Why Does Foreign Language Teaching Focus on Reading and Writing Over Speaking and Understanding

7 Benefits of All-encompassing Reading for English language Students

Baronial 25, 2016

What is all-encompassing Reading?

In elementary terms Extensive Reading is reading as many like shooting fish in a barrel books as possible for pleasure, and can exist contrasted with intensive reading which is slow, careful reading of a short, difficult text. Day and Bamford (1998), Day (2002), Prowse (2002), and Maley (2008 and 2009) take identified a number of central characteristics of Extensive Reading in language learning. Hither is a digest of what I recollect are the vii virtually important principles for successful Extensive Reading:

1. Students read a slap-up bargain, quite quickly (at least 150-200 words a minute) and oft.
2. The reading material is relatively easy for the level of the students. Too much unknown language prevents students from reading quickly and fluently.
3. It is the educatee, not the teacher, who chooses what to read.
4. Students have a wide variety of genres and topics to choose from.
5. Students read for pleasure, data or full general understanding.
6. Reading is individual and silent.
7. The teacher asks as a guide, monitor and role model.

What are the benefits of Extensive Reading?

There is a wealth of research into the benefits of All-encompassing Reading for language learners. Hither is a assimilate of what I consider to exist the seven most of import benefits:

1. Students become better reader

It is widely accepted that people become adept readers through reading, and that learning how to read should mean a primary focus of attention on the pregnant rather than the language of the text. It is pretty obvious that extensive reading helps students become better readers. Research by Richard Day amongst many others shows that we larn to read by reading. The more linguistic communication students read, the better readers they become. An integral part of this is learning new vocabulary.

2. Students learn more vocabulary

Probably the almost cited benefit of Extensive Reading is that it can extend and sustain students' vocabulary growth. We know that vocabulary is non learned past a single exposure. Experts in language and literacy development such as Harvard Academy Education Professor Catherine Snowfall believe that you need to encounter a word or phrase in different contexts between xv and 20 times to have a loftier possibility of learning the word or phrase. Students are highly unlikely to come across vocabulary sufficient times within the classroom to learn it. Nonetheless, if they read extensively they are much more likely to get multiple encounters with words and phrases in a multifariousness of contexts.

3. Students improve writing

Students who read extensively also make gains in writing proficiency (Elley and Mangubhai 1981, and Hafiz and Tudor 1989). This is probably because as students encounter more than language, more frequently, through extensive reading, their language acquisition mechanism is primed to produce it in writing.

4. Students improve overall language competence

In addition to gains in reading and writing proficiency, research demonstrates that students who read extensively too make gains in overall language competence. For instance, Cho andKrashen (1994) reported that their four developed ESL learners increased competence in both listening and speaking abilities through reading extensively. So Extensive Reading would seem to benefit all language skills, not simply reading and writing.

5. Students go more motivated to read

It is highly motivating for students to discover that they can read in English language and that they enjoy it. For this reason it is essential that the books are interesting to students and at a level appropriate to their reading ability. If students find the books compelling and interesting, and can understand them, they may become more eager readers. This tin also assist to boost their confidence and self-esteem as linguistic communication learners.

6. Students develop learner autonomy.

Students can read anywhere, at any time, and reading extensively helps them become more autonomous learners. To promote learner autonomy extensive reading should be a pupil-managed activeness. That is to say that students should decide what, when, where and how often they read.

7. Students go more empathic

Neuroscientific and social scientific discipline studies accept shown that people who read literary fiction extensively are more empathic. People who read novels nigh other people who are very different from themselves and their backgrounds are especially empathic.

Conclusion
At that place are many benefits of Extensive Reading in language learning. These include gains in reading and writing competence, oral and aural skills, vocabulary growth, and increases in motivation, self-esteem and empathy. Students who read extensively besides become more democratic learners.

Seven All-encompassing Reading websites:

1. The Extensive Reading Foundation is a not-for-turn a profit organisation whose purpose is to support and promote extensive reading.

2. All-encompassing Reading is a repository for information on extensive reading, with an accent on foreign language learning.

3. Rob Waring's website is another repository for information on extensive reading.

4. ER-Central is a not-for-turn a profit organization dedicated to developing an All-encompassing Reading and Extensive Listening approach to foreign and second language learning. There are wealth of gratuitous Extensive Reading and All-encompassing Listening resources for students.

5. Atama-iiis an innovative and interactive serial of beginner level easy-English language graded readers for all ages 11 and up. The serial follows an interactive gamebook format, in which the reader takes on the role of the main grapheme and makes plot choices at set points in the story. These choices pb to i of eight different endings.

6. MReader is a website designed to help schools wishing to implement an Extensive Reading program. It allows teachers and students to verify that they have read and understood their reading.

7. ERF Graded Reader List is a comprehensive, searchable, downloadable database of graded readers from around the world providing useful data for educators and linguistic communication learners.

Seven books and articles on Extensive Reading:

1. Day, R. and J. Bamford, 1998, Extensive Reading in the Second Language Classroom, Cambridge University Press.
2. Day, R. and J. Bamford, 2004, Extensive Reading Activities for Teaching Language, Cambridge University Press.
3. 24-hour interval, R. and Bamford, J. (2002) 'Superlative 10 Principles for teaching extensive reading.'   Reading in a Strange Language. http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/October2002/twenty-four hour period/solar day.html

4. Waring, R. The Inescapable Case for All-encompassing Reading. http://www.robwaring.org/papers/waring_Nova_2011.pdf
5. Maley, A 'Extensive reading: why it is good for our students… and for the states.' https://www.teachingenglish.org.britain/article/extensive-reading-why-it-good-our-students%E2%80%A6-us

6. Stanley, Grand. All-encompassing Reading. https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/extensive-reading

7. Steiner, J. Reading for Pleasure.

www.orianit.edu-negev.gov.il/english/files/reading/articles/extenrdg.physician

I promise you discover the articles, websites and resources useful. Are in that location whatever other Extensive Reading resources you've used with your students? Let me know in the comments below!

References

Cho, Thousand., & Krashen, S. D. (1994). Acquisition of vocabulary from the Sweet Valley Kids series: Adult ESL acquisition. Periodical of Reading, 37, 662–667.

Day, R.  (1998) Extensive Reading in the Second Linguistic communication Classroom.  Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Day, R. and Bamford, J. (2002) 'Top Ten Principles for teaching extensive reading.'   Reading in a Foreign Language.

http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/October2002/mean solar day/day.html

Elley, W.B  (1991)  'Acquiring literacy in a second language: the issue of book-based programmes.'   Language Learning.  41. 375-411

Hafiz, F.G and Tudor, I. (1989)   'Extensive reading and the evolution of language skills.'   ELT Journal 43 (i) 4-xiii

Maley, A (2008)  'Extensive Reading: Maid in Waiting' in B. Tomlinson (ed)  English Language Learning Materials: a critical review.  London/New York.

Maley, A 'Extensive reading: why information technology is good for our students… and for united states.'

https://www.teachingenglish.org.united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland/article/extensive-reading-why-it-skilful-our-students%E2%lxxx%A6-us (accessed 23 September 2016)

Prowse, P. 'What is the hole-and-corner of all-encompassing reading?'

http://www.cambridge.org/elt/readers/prowse1.htm (accessed 23 September 2016)

photo credit: Mikhail Pavstyuk

gardnerquer1990.blogspot.com

Source: http://kierandonaghy.com/seven-benefits-extensive-reading-english-language-students/

Share this post