PhotoReading by Paul Scheele: how it works, and what the evidence shows
PhotoReading is a reading system developed by Paul Scheele, a co-founder of Learning Strategies Corporation. It claims you can absorb a book by flipping through its pages in a relaxed state. Here is how it is meant to work, and what testing has found.
Short answer: PhotoReading combines relaxation, page-flipping and later review. The one independent evaluation we know of, a 2000 report by researcher Danielle McNamara, found no benefit: reading speed was about the same as normal reading, and comprehension dropped. The parts that do help, such as previewing a book and asking questions before you read, are ordinary good reading habits.
Who is Paul Scheele?
Paul Scheele is an American author and trainer, and a co-founder of Learning Strategies Corporation in Minnesota. He developed the PhotoReading Whole Mind System and wrote a book of the same name. PhotoReading is a trademark of Learning Strategies Corporation, and this page is not connected with them.
How PhotoReading is meant to work
In broad terms, the system has several stages:
- Prepare: decide what you want from the book.
- Preview: survey the cover, contents, headings and summaries.
- "PhotoRead": enter a relaxed state and flip through the pages at a steady pace, looking at each double page for a second or so, without trying to read it.
- Activate: return later, ask questions, skim and dip into the parts you need.
The claim is that the page-flipping stage lets your mind take in the text without conscious reading, and that the activation stage then brings it to the surface.
What the evidence shows
In 2000, Danielle McNamara of Old Dominion University tested PhotoReading in a report published on NASA's technical reports server. The study found no benefits on any measure. Reading rates with PhotoReading were roughly the same as normal reading, nowhere near the 25,000 words per minute the system claims, and comprehension went down.
This matches the wider research on fast reading. A 2016 review in Psychological Science in the Public Interest found a firm trade-off between speed and understanding: the less time you spend on text, the less you understand. See our speed reading guide for more.
What is worth keeping
Some steps in PhotoReading are sound reading strategy, even if the page-flipping is not:
- Set a purpose first. Knowing what you need lets you skip what you do not.
- Preview before reading. Headings, summaries and figures give you a map that makes the detail easier to follow.
- Read with questions. Looking for answers keeps your attention active.
- Review afterwards. Closing the book and recalling the main points is one of the best-supported ways to remember what you read.
- Start relaxed. A calm, quiet setting helps you stay with the text. Slow instrumental music can help some readers settle.
Sources
McNamara, D. S. (2000). Preliminary Analysis of Photoreading. Old Dominion University, report ODURF-193021, NASA Technical Reports Server 20000011599. · Rayner, K., Schotter, E. R., Masson, M. E. J., Potter, M. C. & Treiman, R. (2016). So much to read, so little time: how do we read, and can speed reading help? Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 17(1).
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