Extensive Reading It is the view of Palmer (1964) that “extensive reading” is considered as being reading rapidly. In this, the first of two articles for TeachingEnglish, Alan Maley considers the benefits extensive reading can bring to English language learners and teachers. (see references for websites) And there is the indispensable annotated bibliography, http://www.erfoundation.org/bib/biblio2.php, Extensive reading develops learner autonomy. The Advantages of the Transition from Intensive Reading to Extensive Reading ― Based on my experience of the Restudy of English ― Akiko TAMURA* Abstract t has been three years since I first came dow－I n with a disease. One evening, she finds herself locked in the library with none other than Mr. Darcy himself. Extensive reading enhances general language competence. 0 0. When I conducted an inquiry among teachers worldwide, the answers came down to these: d) ER not linked to the syllabus and the examination. It helped them to engage with reading more and it changed how they read. 3. Choose a set number of pages and set a stopwatch for a set amount of time. Students are highly unlikely to encounter vocabulary sufficient times within the classroom to learn it. Reading provides a peaceful escape at any time of day from digital gadgets and the constant bombardment of information that comes from living in the digital age. Materials are within the language competence of the students. Seven books and articles on Extensive Reading: www.orianit.edu-negev.gov.il/english/files/reading/articles/extenrdg.doc. Purposes of Extensive Reading One evening, she finds herself locked in the library with none other than Mr. Darcy himself. The name indicates the large amounts of reading that the pupils did. The simplest task is a timed read. The results displayed in Table 1 are strong confirmation of the benefits of ER on learning to read. (2002) ‘Top Ten Principles for teaching extensive reading.’   Reading in a Foreign Language. e) Lack of understanding of ER and its benefits. The effect on self-esteem and motivation of reading one’s first book in the foreign language is undeniable. Seven Extensive Reading websites: Benefits of Extensive Reading By Edna Orozco López and Miguel de la Ferrelle OrtizWhat is extensive reading?According to Richard Day extensive reading means that students read many andeasy books for information and enjoyment. One effect of extensive reading that appears with short-term programs is on reading attitudes and reading habits. I’m very happy you found the article useful g) Resistance from teachers, who find it impossible to stop teaching and to allow learning to take place. An extensive reading program was established for elementary level language learners at the British Council Language Center in Sanaa, Yemen. It is pretty obvious that extensive reading helps students become better readers. Students read a great deal, quite quickly (at least 150-200 words a minute) and often. ; Extensive Reading improves writing skills (Hsu and Lee, 2007; Smith, 2007 cited in Guo, 2012). Reading purposes focus on: pleasure, information and general understanding. Learner will show competence when participating in reading activities. Richard Day has provided a list of key characteristics of ER (Day 2002). You’ve listed one of his studies, co-authored with Cho. New York: Cambridge University Press. Talking specifically of intensive reading - let's give some definitions for the starters. As we saw, the research on language learner reading shows how extensive reading feeds into improvements in all areas of language competence. Extensive reading offers Comprehensible Input. benefits of extensive reading and to establish a reading habit, the minimum amount of . 28 reviews “The Benefits of Extensive Reading” is a “Pride and Prejudice” inspired novella that starts during Elizabeth’s stay at Netherfield to take care of her sister Jane. My contention is that reading extensively, promiscuously and associatively is good for teacher, and for personal development. More, specifically, in what ways is extensive reading helpful for learning a target language? We posit these ten principles in the hopes that others will consider them and react to them. The Language Teacher  30 (7): 44-47. Murray, Denise and Pamela McPherson  (eds) (2005) Navigating to Read – Reading to Navigate. We know from research that fluent readers are better readers (i.e., score higher on measures of reading comprehension) than slow readers. Anonymous. Read 28 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. The main aim of the manufacturer is to improve the recognition of the product in the market. Intensive Reading and Extensive Reading are … This is because you will be reading longer texts, which naturally require more time to read, and because sitting down to read for longer periods allow you to get into the "flow" of reading, and therefore mentally process the material more deeply. Journal of Reading, 37, 662–667. 