[Blindtlk] Tips for Better Braille Reading SpeedRequestPlease...

Thu Sep 8 19:56:36 UTC 2011

Thank you everyone for your valuable help!  You have been a great help, as I
knew that you would be.  *smile*

    I am planning to begin taking a shot at the two handed method.  I'm sure
that it will be rather uncomfortable at first, but nothing of value ever
comes without work.

    Thanks again for your help!  By the way...  Since it is still wonderful
weather and my windows are all open.  When I practice reading out loud, can
I give you all as a reference if my neighbors begin to collectively come to
the conclusion that I am now "talking to myself"?  LOLL

Respectfully,
James

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Humberto Avila" <avila.bert.humberto2 at gmail.com>
To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2011 2:44 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Tips for Better Braille Reading
SpeedRequestPlease...

> Hello James:
>
> I am pasting an article below with some very, very helpful suggestions on
> how to read faster and increase your Braille reading speed. Please read
it;
> it contains the valuable information you would want:
>
> Building Braille Reading Speed: Some Helpful Suggestions
> By Jerry Whittle
>
> Over the past seven years I have had the opportunity to teach over two
> Hundred blind persons to read Braille. During that period I have timed
> Twelve students at rates of greater than three hundred words per
> Minute. Of
> Course, all of these rapid readers had been reading Braille since early
> Childhood, and none of them needed to improve speed; however, there
> Were
> Some interesting similarities among many of them that are worthy of
> Noting.
> First of all, eleven of the twelve read with two hands, starting the
> Line
> With the left hand and finishing it with the right. Meanwhile, the left
> dropped down to the next line to find the beginning and start reading as
> soon as the right hand had finished. Only one of the twelve read more than
> three hundred words per minute using only the right hand. In fact, he
> read
> over five hundred words per minute. One of these twelve read one
> hundred
> sixty-nine words a minute when he entered the center. At the beginning
> of
> his training he read with his left hand only, but he moved both hands
> across
> the entire line and brought both all the way back to the beginning of
> the
> next line, losing approximately one second per line because of the
> inefficiency of this method. We encouraged him to read the first half
> of
> each line with his left hand, then track down to the beginning of the
> next
> line while finishing the line with his right. Once he started
> practicing
> this more efficient method, he no longer lost that second on each line
> since
> he could pick up the next one with his right had finished the last.
>
> As a consequence he increased his reading speed from 169 to 302 words a
> minute before graduating.
>
> After years of teaching, it is absolutely clear to me that the
> two-handed
> technique is by far the superior method. I remember another student who
> read
> only 60 words per minute when she entered the center. She read with
> only her
> right hands. She also took the advice to begin using both hands, and
> she
> increased her reading speed from sixty to one hundred twenty words per
> minute in six months; however, I should point out that she also read
> over
> three thousand Braille pages while she was a student at the Louisiana
> Center
> for the Blind. The number of pages read is an extremely important
> factor in
> building speed. A large proportion of Braille readers read at a rate of
> fifty to seventy words per minute. In order to increase speed, once
> someone
> is reading at sixty words a minute or more, he or she should read a
> minimum
> of ten thousand Braille pages a year, two hundred fifty pages a week,
> thirty-five pages a day-give or take a few pages.
>
> Setting goals is another important factor in attaining good or
> excellent
> reading speeds. I would suggest that one set page goals per day. For
> example, I currently have a student who has just finished Grade II
> Braille,
> and she is working diligently to build speed. When she first completed
> the
> code, she began to read a short novel, setting a goal of ten pages per
> day.
> She set aside a certain time in the evening to accomplish this rather
> ambitious task. During her first time test she read twenty-four words
> per
> minute. During the next month she faithfully maintained her page goal
> and
> even increased it to about fifteen pages per day. In her last timing
> she
> read forty-five words per minute. Of course, some of this speed
> resulted
> from her being able to pick up words more rapidly from context, and
> this
> ability accelerated her reading rate. Some of the improvement also
> resulted
> from her growing ability to pick up the signs more easily thorough
> constant
> practice and in general from her consistent hard work.
>
> I have noticed that most of the students who really work hard attain a
> level
> of about sixty words per minute rather quickly after completing the
> code,
> usually in two to three months. The rate of speed levels off. This
> observation is not based on a controlled study but merely on my
> observation.
> What usually happens
>
> is that students are able to increase speed rapidly because the fast
> they
> read, the more it makes sense to them, and the more they pick up by
> context.
>
> For example, "Jack and Jill went up the ...": it does not take a mental
> giant to guess that the final word of this sentence will be "hill."
> However,
> once the student has reached a speed that takes account of contextual
> prediction, the rate levels off, and it then takes reading a tremendous
> number of pages to continue to increase steadily - at least ten
> thousand
> pages per year.
>
> The best readers at the Louisiana Center for the Blind who knew no
> Braille
> before entering the Center have learned to read at a rate of fifty to
> seventy-five words per minute in six to nine months. The student in
> this
> category who attained the greatest speed before graduation read at a
> rate of
> seventy-five words per minute. That person read over eight thousand
> pages
> during that six-month period. She actually stayed in her apartment on
> many
> weekends and read Braille diligently. In other words she approached her
> Braille reading as if it were a job.
>
> I would also suggest that those working to increase their reading speed
> work
> on their Braille before becoming too fatigued. If you are an early
> morning
> person, read early in the day. I know a former student who arises at
> five
> o'clock in the morning to read Braille before he begins to prepare for
> school at seven. others are able to read late at night and set aside
> the
