Improving reading fluency – is that possible?

A self-experiment: reading with four fingers instead of just two – does that increase reading speed?
The braille working group of the European Blind Union (EBU) is currently looking at ways of improving the fluency of braille reading. A review of the relevant literature shows that there are hardly any systematic methods that are precisely described and whose effectiveness has been measured.
In a self-experiment, I tried something: can you learn to read faster with four fingers than with two fingers? Many blind people learn that you should read Braille with the index fingers of both hands. In particular, the so-called ‘scissor technique’ is recommended: you read the last third of the line with your right index finger, while your left index finger searches for the beginning of the next line and simultaneously reads the beginning of the line there. I once heard from a very good Braille reader that he only reads with three fingers of his right hand: index, middle and ring finger.
My idea is: can I learn to read with the index and middle fingers of both hands and thus be faster? I had tried this several times in the past and found that reading with four fingers was much less fluid. Braille dots under four fingertips, instead of two, was a bit too much for me. But I have since heard from others that they use four fingers for reading. Maybe it is something you can learn.
I have set myself a small training programme to find out whether practice helps to make me faster with four fingers than with two.
I timed myself reading on 4 September 2024.
I measured my reading speed by reading two pages from the middle of a randomly selected newspaper article without knowing the title. The pages were each DIN A4 with 28 characters per line and 28 lines per page in German contracted braille. Two pages correspond to up to 370 words.
At first, it took me 5 minutes and 1 seconds to read two pages using both index fingers. This corresponds to 74 words per minute. Using the index and middle fingers of both hands – i.e. four fingers – I needed 5 minutes and 35 seconds, which corresponds to 67 words per minute.
At first, calculating my reading speed was a disappointment for me. I had once read that sighted people can read an average of 230 words per minute and blind people in Braille can read about 130 words per minute. I think that I can read and read aloud reasonably fluently, but my results are significantly lower.
Maybe it should be taken in account that in German language words are longer than in most other languages.
I read for 30 minutes every day with four fingers until 18 September 2024. I had to take three days off, so it was 12 days of practice.
Then I measured my reading speed again.
On 18.9.2024, I read two pages with both index fingers in 4.53 minutes. That was 76 words per minute. With four fingers, it took me 5.08 minutes for two pages, so 72 words per minute.
While reading, I noticed that my right middle finger is becoming more and more helpful for me when reading. The information that the left middle finger perceives, on the other hand, was still too much for me. That’s why I also measured how long it takes me for two pages with my left index finger, right index finger and right middle finger, i.e. with three fingers: It took 4.47 minutes, or 78 words per minute.
The mathematical conclusion of my test is: by reading with four fingers for 30 minutes a day for 12 days, I was able to increase my reading speed
by 2 words per minute with two fingers
by 4 words per minute with three fingers
Of course, such a personal test is individual and subjective and there may be factors that were not taken into account.
But in my case, at least, it can be said that
1. regular reading leads to faster reading
2. using more than two fingers can further increase reading speed.
I will continue practising reading with three or four fingers and maybe measure again.
I also invite others who previously read with two fingers to practise reading with three or four fingers and measure it. This way, this method can perhaps be confirmed or rejected.