Gary Anderson, Cambridge’s senior International Teacher Trainer, shares some thoughts on extensive reading, prompted by recent tips to the US and Switzerland.
While I was on vacation (in American English; holidays in British English) in the United States this summer, I was reading a lot. I alternated between paperbacks in English and novels en français from Balzac’s La Comédie Humaine, which I’ve downloaded on my Kindle. That’s because even though my French is quite good, I know that extensive reading is an excellent way for me to keep improving in my second language. I trust that you also read for pleasure in your foreign language(s).
And then last month I attended the English Teachers Association of Switzerland (ETAS) Professional Development Day held amidst the Swiss mountains in Sargans near Zurich. There, I talked with Phillip Prowse, Series Editor for Cambridge English Readers, and was reminded of what he says about extensive reading: ‘What’s the best thing to do after reading a book? Read another book!’
That’s because studies have shown (as in Extensive Reading in the Second Language Classroom) that extensive ‘pleasure’ reading not only allows learners to improve in all four language skills, but also helps them to develop a positive attitude towards the target language, if they are reading the type, or ‘genre’, of book they like: for instance, romance, science fiction, horror, mystery thriller, or non-fiction…
Of course, in your teaching situation you might also want, or need, to ask your students to do some post-reading activities. Here are a few ideas that I would recommend:
- Design a poster or bookmark to advertise the book to the rest of the class.
- Share their views about their favourite characters or read favourite parts aloud to a small group of classmates.
- Write an alternative ending (maybe from a different point of view).
- Rewrite the back cover blurb.
- Write and put up a short ‘Why I like this book…’ summary as is often done by staff in UK/USA bookshops.
In any case, if you can, you might also try to set aside fifteen or twenty minutes of class time occasionally for silent reading in class. Have your students take out the book — whether print or ebook — that they are reading in English and, well, just read, perhaps with some background music playing (soft jazz works nicely). And, to set the example, don’t forget your own book in English!