> time to do so. I also think it is important to read aloud during part
> of
> this reading time so that one does not develop sloppy reading habits.
> For
> example, when one reads aloud, it is hard to mumble through words; one
> must
> be exact. Also, by reading aloud periodically, one can begin to develop
> good
> reading techniques for delivering speeches or for reading in public
> places,
> such as church or before civic organizations. Additionally, reading
> aloud
> enables one to hear how fast he or she is picking up a line or to
> identify
> where any problems lie. I once had a student who was timed at three
> hundred
> fifteen words per minute. When she read aloud in public, she tried to
> read
> at that speed. She sounded like she was on fast forward. While she
> attended
> the center, she worked on improving her speech-making techniques. She
> tried
> to slow down to a reading rate of about one hundred twenty words per
> minute,
> and her speaking style improved tremendously. Incidentally, President
> Clinton's Inaugural Address was read at a rate of one hundred twenty
> words
> per minute, about the proper rate for communication of ideas without
> losing
> one's audience.
>
> Another suggestion is to set a timer for five minutes and read aloud
> during
> this interval. If you can finish a Braille page in five minutes, you
> are
> reading at a rate of forty words per minute. If you read two pages,
> your
> rate is eighty words per minute. If you complete three, you are reading
> at a
> rate of one hundred twenty words per minute. By setting a timer
> periodically, one can see how much progress is being made, and the
> timer
> acts as a very good motivator to read faster.
>
> In conclusion I would say that building reading speed requires hard
> work and
> consistency. It does little good to read thirty pages in one day and
> wait a
> week to read another thirty pages. The reading must be done in a
> consistent,
> day-by-day basis until a certain level of efficiency has been
> established.
>
> One must approach the challenge of increasing reading speed in the same
> way
> one approaches a job. Many students carry Dr. Jernigan's and President
> Maurer's banquet speeches around with them on trips in order to get in
> some
> reading is airplanes or in doctor's offices. These Braille speeches are
> lightweight and quite portable. it is amazing how much time one spends
> waiting, and this time can be used to increase reading speed. Most
> important, it is essential that one set high page goals, not
> necessarily
> time goals. Then pages per day is a better goal than one hour. The
> two-handed technique is by far the best for optimum reading speed. Find
> something that holds your interest. if you are just beginning to read
> for
> speed, choose a book or magazine article that is not too complicated
> and
> work your way into more sophisticated reading material.
>
> Finally, read! read! read! Always read with both hands, and set
> ambitious
> page goals for yourself. if I can be of any further assistance in your
> quest
> to build reading speed, please call me at (318) 251-2891.
>
> Source: forwarded email message dating back to 2008 by teacher of the
blind.
>
> Hopefully it is helpful.
> Cheers, Humberto
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Mary McGee
> Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2011 12:25 PM
> To: 'Blind Talk Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Tips for Better Braille Reading Speed
> RequestPlease...
>
> Dear James;
> Reading two-handed as described below is the best way to read
> Braille.  I read both print and Braille.  I was never taught Braille, even
> though I attended one of those "Braille Schools" when I was young.  I
> learned it at the Iowa Orientation Center in 1976, but, with work and law
> school, I let it go till about a year ago.  Then, I began checking out
> novels from the I.D.B. Library and, surprise, surprise, it's been easy to
> pick it up again.  I learned the two-handed method from people like Mabel
> Nading and Ramona Walhof and it must have stuck, because now I'm reading
the
> Braille novels almost as fast as I read print ones.  I suppose I wouldn't
be
> able to write that fast, but, oh well, I don't care at this point because
my
> computer skills are good.
> The part about practicing every day is important too.  I've made a
> new rule around this household:  Once the daylight is gone, there will be
no
> artificial light because all reading will be Braille.  It's worked for me!
> Sincerely,
> Mary L. McGee
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Hyde, David W. (ESC)
> Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2011 1:56 PM
> To: 'Blind Talk Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Tips for Better Braille Reading Speed Request
> Please...
>
> Hi James. I once got up to 500 words per minute, but have slowed down.
Here
> is what I did. Read with both hands. Start the line with the left, pick it
> up with the right about half way through, bring the left down to the next
> line, and continue. It will seem unnatural at first, but it works.
Practice.
> Don't try to speed up all at once. Make sure the book is something you
> really want to read. Limit your speed work to a specific amount of time
each
> day. Do not try to
>  Identify each character. All readers get things from context.
>
> If you are reading aloud, try not to do it cold. Read the material first.
> You may want to start with easy reading books.
>
> Finally, you have to practice. Set aside a period of time each day. Use
that
> time to practice for speed. Good luck.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of James Kelm
> Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2011 1:30 PM
> To: Blind Talk Mailing List
> Subject: [Blindtlk] Tips for Better Braille Reading Speed Request
Please...
>
> Dear friends,
>
>     Well I am turning to those who are on this list for assistance once
> again, and I know that I will get a lot of valuable feedback!  My question
> is, what are some tips that you can offer me, concerning how to increase
my
> Braille reading speed?
>
>     My Braille reading is good by general standards, but I still feel as
if
> my speed is below that of the average print reader.  I am interested in
> improving so that I can read at a general conversation or speaking speed.
> What are some tips or tricks that you can offer me, other than simply
> practicing, which I currently do.  I have been reading Braille for my
> personal use for a number of years now, but I am interested in raising my
> skills to compair with an average print reader.  I find that when I read
out
> loud, I feel uncomfortable and uneasy, and although no one seems to
notice,
> I would like to feel more comfortable within myself.
>
>     Thank you for your help!
>
>
> Respectfully,
> James Kelm
>
>
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