2004 )  The Power of Reading: insights from the research. A block of time -- typically 10 to 30 minutes -- is regularly devoted to recreational reading. If learners read more they will automatically learn more. Then, I will examine the numerous benefits of extensive reading as well as some obstacles which explain why extensive reading programs are difficult to implement. The more language students read, the better readers they become. Reading Increase creativity and Imagination. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Extensive reading is a great tool for people who already enjoy the activity. The course will be held at UAB Languages, the language school of one […], Seven Benefits of Extensive Reading for English Language Students, Presentation of “The Image in English Language Teaching”, Train in the Use of Film and Video with me in Barcelona, http://www.robwaring.org/papers/waring_Nova_2011.pdf, https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/extensive-reading-why-it-good-our-students%E2%80%A6-us, https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/extensive-reading, http://www.cambridge.org/elt/readers/prowse1.htm, Train Online in Film and Video with Kieran in January, Train with Kieran in Film and Video Online, Train with Kieran in Barcelona this summer. That is to say that students should decide what, when, where and how often they read. Purpose of the Study This is a preliminary study, which aimed to investigate EFL students’ opinions on the benefits of the reading And it is highly individual. Hi Evgenia, Extensive reading is moving away from the intensive reading of answer identification in your Cambridge, TOEFL or IELTS exams, and the reading skills of skimming and scanning toward a more relaxed form of reading; the kind of reading you do on the sofa because you want to, because there is nothing on TV or there’s nothing on your streaming service worth watching. Disadvantages Of Extensive Reading. The readers read books after books. in Bamford and Day 1998, 5). Read on!. At the end, I will introduce practical options and possible solutions in terms of implementing extensive reading programs. There are many benefits of Extensive Reading in language learning. Thanks a lot for taking the time to comment. Oxford University Press, Japan, Waring, Rob  (2006)  ‘Why Extensive Reading should be an indispensable part of all language programmes’. Extensive reading . Extensive reading extends, consolidates and sustains vocabulary growth. There are many benefits of Extensive Reading in language learning. use of simplified texts15, with particular advantages seen in the development of reading fluency. Therefore, intensive reading means that type of reading in which the material has to be read carefully and thoroughly, to get specific details. The following is a digest of the two lists of factors or principles for successful ER: The model is very much like that for L1 reading proposed by Atwell (2006). People who read novels about other people who are very different from themselves and their backgrounds are particularly empathic. The teacher is a role model…a reader, who participates along with the students. There are useful summaries of the evidence in Day and Bamford  (1998: 32-39) and The Special Issue of The Language Teacher (1997) including articles by Paul Nation and others, and passionate advocacy in Krashen’s The Power of Reading. Extensive reading, specifically the use of the Reading Journal is included in the reading curriculum of our Department with the main goal of improving the TOEFL reading scores of our students. Its attention is paid to the meaning of the text itself not the language. What are the benefits of extensive reading? The idea that learners can develop their language knowledge through extensive reading is attractive for several reasons. 14 (2), Day, Richard, R , Omura, Carole, Hiramatsu, Motoo. Maley, A (2008)  ‘Extensive Reading: Maid in Waiting’ in B. Tomlinson (ed)  English Language Learning Materials: a critical review. Students … the benefits of extensive reading and listening: adquire more language. 0 0. This gives us a rich mental yeast which we can use to interact with others, while still retaining our individual take on the texts and the world. This educational function of ER cannot be emphasised enough. The teacher explains the goals and procedures clearly, then monitors and guides the students. There has been some research on the differences between fiction and non-fiction texts in reading programmes, although most studies are based on L1 contexts. There are two kinds of teaching reading; Extensive and Intensive. There are no tests, no exercises, no questions and no dictionaries. Michael Hoey’s theory of ‘lexical priming’  (Hoey  1991, 2005) also gives powerful support to the effect of multiple exposure to language items in context. ... extensive reading. We know that vocabulary is not learned by a single exposure. Students have a wide variety of genres and topics to choose from. People who read before bed develop a sleep association, their body identifying reading with falling asleep, which … It is highly motivating for students to discover that they can read in English and that they enjoy it. Day, R. and J. Bamford, 2004, Extensive Reading Activities for Teaching Language, Cambridge University Press. Extensive reading is order to gain a general understanding of what is read. The teacher asks as a guide, monitor and role model. In simple terms Extensive Reading is reading as many easy books as possible for pleasure, and can be contrasted with intensive reading which is slow, careful reading of a short, difficult text. Day, Richard, R. (2002) ‘Top Ten Principles for teaching extensive reading.’   