How to Improve Speed Reading Skills

Speed reading is one of many skills that can improve your reading comprehension and shorten your study time. 【小题1】

Look at groups of words, not single words.

【小题2】 However, if you can get into the habit of reading groups or chunks of words at one time, then you can read much faster. Start by trying to look at a group of three or four words at once, then work up to looking at an entire line of works. Focus on words that give the sentence meaning, such as the nouns and verbs and pay less attention to the filler words, such as a, the, and, etc.

Scan for keywords.

Scanning is a highly effective way of extracting (提取) answers from a text without really reading it. If you know exactly what you are looking for — a name, a date, a statistic, or a specific word — you can find it quickly by skipping over large chunks of the text. To scan, first visualize the word, number, or phrase you would like to find. 【小题3】 The information you are looking for should pop out at you.

【小题4】You can train yourself to read faster by timing (计时) yourself as you go. Start by getting your base time. Set a timer for fifteen minutes, and speed read as you normally do. 【小题5】 Do not count the words, just the pages or paragraphs. Record your figures: for instance, you night write “15 min/6.5 pages”.

Tips for Introducing Yourself in an Online Course

One of the first assignments you’re likely to encounter as an online student is introducing yourself. Here are some tips for making a great impression in your online course.

The Basics

If your instructors post their own introduction, mirroring the information they provide is a good place to start.

●Your name.

Your name will be visible on your post, but if there’s a pronoun you prefer to be called, let others know.

●The degree you’re pursuing.

Why did you choose this degree and what are your long-term goals?

The Details

You don’t need to get more personal than you’re comfortable with but providing some details can help instructors and students remember who you are.

●Where you’re from.

Is there something interesting about your hometown?

●Hobbies.

Love reading? Mention your favorite authors or works. Your goals for the course.

If you choose the course because it corresponds with a career goal, bring it up! Your instructors may have additional resources that can help, and students with similar interests can connect to network.

The Format

●Use complete sentences and proper grammar.

●Break up your text.

Post and Connect

Make connections by posting meaningful responses to your classmates’ introductions.

●Respond to classmates’ posts.

Read posts carefully and respond to a detail that stands out to you.

●Give your classmates something to respond to.

ls there something you’d like to know about your classmates? Ask in your introduction so your classmates can respond.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you have a lot on your plate. Between work responsibilities and personal duties, life can get stressful.【小题1】 By creating organized to-do lists, you can prioritize(优先处理)the things you need to do，keep track of what still needs to be finished, and feel productive and prepared in all areas of your life.

List all of the tasks that you need to finish. These can range from“shower” to “finish the presentation for work next week” to “find a present for Mom’s birthday next month”. As you can see, these tasks range in their nature, their importance，and the time they will take. Don’t worry about following a pattern or organizing them that will happen later.【小题2】

Sort your master list into categories. For example, you may have a to-do list for work and a to-do list for home. 【小题3】 There is no point in looking at your personal to-do list while you’re sitting in your office，so put it away!

Make your list aesthetically-pleasing(赏心悦目的). This may sound superficial(表面的)and unnecessary, but it really can help change the way you look at your to-do list.【小题4】 Write on a piece of attractive stationery(信纸)，or post it on a pretty board. Just create a list that inspires you to stay motivated and get things checked off.

【小题5】 Keep it simple! This will help you organize your tasks in order of priority, and you won’t feel overwhelmed looking ahead at tasks for tomorrow, next week, or next month. Be realistic about what you can finish in 24 hours. Your daily to-do lists should have less than ten things, and maybe even less than five.