A proven way to read faster

The SuperReading course aims to develop strategies for both better comprehension and higher reading speed in late adolescence and adulthood, working on the silent reading mode. The course originated in the USA, when Ron Cole, a life coach, developed a syllabus to help managers improve their reading speed and comprehension rates (Cole 2009). Cole obtained remarkable results with his course, which he measured through reading tests administered during sessions. He also noted that dyslexic participants benefited from the course despite their reading difficulties, and even showed higher levels of improvement than normotypical readers. To investigate this circumstance further, the course was duplicated in London, at South Bank University LLU+ (Language and Literacy Unit), with a group of 15 dyslexic participants who confirmed the results obtained in the USA (Cooper 2009a, b). Further research was carried out in London, with similar results (Cooper 2012).

Thanks to an agreement with the promoters of the course, this research group has translated and adapted the course materials to the Italian academic context (Santulli and Scagnelli 2017; Santulli and Scagnelli 2018). To date 25 groups of students have been taught, most of them at the IULM University, where the course is part of the curriculum and awards three credits. Other groups have been taught elsewhere, four of them in other universities, and three with younger participants.

Yet, the most innovative and distinguishing feature of the programme is a reading technique, named eye-hopping, which requires participants to read texts arranged in parallel columns containing 2–5 words each (with increasing difficulty), ‘hopping’ with their eye from the middle of one column to the middle of the other, with a parallel movement of their forefinger. This technique aims to improve the efficiency of eye movement and increase the visual span. The eye-hopping exercise combines the arrangement in columns with the use of a pointer (normally, the forefinger, or a pen/pencil), which guides the eye movement, helping to reduce regressions and increase the visual span. Constant practice, both during classes and at home, develops the ability to catch increasingly more words at one single glance, thus making reading faster without jeopardising comprehension.

The results of this research show that, given the complex character of reading and comprehension competence, a multifaceted approach makes it possible to develop reading strategies effectively in adulthood. The combination of metacognitive abilities, motivation, memory and eye training yields remarkable improvements, and the analysis of data demonstrates the efficacy of SuperReading in enhancing reading competence, as it reduces reading time, increasing at the same time comprehension and reading effectiveness.