1. What Exactly is Extensive Reading? Rob Waring KOTESOL Oct 11, 2015 www.robwaring.org/presentations

2. Potted History of Extensive Reading There’s always been graded reading, extensive reading Basal L2 reading started in started with the vocabulary movement in the 1920’s – Ogden, West, Hornby, Palmer West’s Supplemental Readers, New Method Readers (1932) and New Method Dictionary (1935) really kick-started graded reading 4 principles behind his work – Only use previously met words – Extra practice in reading – Stretches the vocabulary to allow readers to see new meanings (receptive generative use) – Enables them to build a foundation for further reading Supplemental readers highlighted new words in bold with deliberate recycling

4. Potted History of Extensive Reading II 1970’s - John Milne suggested vocabulary control was not enough. -Good clear writing -Relevant content -Careful explanation -High redundancy -Good control over information -Intuitive grading and structure control This led to the modern Graded Reader and the ER Foundation Milne Award

5. ER/EL in two spheres The pedagogy of ER/EL speedmaterialslevelsassessment design of librariesbook record systems pre- while- post- activitiesvolume read (listened to) material selectionchoice silent vs aloud read only, listen only, read-while-listen motivation role of teacheretc. etc. ER/EL research – Academic papers – ?? Reports of programs – sharing action research – ?? Program comparisons

6. Why is it important to define ER/EL? So we all know what we are talking about So we can compare results between studies, programs To be clear what type of reading we are doing Program A (‘just read’)Program B (‘guided ER’) Self-selected 300,000 words per semester No assessment Variety of materials No/little follow up Self-governed Fluency reading only Teacher advised A few books a semester Mreader quizzes Narrow ER Follow-up activities Careful monitoring Some phonics, shadowing, reading aloud

7. Defining ER Most definitions include the following words – Read – Books – Easy – Fast – Fluent – A lot – Enjoyable – Own level (comprehensible)

8. Defining ER – not straightforward But it’s not straightforward – Easy – what is easy? Who decides – Fast – is there a minimum speed? – Fluent – what is fluent? – A lot – what minimum? – Enjoyable – only enjoyable? – Own level (comprehensible) – what about i+1, i+2?

9. We need to be careful If the definition is too loose – We can’t share results meaningfully If the definition is too strict – We may disenfranchise or alienate some people

10. Day and Bamford's 10 principles of ER “necessary for success” (1998, 2002) 1.The reading material is easy 2.A variety of reading material on a wide range of topics 3.Learners choose what they want to read 4.Learners read as much as possible 5.The purpose of reading is usually related to pleasure, information and general understanding 6.Reading is its own reward 7.Reading speed is usually faster rather than slower 8.Reading is individual and silent 9.Teachers orient and guide their students 10.The teacher is a role model of a reader

11. Day and Bamford's 10 principles of ER “necessary for success” (1998, 2002) Important to note they did NOT suggest this as THE way to do ER/EL Day and Bamford never meant them to be a diktat It is a list of suggestions The principles only showed what happens in many successful programs BUT these riders have been routinely ignored by some in the community Some incorrectly believe these principles are like commandments

12. The present influence of the Top Ten on ER Often cited to define ER (e.g. Asraf & Ahmad, 2003; Burrows, 2013; Hitosugi & Day, 2004; Soliman, 2012; Yamashita, 2008). Default definition of ER despite these principles only being a “description of the characteristics that are found in successful extensive reading programs” (Day and Bamford 1998: 7). “we purposely avoided using ‘extensive reading’ terminology to describe our participants’ reading behavior. This was because we did not investigate whether the participants followed any of the top ten principles for ER provided by Day and Bamford (1998, 2002); rather, we only looked at their pleasure reading habits” (Ro and Chen 2014; 16).

13. Day and Bamford's 10 principles of ER “necessary for success” (1998, 2002) 1. The reading material is easy 2. A variety of reading material on a wide range of topics 3. Learners choose what they want to read 4. Learners read as much as possible 5. The purpose of reading is usually related to pleasure, information and general understanding 6. Reading is its own reward 7. Reading speed is usually faster rather than slower 8. Reading is individual and silent 9. Teachers orient and guide their students 10. The teacher is a role model of a reader

14. Principles 1, 2, 4 The reading material is easy A variety of reading material on a wide range of topics Learners read as much as possible Largely uncontestable Includes materials other than books But some programs are limited in what they can achieve, budgets, resources

15. Principle 3: Learners choose what they want to read Largely, ok But they often need guidance, recommendations (implies teachers should know their own libraries) Too much choice can bewilder

16. Principle 5: The purpose of reading is usually related to pleasure, information and general understanding Ideally yes, but often we have to read things we don’t want to, or don’t like to Does this pleasure only prepare them for tests, future needs? What if the library has nothing they like at their level? What if a student only reads say crime novels? - missing out on meeting general vocabulary What if pleasure = easy to a student and they only stay at level 1? What if pleasure = reading only one series? What if pleasure = i+5? What if pleasure = reading course books, grammar books?

