What Exactly is Extensive Reading?

Rob WaringKOTESOL

Oct 11, 2015

www.robwaring.org/presentations

Potted History of Extensive Reading

There’s always been graded reading, extensive readingBasal L2 reading started in started with the vocabulary movement in the 1920’s 　– Ogden, West, Hornby, PalmerWest’s Supplemental Readers, New Method Readers (1932) and New Method Dictionary (1935) really kick-started graded reading4 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

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 controlThis led to the modern Graded Reader and the ER Foundation Milne Award

ER/EL in two spheres

• The pedagogy of ER/ELspeed materials levelsassessmentdesign of libraries book record systemspre- while- post- activities volume read (listened to)

material selection choice silent vs aloudread only, listen only, read-while-listen motivationrole of teacher etc. etc.

• ER/EL research– Academic papers– ?? Reports of programs – sharing action research– ?? Program comparisons

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-selected300,000 words per semesterNo assessmentVariety of materialsNo/little follow upSelf-governedFluency reading only

Teacher advisedA few books a semesterMreader quizzesNarrow ERFollow-up activitiesCareful monitoringSome phonics, shadowing, reading aloud

Defining ER

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

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?

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

Day and Bamford's 10 principles of ER “necessary for success” (1998, 2002)

1. The reading material is easy2. A variety of reading material on a wide range of topics3. Learners choose what they want to read4. Learners read as much as possible5. The purpose of reading is usually related to pleasure,

information and general understanding6. Reading is its own reward7. Reading speed is usually faster rather than slower8. Reading is individual and silent9. Teachers orient and guide their students10. The teacher is a role model of a reader

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 communitySome incorrectly believe these principles are like commandments

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).

Day and Bamford's 10 principles of ER “necessary for success” (1998, 2002)

1. The reading material is easy2. A variety of reading material on a wide range of topics3. Learners choose what they want to read4. Learners read as much as possible5. The purpose of reading is usually related to pleasure,

information and general understanding6. Reading is its own reward7. Reading speed is usually faster rather than slower8. Reading is individual and silent9. Teachers orient and guide their students10. The teacher is a role model of a reader

Principles 1, 2, 4 The reading material is easy A variety of reading material on a wide range of topicsLearners read as much as possible

• Largely uncontestable• Includes materials other than books• But some programs are limited in what they can achieve,

budgets, resources

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

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?

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

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.

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

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)?

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

What about …..?

Assessment and evaluationBuddy / collaborative readingReading while listeningFollow-up exercisesReading speed focusLimited timeLimited resourcesLowly motivated learnersNecessity to read things you

don't want to

The teacher doesn't read muchAsian values and normsTeacher selected materialsDesire to read something

difficultDesire to have one's

performance monitoredDesire to share their readingExtensive listeningReading Circles?

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.• Etc.

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 flavoursNo two ER programs are the sameNeeds, students, teachers, libraries, levels, goals etc. all vary

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??????

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

AssessmentStudent selects

No assessmentOthers select

What are common features of ER?

A central aspect of any ER program

Students shouldRead something quickly and

Enjoyably with

Adequate comprehension so they

Don’t need a dictionary

…. or be aiming at achieving this….

Aspects of a definition of ER

The definition should considera) 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.

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.

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

Core cognitive and variable pedagogical aspects of ER/EL

CognitiveER 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.

'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 studentsMotivating disinterested students can be close to impossibleMassive choice can overwhelmClass reading is a valid form of ERER is more than just graded readers

ER Program types

Purist ER programLots of self-selected reading at home with no / little assessment or

follow up. Often is a stand-alone class.

Integrated ER programLots of self-selected reading at home and in class. Follow up

exercises / reports which aim to build the 4 skills.

Class reading - studyStudents 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

ER program types - summary

Many different types of ER programDifferent aimsDifferent levels of involvement for teachers / studentsSome programs may adopt two or more types at the same timeSome programs can start more easily than othersEach type is scalable – from a single class to a whole schoolNo 'best' type for all situations

ER types Classical (Top ten) ER

Integrated ER – part of a 4 skills course

Class Reading

ER as literature Easy ER – to build fluency

Style Individual Individual Lock-step Lock-step Individual

Amount Lots Lots Little Little Lots

Speed Fast Fast Slow Slow Fast

Control Student Student Teacher Teacher Student

Language focus

No No Yes No No

Assessment Little Little Lots Lots Viable

Materials Library Library Class sets Class sets Library

Skill work Reading 3-4 skills 3-4 skills / language

1-3 skills Reading

Class time needed

Little Little Lots Lots Little

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.

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)

Labeling what we do

Just saying ‘my ER program’ isn’t helpful

Category Type

Level Beginner, Elementary, Intermediate etc

Stage Pre ER, fluency based ER

Volume High vs. medium vs. low volume

Assessment Assessed, not-assessed

Type Integrated, purist, class reading …

Age Kids, teens, adult

Speed Averaging 80wpm, averaging 120wpm

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?

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

Thank you for your time

www.robwaring.org/presentationswww.er-central.com/teachers/

waring.rob@gmail.com