Scribd
Upload
33 views

Implementing An ER Program-Bandung

This document discusses implementing an extensive reading program and discusses some opportunities and challenges. It provides an overview of what extensive reading is and the benefits it can provide such as increased reading fluency and comprehension. It then discusses some common challenges like teacher and student mindsets that are skeptical of extensive reading. The document provides suggestions for how to start an extensive reading program in a class or school and how to overcome obstacles such as limited budgets or book management. It emphasizes the importance of administrative support and having an effective system for tracking student reading progress.

Uploaded by

Mega Perbawati
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
33 views

Implementing An ER Program-Bandung

This document discusses implementing an extensive reading program and discusses some opportunities and challenges. It provides an overview of what extensive reading is and the benefits it can provide such as increased reading fluency and comprehension. It then discusses some common challenges like teacher and student mindsets that are skeptical of extensive reading. The document provides suggestions for how to start an extensive reading program in a class or school and how to overcome obstacles such as limited budgets or book management. It emphasizes the importance of administrative support and having an effective system for tracking student reading progress.

Uploaded by

Mega Perbawati
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 51

Implementing an Extensive

Reading program:
opportunities and
challenges
Thomas Robb
Kyoto Sangyo University (Emeritus)
English Language Specialist
U.S. Embassy Regional English Language Office
What is Extensive
Reading?
What are the benefits of ER?
• Increased reading fluency
• Increased comprehension
• Increased ability to predict what is coming
next
• Words
• Grammar
• Better understanding of how the basic
words of English are actually used in writing
& speaking
• Improved test scores
• Increased listening comprehension
How well can you guess the next word?

Try these yourself right now:


• There was a boy and a _____
• it seems to me _____
• while at the same _____
• have anything to do _____
• one way or the ______
• didn't know how _____
So, how well did you do?

• There was a boy and a girl


• it seems to me that
• while at the same time
• have anything to do with
• one way or the other
• didn't know how to
Short texts

A Typical Reading Text


Many exercises

Many
difficult
words

Definitions given
Repetition is important

Course material has little repetition


Study Hours Required for Advancement
A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2

http://www.prolingua.co.jp/toeic_e.html
Implementing an
Extensive Reading
Program
Problem: Teacher Beliefs / Mindset

Childish / not serious books / too easy


‘Intermediate’ learners aren’t ready to
read books
I teach and if I do ER I’m not teaching
They should read authentic materials
Too much to cover already in the
standard curriculum
I have to teach for the test
Suggested answers

• Choose books are at the student’s fluent


reading level
• “Intermediate learners” can read lower level
books.
• ER = LEARNING: our job is to help people
learn not to ‘teach’
• Research suggests students learn better from
more holistic learning
• Discrete teaching of grammar & vocabulary is
useful initially, but then they need practice
Problem: Student Mindset

• The teacher will tell me what to study


• When I read, I need to understand every
word.
• I need to read carefully.
• I need to understand how the grammar
works.
• The most important thing is to pass the big
test.
Ease of ER Implementation
Depending on the Class Type
Easiest
1. The teacher has complete control over the class content. (“Here
is the name of the course. You can decide the textbook and how
to teach it.”)

2. A curriculum where the course coordinator can decide the basic


structure for all sections of the course.

3. Private schools that are not bound by the ministry-imposed


curriculum.

4. Classes with a rigid set of requirements, typical of public


secondary schools around the world. There is no time left for any
innovation. Typically, class content is oriented towards a national
examination.
Most difficult
When one teacher tries

In the beginning…
Often frustrating
• Not enough books
• School will not provide a budget
• Teacher has to carry books to class
• Cannot manage borrowing and return
• Books lost or damaged
• Students don’t read
• Students copy feedback reports
• Too many reports to check
When an individual teacher tries…
•She believes and persists but…
•Other teachers
• Could not be bothered
• Are too busy
• Cannot expend the effort
• Don’t believe that it works
The key to getting a program started:

The administration
must require it!
If ER is easy to implement…
No adoption
Teachers/Classes
• Year 1
• Course 1
• Course 2
• Course 3
• Year 2
• Course 1
• Course 2
• Course 3
• Year 3
• Year4
Adoption by a few teachers
Teachers/Classes
• Year 1
• Course 1
• Course 2
• Course 3
• Year 2
• Course 1
• Course 2
• Course 3
• Year 3
• Year4
Pan-Course Utilization
Teachers/Classes
• Year 1
• Course 1
• Course 2
• Course 3
• Year 2
• Course 1
• Course 2
• Course 3
• Year 3
• Year4
How do I start my ER program? –
One scenario
Obtain books at the levels your students
can read FLUENTLY
Make sure their first book is SUPER-easy
Break them into ER gently
Introduce your library of books
Do 2-3 class readers together over
several classes
How do I start my ER program? –
One scenario – (2)
They choose something that they can
READ from a wide variety of materials
Put the books into difficulty levels with
color codes
Put a book number inside each book
Make a book borrowing sheet
How do I start my ER program? –
One scenario – (3)
They take it home and discuss it the
following week (instant book report?)
They take home another book, and so
on and so on
Obstacles to overcome

Budget
•No money?
Have the students buy 1-2 books
each and share them
Ask them to donate them to you
as the start of a graded reader
collection
• The school will be much more willing
to allocate money if they see that
your ER program is a success!
Have the students fill out a short
questionnaire that asks what they like
about ER (and also what they don’t like)
Share the results with the teachers
and administrators
Obstacles to overcome

Books &
Management
The cooperation of the
library or self-access
center is essential.
In the beginning:

Books requested as “reserve books”

Books were arranged by call number NOT reading


level
Key to Publishers & Levels

Level indicators

Due to high borrowing


rates the library finally
reorganized the books
by reading level.
Book borrowing by first year students
Student
Management
Tom’s 10-80-10 law
• 10% - Motivated, ‘eager beavers’

• 80% - Will do assigned work if


monitored by the teacher

• 10% - Bare minimum


http://mreader.org

Free
Quizzes on over 7000 books
Easy for teachers and students to use
Over 100,000 users worldwide
Quiz selection
Teacher Controls
Reading requirements
The outside reading requirement needs to be
mentioned in the syllabus
The higher the weighting, the more students will take
the task seriously.
20% or more of their final grade is convincing.
More convincing: If you don’t reach the minimum
requirement, then you fail the course.
Convincing the teachers
The more you require the them to do, the less will be
their cooperation.
Central management relieves the pressure on the
individual teacher.
Teachers only need to:
1) Monitor the students’ reading
2) Encourage them to continue
3) Calculate the students’ final grades
(The administration can provide the student results)
Result:
Teachers will slowly ‘buy into the
system’.
Have an effective tracking system
• MReader.org
• Free system
• Motivating for many students
• Easy for students to monitor progress
• Xreading.com
• No need for books
• Small per-student charge
Curriculum-Level Implementation
• Decision to implement
• Incorporation in the syllabus
• Diffusion of requirements to students
• Supplying results to teachers for their
evaluations
Unlimited Access Curriculum-wide
to readers implementation

Effective Extensive
Reading

Learner training Teacher


Cooperation
Effective system for
checking student Enforced
progress Requirements
Questions?

You might also like