Reading in a Foreign Language. The benefits of Extensive Reading. It also explains the relatively new trend in graded readers toward original and more compelling subject matter. The texts are not just interesting: they are engaging/ compelling. A child's reading skills are important to their success in school as they will allow them to access the breadth of the curriculum and improve their communication and language skills. I was delighted to present “The Image in English Language Teaching” at UAB Idiomes Barcelona on Friday 27th October. It can be compared with intensive reading, which means reading in detail with specific learning aims and tasks. Elley, W.B  (1991)  ‘Acquiring literacy in a second language: the effect of book-based programmes.’   Language Learning. Individuals form associative networks among the books they read. According to British Council: Intensive reading involves learners reading in detail with specific learning aims and tasks. If you are reading a novel you will critique the author’s work. The only reliable way to learn a language is through massive and repeated exposure to it in context: precisely what ER provides. Here is a digest of what I consider to be the seven most important benefits: It is widely accepted that people become good readers through reading, and that learning how to read should mean a primary focus of attention on the meaning rather than the language of the text. If your local library does not have any graded readers, then urge your librarian to … The Advantages of the Transition from Intensive Reading to Extensive Reading ... extensive reading with a quantity of guess work could be applicable to the college students’ English study. In contrast to intensive reading, extensive reading tries to level out the above-mentioned weak points of intensive reading. Overall, students’ motivation is a key factor of a workable extensive reading program. Too much unknown language prevents students from reading quickly and fluently. Harold Palmer, an English linguist, was the first who applied the phrase Extensive Reading (qtd. : Chapter 10 Reading and Writing Relations. It is the student, not the teacher, who chooses what to read. There is ‘a spread of effect from reading competence to other language skills ~ writing, speaking and control over syntax.’ (Elley 1991) The same phenomenon is noted by Day and Bamford (1998: 32-39) but they even note evidence of improvements in the spoken language. So why don’t teachers use extensive reading more often? The course language will be English but the course is suitable for teachers of any languages. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. They can visualise and interpret what they read in their own way. For our own sanity we need to read outside the language teaching ghetto. There is a wide variety of text types and topics to choose from. 12 (2), Pigada, Maria and Norbert Schmitt  (2006) ‘Vocabulary acquisition for extensive reading.’  Reading in a Foreign Language. The classroom focuses inevitably on shorter texts, and extensive reading provides learners with the opportunity of reading longer texts, on more varied subjects, on their own, and in their own way. Successful Extensive Reading means that students read very easy and enjoyable books for pleasure to build their reading speed and reading fluency below their level of English. 4  (2,) 59-77. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Source(s): https://shrinkurl.im/a9lDX. Books and magazines your eye sight. E.g. I do know Krashen’s site and was going to add it to the list but there was only space for seven! Atwell, Nancie. 18 (1), Prowse, Philip. There is a well-established link between reading and writing. The Advantages of Sustained Silent Reading. Many, if not most, students have a rather limited experience and knowledge of the world they inhabit both cognitively and affectively. This relates back to the point at the beginning of the need to find ‘compelling’, not merely interesting, reading material. Reading is the most readily available form of comprehensible input, especially in places where there is hardly any contact with the target language. The familiarity of syntactic patterns acquired through extensive reading enables the learners to string together various words to produce their own creative original language which is in conformity to established patterns. What are the benefits of extensive reading? Extensive reading responds to this issue by providing a break from the old traditional teaching methods that have forced students for decades to choose between reading difficult and boring books, or otherwise failing the class. (1991) ‘Incidental EFL vocabulary learning and reading.’  