EYE MOVEMENT
Always remember that you are taking one small step at a time to reach your reading goal. The first step is the development of the first small skill. As you learn the first skill, it is easier to learn the second skill. Many times the learning of one skill will automatically teach most of
the next skill to be learned. The first step, or skill, to take and learn, is eye movement - learning to move the eyes across the print. You must push your eyes faster than you can normally see. In other words, you will not see the individual words as you learn this movement. You will be
moving faster than your eyes are taught to see. If words keep stopping the smooth flow of your eyes across the print, turn the page upside down. It doesn’t matter what you are looking at, only the movement counts. If you can get a book written in a language you don’t understand, you might consider using it. Your eyes must learn to flow smoothly across the page and line per line, down the page. As you master the eye movement, the print will become recognizable at the
faster movement, then the understanding will come.
The first bad reading habit you will break as you begin learning eye movement, is the habit of fixation and convergence, or seeing one word at a time. The top figure (Illust. 2) illustrates what happens when you read normally. The bottom figure illustrates what begins to happen
to your eye direction as you develop the movement skill. When you develop “far vision:’ you don’t have to move your eyes as far and still you see more. As you begin to develop these skills, you cannot simply “tell” yourself to do these things. Your subconscious will begin to do these things automatically, in response to your command to see faster, and after a great deal of practice.
FIXATION occurs when your eyes converge and then focus themselves, without movement, even briefly. This will disrupt the flow and make it impossible for the eyes to move fluently over the print. Fixation is part of all “average” or “normal” reader’s habits. It is not an easy habit to break. While reading, any word that is not easily understood, or one with a special meaning or interest, causes fixation. The only way to break the fixation habit is to learn proper eye movement. At first, this may cause some tension and strain because the rapid eye movement is not a normal or natural part of your present reading habit. Concentrate on the eye movement. Look at the print as you go across the page effortlessly and move your eyes easily. Take one small step at a time in learning the skills.
The new eye movement is not entirely new to you. You already move your eyes across the page, but more slowly and with fixation. You will learn to move faster and without fixation.
Taken From: THE ALPHA-NETICS
RAPID READING PROGRAM
