low effort is now enough.

 

[eelw]

Reading comprehension only comes from rereading things over. So speed reading helps by allowing you to read the same thing over again until you can retain the information.