Browsing different websites, you can find such advertisements as“100% memorization of textual information,” “Qualitative memorization of texts,” “Increase reading speed and retain 100% of the information,” and various other similarly attractive slogans. Our website also contains “Technique for memorization of textual information” as a part of our teaching program.

However, the phrase “qualitative memorization of texts” for different authors and schools entails different methods for testing this goal, as well as different texts which are the basis for training and testing.

Let’s try to solve this problem and systematize the textual information.

According to level of the text and the amount of exact information and special terminology within it, we can distinguish:

- Complete absence of exact information and terms (the type of anecdotes);

- Exact information given in minimal account (popular science texts for children, e.g. an encyclopedia titled “Everything about Everything”;

- Large amount of exact information (school history textbook).

According to the length of textual information:

- Separate paragraphs (anecdotes, encyclopedic information);

- Short texts (less than 1 typewritten page);

- Paragraphs of a textbook ( 2-4 typewritten pages);

- Large volumes (lectures, reports, books).

The quality of memorization of texts can be tested in several ways:

- Answers to questions about the text (recollection and recognition: the question serves as a stimulus);

- Active recollection: free reproduction of the text in your own words (without leading questions);

- Active recollection: reproduction of the text in your own words, but with an observed sequence of paragraphs and including ALL exact information within each paragraph;

- Word-for-word recollection of the entire text.

The exact information in a text is comprised of the numerical information, exact dates of events, surnames, names and patronymics, geographical names, special terminology, formulas, special symbols, and so on.

We can distinguish word-for-word memorization of a text in a completely unknown language and memorization of poems into separate categories of textual information.

At present there are three basic approaches to teaching the technique of memorizing textual information.

The first: Teaching memorization of texts in the framework of a course teaching speed reading.

The second: Memorization of texts via analysis of inner structure of the text (pedagogical technique).

The third: Memorization of texts using the methods of GMS®.

As a legend, there also is the fourth approach whereby a person reads a text once and is able to reproduce it word-for-word.

The existing methods of teaching do not allow achieving such results in memorization. If anybody pretends they can do so, it is most likely a trick based on a qualitative preliminary memorization of the text via usual methods or involves immediate reading of the text from the tester’s mind. The latter is telepathy, but I have not seen people able to demonstrate such skills. Description of similar cases in literature is not based on scientifically-tested data; though, as we know, everything is possible.

What level of memorization can be provided by the three methodological approaches mentioned above?

Teaching memorization of the texts within the framework of a speed reading course.

Short (less than a typewritten page) popular science texts for children with minimal content of exact information are used. The quality of memorization is determined by the number of correct answers to the questions concerning the text. It is considered that if a pupil can answer 10 questions concerning the text correctly, he has memorized 100% of this text. The quality of memorization is tested immediately after reading.

We cannot speak about long-term memorization in this case. Further, the process of teaching does not allow for controlling the quality of long-term memorization. This method of testing is the most common and is used in most, if not all commercial schools teaching the technique of speed reading.

Memorization of the texts through analysis of inner structure of the text.

Very short texts (a few paragraphs) with minimal content of exact information are used. The significant disadvantage of this method is the necessity of working with only one particular extract for a long period of time. It is impossible to memorize anything quickly using this method as it is time-consuming to perform the analysis of inner connections, the note-taking on structural interconnections between the main ideas of the text, the highlighting of secondary ideas, and the questions and answers involved.

The quality of memorization of a text using this method is higher than memorization via speed reading. Pupils can reproduce sufficient amounts of exact information. However, the main method for testing the quality of memorization is evaluation of the percentage of correct answers to questions. There can be much more than ten questions. Sometimes, essay questions and reproduction from recall are used for testing.

Such methodology does not provide for memorization of paragraphs in sequence nor for 100% memorization of exact information and its sequence in each paragraph; there is no guarantee of long-term memorization of the text.

Memorization of textual information via methods of the GMS® (on the basis of visual thinking).