TEACHING READING

PROBLEMS ???

Students don’t like reading Lack of purpose Texts (topics of the texts) don’t fit students’ needs, interests and wants. The language level of the texts are too much higher or lower than the students’ language level (i+1) (Krashen) The teacher does not bring various genres (text types)

The teacher does not have the necessary methodological knowledge about how to teach reading. It is a national problem. Reading has little value in the culture. Students’ read ‘‘word by word’’. Students don’t know useful reading strategies.

REAL LIFE READING VS. EFL CLASSROOM READING What did you read in the last 48 hours? Where did you read it/them? Why did you read it/them? (purpose ??)

What did your students read in your last reading class? Where and why did they read it/them?

WHAT IS READING ? (READING THEORIES)

1) BOTTOM-UP THEORY Reading starts from the smallest unit, that is, the letter and goes to the largest, that is the text. The reader puts the letters together to make words and words to make phrases and phrases to make sentences and sentences to make the whole text.

2) TOP-DOWN TEORY The reader has expectations about the text. He makes predictions using his background knowledge about the text. He makes guesses about what the author will say next. Reader’s background knowledge, world knowledge take active role in the reading process.

3) INTERACTIVE MODEL The Reader uses both bottom-up and top-down strategies. The message goes, letter by letter, into the reader’s brain then the message is matched with the existing knowledge in the brain in order to facilitate the further processing of new information.

HOW SHOULD WE TEACH READING?

THE THREE STEPS PRE-READING WHILE-READING POST-READING

1) PRE-READING

Why is “PRE-READING” important? What do we do in this phase?

Reasons for PRE-READING 1) In pre-reading phase, students are motivated and a relation is set between their real lives and the topic of the reading text.

Reasons for PRE-READING 2) In pre-reading, students’ background knowledge (what they already know about the topic) is activated. (This is necessary for them to do top-down)

Reasons for PRE-READING 3) There may be some grammar or vocabulary problems that may hinder students’ comprehension of the text. These problems should be solved before the students start to read the text.

Reasons for PRE-READING 4) You motivate your students. You make them want to read the text by increasing their curiosity 5) You create expectations about the topic of the text so that they can do better top-down

TECHNIQUES TO APPLY IN PRE-READING PHASE Brain storming (The teacher asks what vocabulary or ideas they remember about the topic) Personalization (The teacher asks students real life experiences about the topic of the text) Introducing the topic by using visual aids (pics, vids, graphs, .etc) Class discussion (The teacher and the whole class discuss the topic) Groups or pairs discussion Listening to an audio recording related to the topic of the text.

2) WHILE-READING

WHY IS WHILE-READING IMPORTANT? WHAT DO WE DO IN WHILE-READING PHASE?

REASONS FOR WHILE-READING? Students read and comprehend the text. Students improve their reading sub-skills during this phase by the help of questions or other types of exercises. 3) We give a purpose to students for reading with while reading tasks.

‘‘ Don’t put the cart before the horse ’’

READING SUB-SKILLS Gist or Skimming (Global understanding) Scanning (Reading a passage to find specific information) Guessing unknown vocabulary (contextual guessing) Making inferences (reading between lines, understanding implied ideas, understanding what is meant but not stated in the text), Understanding cohesive links (“It” refers to ……, “They” refers to………, “She” refers to……. 6) Understanding coherence (Putting the pieces of a text in the correct order.)

3) POST-READING

Why Post-reading? What do we do in this phase?

Reasons for POST-READING 1) In post-reading phase, reading is integrated with other language skills. Because reading is a receptive skill, it is integrated especially with productive skills (i.e., writing and speaking). Students find a chance to practise and improve their writing and speaking skills.

Reasons for POST-READING 2) Students have more practice for the vocabulary or grammar items which they learn in the while-reading phase and they internalize them in speaking or writing activities in the post-reading phase.

SOME TIPS Never skip PRE-READING PHASE…! Always start with a gist (global understanding) and encourage your students for global understanding. Then you can encourage them for finer comprehension. Always try different genres such as booklets, poems, letters, (love letters), articles, diaries…etc.

SOME TIPS Use Authentic materials whenever possible. Play music (soft music), while they are reading. Music activates both hemispheres of the brain. Always encourage your students to read for pleasure. Internet is a nice tool. Encourage your students to surf on the English web-sites.

SOME TIPS 8) Get your students to do extensive reading. 9) Elicit ideas from students about how to make reading more enjoyable. 10) Build a a classroom library and ask your students to donate books for that library. 11) Give prizes to those students who do much reading. 12 Give communicative reading tasks.

CEF AND ELP BASED READING

Reading has certain indicators in accordance with the criteria of the Common Reference Levels. In a CEF (Common European Framework) and ELP (European Language Portfolio) - based reading programme, certain features fulfil the requirements concerning self-assessment and learner autonomy, as well as cultural diversity

AUTONOMY IN READING THE MAIN AIM IS TO PREPARE LANGUAGE LEARNERS FOR REAL-LIFE READING IN THEIR TARGET LANGUAGE.

Table 1. Reading Skills in Accordance with the Common Reference Levels U N D E R S T A I G A1 A2 I can understand familiar names, words and very simple sentences, for example on notices and posters or in catalogues. I can read very short, simple texts. I can find specific, predictable information in simple everyday material such as advertisements, prospectuses, menus and timetables and I can understand short simple personal letters.

Skills B1 B2 U N D E R S T A I G AD NG I can understand texts that consist mainly of high frequency everyday or job-related language. I can understand the description of events, feelings and wishes in personal letters. I can read articles and reports concerned with contemporary problems in which the writers adopt particular attitudes or viewpoints. I can understand contemporary literary prose.

Skills C1 C2 U N D E R S T A I G AD NG I can understand long and complex factual and literary texts, appreciating distinctions of style. I can understand specialised articles and longer technical instructions, even when they do not relate to my field. I can read with ease virtually all forms of the written language, including abstract, structurally or linguistically complex texts such as manuals, specialised articles and literary works.

In European Language Portfolio, there is a self-assessment grid,

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