Different kinds of reading

We need to make a distinction between extensive and intensive reading. The term extensive reading refers to reading which students do often (but not exclusively) away from the classroom. They may read novels, web pages, newspapers, magazines or any other reference material. Where possible, extensive reading should involve reading for pleasure - what Richard Day calls joyful reading. This is enhanced if students have a chance to choose what they want to read, if they are encouraged to read by the teacher, and if some opportunity is given for them to share their reading experiences. Although not all students are equally keen on this kind of reading, we can say with certainty that the ones who read most progress fastest.

The term intensive reading, on the other hand, refers to the detailed focus on the construction of reading texts which takes place usually (but not always) in classrooms. Teachers may ask students to look at extracts from magazines, poems, Internet websites, novels, newspapers, plays and a wide range of other text genres. The exact choice of genres and topics may be determined by the specific purposes that students are studying for (such as business, science or nursing). In such cases, we may well want to concentrate on texts within their specialities.

Intensive reading is usually accompanied by study activities. We may ask students to work out what kind of text they are reading, tease out details of meaning, look at particular uses of grammar and vocabulary, and then use the information in the text to move on to other learning activities. 

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Formal lesson planning

On teacher training courses, trainees are often expected to produce a written lesson plan for each lesson taught.This is not because teachers in the real world always do this for every lesson, but as:

• training in 'planning-thinking';
• evidence to your tutors that you have thought about the lesson;
• a chance for trainers to understand your thinking and find out how to help you better if things go wrong in the actual lesson.

Formal plans often divide into three distinct sections:

• background information about the class, the teacher, the materials and the overall aims of the lesson;
• language analysis of items that will be worked on in class;
• a detailed chronological stage-by-stage description of the intended procedure for the lesson.

In most formal lesson plans, the following are required:

• a clear statement of appropriate aims for the whole lesson;
• a clear list of stages in the lesson,with a description of activities, their aims and estimated timing;        and, if it is a lesson that includes language system work;
• a list of specific target language items (or a statement about how and when they will be selected).

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Language learning starts at home

All children, except for those with an exceptional degree of handicap, a gross defect of intelligence or a severe impairment of hearing, come to school having learned a great deal of language. This is true regardless of their social class. We can find evidence for  this in Gordon Wells’ (1987) fifteen-year longitudinal study of 128 children across the social spectrum in Bristol. Wells studied the tasks that children can achieve through

talk, such as:

• asking questions;
• making plans;
• recalling past events;
• commenting on the world around them.

He also looked at the range of meanings they could make while carrying out those tasks, and the linguistic shape of their utterances. The findings of the research from their first to their fifth birthdays, seemed to be learning in the same sort of way. By the end of this first phase of the research, for each child all the major linguistic systems were more or less in place. The children knew, for example:

• how to formulate questions in a variety of ways;
• how to form past tenses;
• how to phrase requests in a way that was likely to get a positive response.

Each child had a vocabulary of several thousand words. All this is miraculous enough in itself if one considers that they were only just about five years old and had had few, if any, specific ‘language lessons’. What is truly awesome is that some children at this age have already begun to operate in more than one language. Gordon Wells, who has a nice way with metaphors, describes this early feat of learning as ‘a sheer climb up the face of a cliff ’. It seems regrettable therefore that education research has repeatedly drawn attention to the language failings of some children. We do need to remind ourselves constantly of how much they have in fact achieved.

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How to teach speaking?

Here are some points for improving speaking skills:

1. Take time to breathe properly. If they breathe too quickly they will not speak clearly and fluently.

2. Give students enough time to speak. Their contribution is important.

3. Encourage students to record themselves speaking. They can choose a text. Listen to the recording carefully to work out where they need to improve.

4. Suggest to students that they choose someone they admire whose mother tongue is English (perhaps a film star). If they can model their speaking on this person, their accent, intonation, etc. will improve.

5. Remind students that through listening and reading extensively they will acquire a wide vocabulary.

6. Project work is valuable as it integrates all the language skills and is highly motivating as each student can work at their own level. It gives students the opportunity to follow their own interests and give presentations to the class.

Finally, to develop their speaking skills and their confidence, it is vital that students must be given as much opportunity to speak as possible. Therefore, practising in pairs and groups in the classroom is crucial. It is the students who need the practice and who need to gain in confidence under the guidance of their teacher.

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Why use computers with your students?

There are many good reasons to use computers with your students both inside and outside of class. Four of these are:

Computers are motivating

The majority of students seem to enjoy using computers and will enthusiastically play games or surf the Internet outside class. Using computers in your teaching can harness some of this enthusiasm and focus it on the students’ learning.

Computers provide a neutral environment

Good language learners take risks and experiment with language as they are learning. This can be a very daunting prospect for many people. Computer language exercises can provide a safe environment for less outgoing students to take risks, knowing that their answers will be judged by a machine and not another human being.

Computers are communication tools

Increasingly today, computers are being used as a major method of communication. This fits very well into current ideas about language and language teaching.

Computers account for individuals

In a class full of students individuals move at different paces. As computers have the ability to serve large amounts of exercises or data, students can move through at their own pace.

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