| Evelyn Wood, the most influential exponent of | | | | how they were doing it, and how they had |
| speed reading since the mid-20th century, began | | | | learned to do it. In these studies, she soon found |
| doing research on speed reading while employed | | | | out what they were doing, but not yet how they |
| as a remedial reading teacher at a junior high | | | | had learned to do it.Her next step was to try to |
| school near Salt Lake City, Utah.I was an early | | | | teach herself to read fast.She used to practice |
| associate of Mrs. Wood, who wanted to | | | | trying to read faster during summers while she |
| determine why some people could read faster | | | | and her husband were at their cabin up in one of |
| than others. More specifically, she wanted to | | | | the canyons outside of Salt Lake City.Once, while |
| define learning theories that could account for | | | | practicing in the book Green Mansions, she |
| how individuals were able to read more than 400 | | | | became so angry at her inability to read fast that |
| words per minute.One of her earliest examples | | | | she threw the book across a little creek. After |
| was Dr. Lowell Lees, a friend and teacher at the | | | | picking the book up and dusting the dirt off its |
| University of Utah. Her tests showed that he | | | | pages, she suddenly realized that the movement |
| could read more than 6,000 words per minute | | | | of her hand was causing her to see and read |
| with excellent comprehension.Eventually, Mrs. | | | | more than one word at a time.Thus, she |
| Wood identified more than 100 individuals who | | | | discovered the use of the hand as a pacer for |
| could read more than 1,500 words per | | | | her reading.And the rest, as is often repeated, is |
| minute.Using that rate as a minimum, she studied | | | | history.Mrs. |
| these people to determine what they were doing, | | | | |