Reading in a Foreign Language. ER allows for multiple encounters with words and phrases in context thus making possible the progressive accretion of meanings to them. This is probably because as students encounter more language, more frequently, through extensive reading, their language acquisition mechanism is primed to produce it in writing. Talking specifically of intensive reading - let's give some definitions for the starters. Hi Shaely, Students who read extensively also become more autonomous learners. Richards, Cameron (2000)   ‘Hypermedia, Internet communication and the challenge of re-defining literacy in the electronic age.’ Language Teaching and Technology. the objective are improve their overall comprehension skills and give them an active vocabulary. Reading provides a peaceful escape at any time of day from digital gadgets and the constant bombardment of information that comes from living in the digital age. Teachers often feel it is not an effective use of class time or are just uncomfortable with the extended silence. You can use context to figure out most of the words you don’t know in a text and, with extensive reading, you don’t exert yourself too much. The Benefits of Extensive Reading (ER) Richard R. Day There have been a number of experimental and quasi-experimental studies that have demonstrated the effectiveness of ER and to provide support for the use of ER in English as a second language (ESL) and EFL classroom settings. Furthermore, the books we read outside our narrow professional field can have an unpredictable effect on our practice within it. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Reading is, by its very nature, a private, individual activity. Acquisition of vocabulary from the Sweet Valley Kids series: Adult ESL acquisition. (1998)  Extensive Reading in the Second Language Classroom. However, if they read extensively they are much more likely to get multiple encounters with words and phrases in a variety of contexts. Advantages Of Extensive Reading. There is a wealth of research into the benefits of Extensive Reading for language learners. If you want to try extensive reading, you will need to get some graded readers from the library. 41. Experts in language and literacy development such as Harvard University Education Professor Catherine Snow believe that you need to encounter a word or phrase in different contexts between 15 and 20 times to have a high possibility of learning the word or phrase. Let me know in the comments below! Regular wide reading can add zest and pleasure to our own use of the language. If carefully chosen to suit learners’ level, it offers them repeated encounters with language items they have already met. Readers can start and stop at will, and read at the speed they are comfortable with. There is no cheaper or more effective way to develop learner autonomy. “The Image in English Language Teaching” is a groundbreaking book that encourages teachers to approach images as a significant component of communicating in a foreign language, and as a means of fostering students’ communicative competence and […], This July and September I will be giving teacher training courses on how to use film and video in the language classroom, aimed at in-service teachers. Great tips. (Hoey 2005). Extensive reading creates and sustains motivation to read more, The virtuous circle - success leading to success - ensures that, as we read successfully in the foreign language, so we are encouraged to read more. Extensive reading is a reading longer text, usually for pleasure. The Benefits of Extensive Reading book. London/New York: Continuum,  pp 221-233, Hafiz, F.M and Tudor, I. http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/October2002/day/day.html, Elley, W.B  (1991)  ‘Acquiring literacy in a second language: the effect of book-based programmes.’   Language Learning. It can be done anywhere, at any time of day. This article provides three differences… And most learners believe that practice makes perfect. Reading It can be compared with extensive reading, which involves learners reading texts for enjoyment and to develop general reading skills. Extensive reading imbibes in the readers a wide store of vocabulary. Maley, A ‘Extensive reading: why it is good for our students… and for us.’, https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/extensive-reading-why-it-good-our-students%E2%80%A6-us (accessed 23 September 2016), Prowse, P. ‘What is the secret of extensive reading?’, http://www.cambridge.org/elt/readers/prowse1.htm (accessed 23 September 2016). 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