She was now sure it was possible to read faster than anyone had thought, but the question of how was not yet answered. It took 8 years of toil and research working with naturally fast readers before she began to find the answers. Eventually she developed a technique where-by the average student was able to learn to read 3 to 10 times faster.

She taught her method at the University of Utah for three years refining it even more. Further studies were conducted at the University of Delaware, and the first Reading Dynamics Institute was opened in Washington, D.C., in September, 1959. Since that time institutes have been opened in 61 cities throughout the country, and national enrollment for the course has topped 350,000.

Comprehension is stressed.

At a recent teacher training conference, Mrs. Wood emphasized that dynamic reading is nothing like the skimming techniques commonly used in speed reading courses. She said, "Skipping words is dangerous, as you don't know whether or not you have skipped a word which could change the whole meaning of the sentence."

"You read five times faster," she pointed out, "not by reading every fifth word but by reading five times as many words in the same amount of time." Mrs. Wood emphasized that using her technique of rapid reading, every word on the page is noted.

No mechanical pacers.

She was also critical of reading courses that use a mechanical pacer, as students tend to revert to previous reading speeds once the pacer is not there to help them. When reading dynamically, the reader's hand is used as a pacer.