Transcript The missing piece of the puzzle

Rob Waring
The aim of graded reading
 To recycle important and useful words and grammar time and
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time and time again to aid acquisition
To provide massive fluent reading practice
To build reading speed
To be enjoyable – so they read more
To build depth of knowledge
To consolidate and strengthen partly known language
Summary
 Course books and graded readers are two sides of the same
coin – they help each other
 Graded reading should be integrated into our courses. It
should not be an option.
 Choose books at the right level for your students (so they can
read fluently with high levels of understanding and without a
dictionary)
 Students need to learn to listen fluently too.
Some objections
Nice idea but I have no time in my course.
-> If you don’t have graded reading where will your students get
the massive exposure they need?
-> How else will they get the ‘sense of language’ they need?
We don’t have the money for this.
-> Ask your schools to reallocate funds so this reading is done; ask
for donations; get some free samples etc.
We have to go through our set curriculum.
-> Speak with your course designers to build in graded reading.
Re-allocate resources and re-set class hours
We have to prepare the students for tests.
-> Research shows students perform better on tests if they have a
general sense of language, not a deconstructed ‘bitty’ one.
Why people don’t do ER
 Teacher belief / mindset
 Childish / not serious books / too easy
 I teach and if I do ER I’m not teaching
 They should read authentic materials
 I have to teach for the test
 Responses
 Choose books are at the student’s fluent reading level
 ‘intermediate’ learners can’t read intermediate graded readers
 ER = LEARNING
our job is to help people learn not to ‘teach’
 Native materials are too hard, demotivating, inappropriate
 Research suggests students learn better from more holistic learning
Why people don’t do ER II
 Teachers think they know what ER is, but don’t
Intensive reading
Language focus
Extensive reading
Why?
Fluency meaning focus. ‘real reading’
Very little
Amount?
A book at week at their level
Hard
Difficulty?
Easy – so they can read fluently
Teacher
Who selects?
Student
Text books
What?
Materials at fluency level
In class
Where?
In class at first , then home reading
With exercises
Comprehension
check?
Not always necessary as students choose
a book they can already read
Why people don’t do ER III
 No space in the curriculum
 No one to ask how to do it
 Don’t know what is available
 Don’t know how to assess the reading
 Don’t know how to choose materials correctly
 No money / resources
Why do ER programs fail?
 ER is optional. If it’s optional:
 students will opt out.
 the message is ‘do the reading if you have time, it’s not as
important as other things’.
 the administrators don’t see it as valuable
 it becomes a target to be cut out completely
 ER should be REQUIRED. Requiring ER means:
 the teachers value this reading, so we want you to do it.
 it’s part of the full course work – and you’ll be graded on it.
 the students see it as ‘natural’ not an ‘option’
Why do ER programs fail? II
 Curriculum changes
 Change to ‘test’ / speaking / CLT ….. focus
 ER enthusiast leaves the school
 Inappropriate materials
 Too difficult
 Age inappropriate
 Books don’t get replaced when lost
 Starting badly
 Too fast, Too high, Too much to read too soon
 Students don’t understand why they need ER
Promoting / adopting ER
 Work within the system – don’t expect miracles
 Understand where teachers are coming from
 What is at stake for them / what would prevent them
from adopting ER? Solve those problems first.
 Demonstrate with an intensive reading book to show
the difference
 Show a simple chart of ER / IR
 If they think they know ER, then used the term
‘graded reading’
Promoting / adopting ER II
The websites
http://www.extensivereading.net
http://www1.harenet.ne.jp/~waring/er/
http://www.erfoundation.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ExtensiveReading/
Show the GR catalogues
Set personal targets for
 Your own school
 Mentoring other institutions
 Giving your own presentations / workshops
 Finding information that may unblock roads for others
 Conduct your own research