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Despite Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and television, (or perhaps precisely because of all of them) traditional reading is still an important skill. Whether it is magazines, professional manuals or fascinating books, people still need to read, now and in years ahead. And much of it is nonfiction material, where it’s important to really understand and then remember what you are reading.
An unfortunate reason why many people don’t read much these days is that they don’t read well. Reading, for them, is slow, hard work and they don’t remember as much as they should. They often have to read something several times before they understand and remember what they read.
Why? You would think that everyone learns how to read well at school. Schools do try, but I work with middle-school teachers and they tell me that many students are 2–3 years behind grade level in reading proficiency. Some of the blame can be placed on fads for teaching reading, such as phonics and “whole language,” which sometimes are promoted in shallow ways that don’t respect the need for both approaches. And much of the blame can be laid at the feet of parents who set poor examples and, of course, on the youngsters who are too distracted by social media and television to learn how to read well.
Now the good news. For anyone who missed out on good reading skills, it is not too late to improve now. I summarize below what I think it takes to read with good speed and comprehension. [Read more…] about Eight Tips To Understand and Remember What You Read — Especially As You Read Nonfiction
Despite the increasing visual media we are increasingly exposed to, reading is still an important skill. Whether it is school textbooks, online newspapers or regular books, people still read, though not as much as they used to. One reason that many people don’t read much is that they don’t read well. For them, 
