Reading
- a problem free skill?
Reading
is a vital skill in any language, so that reading in a foreign
language is doubly important for students of that language.
We believe that not only will reading help in a student's
general language acquisition, but that through training
we can also help our students to be better readers.
But
reading is not without its problems or controversies. Why
do some students find it more difficult than their colleagues?
How do we judge the difficulty of a text, and what exactly
should we get students to do with a text once we give it
to them?
Recent
methodologists have looked at the difference between top-down
and bottom-up processing - whether we read by getting a
feel for the wood, or whether we concentrate on the individual
trees. We now believe that it is the interaction between
these two that make readers efficient. But readers bring
their own knowledge to a reading text too, and we have to
think of ways of activating that knowledge.
We
need to consider reading problems as well. How do we deal
with 'new' vocabulary? How do we engage students' interest
in a topic. These are some of the issues dealt with in the
development pack.
What
kind of reading texts are appropriate and what should we
ask students to do with them?
Some
people think that using authentic material - that is material
written for native speakers, not students, is necessary
at all levels. Others think that such a course of action
is at worst impossible, and at best will be de-motivating
for students who can't understand it.
It
is certainly true that authentic material, carelessly selected
and presented to low level students, can be highly unsatisfactory.
But used properly it can also generate great enthusiasm,
and encourage students to believe in their own abilities.
Many
coursebooks ask students to study reading texts in order
to focus on the language in the text and answer other more
traditional comprehension questions. But that can not be
enough. We also want students to engage with reading material,
to respond to it, say whether they liked it, identify what
kind of text it is and who it is for.
Find
out more on these issues in the development
pack.
Extensive
reading - possible magic or impossible dream?
Reading
in class may be extremely appropriate for focusing students'
attention on text type, topic, or language. Reading often
leads on to something else or, alternatively, is the culmination
of a loner learning sequence. But there's another kind of
reading too, one for which extravagant claims are made,
and whose proponents suggest is some of the most useful
work students can do.
Extensive
reading - reading at length, and for pleasure - relies on
the supply of appropriate texts since it is important that
students should be able to understand, more or less unaided,
what they are reading (in contrast to in-class reading skill
work where the teacher is on hand to disambiguate problem
areas. Simplified readers - or, in better terminology, 'learner
literature' - really help students' language acquisition
in a variety of ways.
Organising
reading schemes, and planning how to get students engaged
with reading - how to switch them on so that they approach
this kind of reading with enthusiasm - are not an easy option
for teachers. They demand forethought and planning, as the
article in the third development pack of this module make
clear. But if the claims for extensive reading are true,
such teacher investment is time well spent.
These
are my opinions and you will have your own, so come and
join me in the next live chat session - go to The
Forum for details.
Jeremy Harmer