17. Principle 6: Reading is its own reward This suggests reading could be optional (i.e. the message is - if you don’t like it you can stop) This implies all students will very soon find their homerun book Some students hate reading and will probably always do so It suggests assessment is unnecessary. But… – Some schools need to collect data, scores, validate reading – Many want to be assessed in order to confirm their understanding – We may need to collect data for action research

18. Principle 7: Reading speed is usually faster rather than slower Makes sense – reading faster leads to higher comprehension But some readers prefer to read slowly so they catch all the details – e.g. academic writing, data reports, legal documents In some ER programs using Reading Circles, students may be required to read a text more intensively e.g. to collect words, cultural information etc.

19. Principle 8: Reading is individual and silent Denies the importance of sharing of what we read Assumes all that a student needs is in their own heads Focuses students inwards not outwards Buddy reading? Book clubs? Reading-while-listening leads to more vocab gains than reading only Reading-while-listening assists listening practice Solo reading can be seen as a definition of loneliness Denies the oral tradition of reading aloud to others especially younger students, children

20. Principle 9: Teachers orient and guide their students Makes sense Assumes teachers know a lot about their students, Assumes teachers can anticipate their students’ preferences (when planning a program, syllabus) Assumes teachers have read many of the books in their libraries The opposite of Principle 3 (self-selection)?

21. Principle 10: The teacher is a role model of a reader Is reading in front of students a good use of time? – Maybe seen as lazy, uncaring, unprofessional, an ‘easy’ teacher – Better to spend silent reading time monitoring and assisting? Not all teachers (or students) are literature fanatics, lovers Better to discuss your reading with students, tell them about your favorite books, articles

22. What about …..? Assessment and evaluation Buddy / collaborative reading Reading while listening Follow-up exercises Reading speed focus Limited time Limited resources Lowly motivated learners Necessity to read things you don't want to The teacher doesn't read much Asian values and norms Teacher selected materials Desire to read something difficult Desire to have one's performance monitored Desire to share their reading Extensive listening Reading Circles?

23. What’s missing from the top ten? Setting, context – too universal The role of pre- while- and post- work Clear definitions of what each principle means Listening? Student desires and preferences Speed reading development Etc.

24. A uni-dimensional 'necessity for success' view of ER Adherents of the 10 principles suggest that to be doing ER, students must: … choose their own texts … read for pleasure not as part of a course … read without assessment … experience ER as a solo activity Adhering to the 10 principles implies there is a right or wrong way to do ER. In fact there are many many flavours No two ER programs are the same Needs, students, teachers, libraries, levels, goals etc. all vary

25. What exactly is Extensive Reading? Read at i+1 (or i- 1) ? Reading short texts to discuss? Read only for pleasure? Start with simple stories? Reading followed by comprehension questions? Speed reading? Pleasure reading only? Reading L1 materials? ?????

26. Summary about the 10 principles They seem to suggest a single ‘way’ Not very inclusive, in fact rather restrictive Can lead teachers to feel guilty or apologetic that they are not doing ER/EL the ‘right way’ We have to be careful about deciding things for students. We shouldn’t be dictatorial with our philosophies to students who think differently They imply certain elements are in opposition and one side is ‘bad’ or inappropriate Assessment Student selects No assessment Others select

27. What are common features of ER? A central aspect of any ER program Students should Read something quickly and Enjoyably with Adequate comprehension so they Don’t need a dictionary …. or be aiming at achieving this….

28. Aspects of a definition of ER The definition should consider a) the process of reading at the right level ER is a way of processing texts and isn’t just the reading of graded readers – magazines, emails, webpages all are part of ER if they are READ. i.e. build fluency b) the pedagogy of ER – the selection of materials, follow-up activities, library management, assessment etc.

