Visual Reading

Visual reading is a speed reading method that was developed by Hyo Sang Shin - a South Korean speed reading practitioner and instructor. The method teaches how toincrease one's reading speed from 180-250 words per minute to 400-600 words per minute and, eventually, to 1000-1200 words per minute. Visual reading method was developed by Hyo Sang Shin as a result of 8 years of teaching speed reading to professionals and university students in South Korea. During that period of time Hyo Sang Shin has successfully trained more than 700 students. The first overview of the visual reading method in English is available in Shin's book - Visual Reading and the Snowball of Understanding, published in 2012. Hyo Sang Shin has also patented the Method for Playing Dynamic Graphics of English Sentences for Speed Reading in South Korea (Patent No.10-0968364) and is registered with World Intellectual Property Organization (International Publication No. WO2011/071267). This method serves as a basis for Shin's visual reading technique.
Speed Reading
Speed reading is a skill that can be learned. It allows one to read faster than a vocal or sub-vocal reader - faster than 250 words per minute. There are few obstacles that need to be overcome if one wants to learn how to speed read. These obstacles include: (1) vocalisation/sub-vocalisation of the text as one reads - the reader has to learn how to stop pronouncing words he reads in his head; (2) reading word-by-word - the reader needs to learn how to read “chunks of words” (words forming meaningful clusters together) rather than concentrating on understanding separate words in the text; and (3) incorrect eye motion - the reader needs to train his eyes to capture clusters of words.
As a method, speed reading was pioneered by Emile Javal - a French ophthalmologist, who studied eye movements in people as they read. His method was later picked up and developed by Evelyn Wood - an American teacher, who developed a speed reading method and opened the Evelyn Wood Speed Reading Institute in 1959. Most later developments of speed reading techniques are based on Wood's speed reading method.
Visual Reading
The emphasis of Shin’s visual reading method is on readers developing an ability to perceive and process text visually. The word visual is the key to understanding his method. Shin argues that in order for a reader to increase his reading speed to more than 250 words per minute and to retain an acceptable level of comprehension/understanding of the text, the reader's brain needs to learn to process information it receives from the text differently. The reader’s brain needs to process the printed text visually. In other words, the reader should learn how to read the text as if he/she was watching a movie. In his article, Ford (2012) argues that when brain has learned to visually process a written text, it becomes easier for the reader to comprehend the text and to remember the content. Shin cites yet another example to support his visual reading argument in his book - a musician reading musical notation at a rapid speed as he learns a music piece.
Place Cells, Hand Motions and the Topic Word
One of the distinctive features of Shin’s visual reading method is its emphasis on hand motions. For Shin, hand motions are not merely techniques to support reader’s concentration. There are essential for activating place cells in the reader’s brain. According to various research, these cells are responsible for spatial and memory. And, according to Shin, these by activating these cells the reader is able to enhance his memory of the text. Place cells located in the brain hippocampus are responsible for recording spatial information as a person moves. These cells become activated when the movement starts. In visual reading method, activating these cells is related to the hand motion of a reader. Hyo Sang Shin argues that activating these place cells in the process of visual reading is crucial to improve one’s memory and understanding of the text. To activate these cells, the reader should move a topic word (the key word) of the text utilising his hand motion. A hand motion, or movement of the hand along the text as one reads, is the key component of many speed reading, including visual reading techniques. According to Shin, hand motions that visual readers use as they read the text differ depending on their reading speed. Thus, for example a visual reader with speeds of up to 300 words per minute would use linear hand motion; a visual reader reading 300-400 words per minute would utilise a 'spin' hand motion; someone reading 400-800 words per minute would rely on 'spiral', 'zigzag' and 'looping' hand motions.
Reading Comprehension, Snowballing of Understanding and the Ability to Speed Read
Comprehension is regarded as one of the main objectives of reading. It can be defined as "the process of building and maintaining a model of situations and events described in text".. Comprehension depends on many different factors including reader's background knowledge, reasoning abilities and attention span. It also depends on the reader's age: for example, it is only from the gae of eight or nine that hildren acquire an ability to think in more than one dimension. The connection between reader's background knowledge and his ability to understand the text is related to Shin's concept of the snowballing of understanding. Cases cited by Shin in his book clearly demonstrate how readers' can develop their ability to understand text on particular topics or by particular authors as they build up their background knowledge about these topics or authors by reading extensively related works. The impact of one's reading speed on one's ability to comprehend the text is still an ongoing discussion. In fact, many would agree that reading faster leads to a decrease in your ability to understand the text. It is a zero-sum game between reading speed and reading comprehension. Contrary to such common perception, Hyo Sang Shin demonstrates that reading faster can, in fact, improve your comprehension. Shin calls this phenomenon a snowballing of understanding - the faster you read, the better your understanding. Thus, the zero-sum game between reading speed and reading comprehension can be avoided.
Training
Hyo Sang Shin has built visual reading method based on his personal success with speed reading and training of more than 700 university students in South Korea. At present, visual reading lectures and workshops are operated by Shin in Seoul, South Korea. Visual reading program teaches students how to read without pronouncing (vocalizing) words and phrases in their minds. The program is scheduled as 10-week long courses. During the initial course, the students are taught how to increase their reading speed from 180-250 words per minute to 400-600 words per minute. During the intermediate course, the students are introduced to methods of speeding up their reading to up to 800-1000 words per minute. The advanced part of the programme is for those aiming to achieve reading speeds faster than 1000 words per minute. The main prerequisite to success with visual reading is practice. Students are asked to a certain amount of text every day. Strong emphasis is placed on improving comprehension, not only reading speed. The teaching materials and text that are used for visual reading are written in English.

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