I will begin taking classes toward a degree this spring and am looking for ways to make the experience fun. I would also like to study and take some CLEP tests to advance my degree quickly. I have a family and a career. I feel that when I read as slow as I do, I am wasting precious time. I have been reading through these topics and it sounds like PR is the ticket. Are any of you using PR for classes? I would like to know how you prepare for exams, term papers, and if it is possible to PR literature. It sounds like people mainly use the techniques for non-fiction materials.
Thanks,
Jen

Jen,

I too am a father, of two testosterone filled little boys!!!

PR is a system, method, whatever you want to call it that helps in absorbing and retaining all sorts of reading material but in a much more active and timely manner. The word to watch is 'timely' and in my experience it does save huge amounts of time!

If your starting your degree classes in Spring, my suggestion is you start to 'use' the system and have fun with it to master it ... as with all things in life ... it takes time, patience and belief!

Will you see results? I can most assurdly say yes if you follow the steps and practice!

You mentioned and I quote "I read as slow as I do" ... we were all taught by our education system to vocalize words to form sentences, hence one of the reason's for reading slow.
But let me tell you this, there lyes a being within you capable of absorbing information at an astonishing rate ... PR helps you to find and unleash this being!

Good luck in you decision and the attainment of your degree!

Humbily,

Michael Saikali

Hi Jen,

I wish I had known about PR and mindmapping when in college. It reframes the entire learning experience to one that is more active and certainly more effective. I remember the days of reading book after book and trying to memorize details or thoughts. I remember trying to decipher my notes after a class and finding it difficult to get much of value.

Now that I know these two key elements to accelerated learning, I'm tempted to go back to school just to see how much better I do and how much more I get out of the material.

The 3rd edition of the PR book talks about studying and test taking in chapter 8. The home study course discusses studying and taking tests on tape 8.

I believe that you would be pleased with the results.

Thank You both for the quick response. I have ordered the PR book. I am particularly interested in finding out what tangerines and weenies have to do with reading. Can you suggest anything that I can do to start practicing before the book arrives?

Jen

If you haven't read this article, you might give it a try:
http://www.learningstrategies.com/Index.cfm?R=Y&prod=pr&sub=mainarticle&AF=31

Then, start practicing your peripheral vision. This is the soft focus. Pay more attention to what is happening at the edges of you vision, rather than what is happening in front of you. Open books and look at the outer edges. Try to see the white space. Focus on that rather than the text. Notice how the appearance of the text changes. You might see a double line (the blip page).

Accept that PhotoReading is an entire system for reading and the PhotoReading step itself is only one element. Accept that you will feel uneasy at first when you seem to be getting nothing out of the books you PhotoRead. Prepare yourself that you'll be much more successful if you focus on having fun with the system and don't push yourself for results. A change of mindset is necessary and for me it was a difficult one. I love to read.

When you get the book, follow all the steps, just as they are described. Once you're comfortable with the process and getting results, you can start playing with the elements.

Does that help at all?

The book is a great start. All I can suggest is to keep an open mind and when you get the book--practice,practice,practice.