29. A fundamental distinction ER as a reading process – The way people read – What cognitive processes need to be in place to be reading extensively? (READ) ER Pedagogy (the management of the reading) – What activities do we do to do ER? – Which materials? Volume? – Pre- While- Post- activities etc. – Assessment? – Etc.

30. The core - Rauding (Carver, 1992, 1995) We can conceive of the IR/ER on a continuum of attentional resources not as a dichotomy Intensive readingExtensive reading Slow, careful, languagerauding, fast, fluent, high focus comprehension Rauding represents the “optimal reading rate for comprehension, and one at which there is lexical access, semantic encoding, and sentential integration” – a cognitive process independent of the amount read – developed through massive practice of comprehended text

31. Core cognitive and variable pedagogical aspects of ER/EL Cognitive ER is a way of processing texts at an appropriate level – Magazines – Emails – Webpages The cognitive processing of reading or Rauding, through which cognitive reading processes are automatized Pedagogical aspects of ER Who selects?What is read?Level? Follow-up activities?Assessment?Volume? Speed?Age? Etc.

32. 'Big Tent ' ER – the need to be flexible We need to accept that many students are not brought up to be responsible for their learning Encouragement to self-directed learning are often ignored in favour of clubs, social life, part-time jobs or pleasure time (Robb, 2002) Students often won’t start with a home-run book, therefore we have to require reading so they can find it Finding an hour of pleasure reading is hard for many students Motivating disinterested students can be close to impossible Massive choice can overwhelm Class reading is a valid form of ER ER is more than just graded readers

33. ER Program types Purist ER program Lots of self-selected reading at home with no / little assessment or follow up. Often is a stand-alone class. Integrated ER program Lots of self-selected reading at home and in class. Follow up exercises / reports which aim to build the 4 skills. Class reading - study Students read the same book and work through it slowly. Lots of follow up / comprehension work and exercises. ER as 'literature' Students read the same book and discuss it as if it were a work of literature. Easy ER – start with simple stories

34. ER program types - summary Many different types of ER program Different aims Different levels of involvement for teachers / students Some programs may adopt two or more types at the same time Some programs can start more easily than others Each type is scalable – from a single class to a whole school No 'best' type for all situations

35. ER typesClassical (Top ten) ER Integrated ER – part of a 4 skills course Class Reading ER as literatureEasy ER – to build fluency StyleIndividual Lock-step Individual AmountLots Little Lots SpeedFast Slow Fast ControlStudent Teacher Student Language focus No YesNo AssessmentLittle Lots Viable MaterialsLibrary Class sets Library Skill workReading3-4 skills3-4 skills / language 1-3 skillsReading Class time needed Little Lots Little

36. Core elements of an ER program (to retain the label ‘ER’) The program should be aimed at … Fluent, sustained comprehension of text as meaning- focused input Large volume of material Reading over extended periods of time Texts are longer, requiring comprehension at the discourse level ….. even if this has not been achieved yet.

37. Treading carefully But we have to be careful about dictating what should be in a program in order to earn the label “ER” Some programs are limited in what they can achieve We shouldn’t specify speeds, volumes, assessment practices A big tent is fine Some ER programs may not be doing ER (YET! - they may be pre-ER programs working on phonics and basic reading skills, but the point is they are aiming at building for later ER) BUT We must be clear about ensuring any ER program has students READing (or aiming at it) We must be careful when comparing our program with others so we know we are comparing like with like (or not)

38. Labeling what we do Just saying ‘my ER program’ isn’t helpful CategoryType LevelBeginner, Elementary, Intermediate etc StagePre ER, fluency based ER VolumeHigh vs. medium vs. low volume AssessmentAssessed, not-assessed TypeIntegrated, purist, class reading … AgeKids, teens, adult SpeedAveraging 80wpm, averaging 120wpm

39. Describing my program I have – an early reading kids pre-ER program – an adult, fluency-based, high intermediate, assessed, integrated, high-volume ER program averaging 100wpm – a purist, teen, elementary, medium volume, non-assessed fluency ER program averaging 90wpm …….. how about yours?

40. Conclusion ER is multi-faceted For pedagogy we can have a big tent (any combination of any of the variables) provided the students are doing lots of fluent READing For research we need to be MUCH more careful, rigorous – To allow us to compare studies, environments

41. Thank you for your time www.robwaring.org/presentations www.er-central.com/teachers/ waring.rob@gmail.com