Nile tesol2013 dr.omar

To Read or Not to ReadThat is the question

Omar Al Noursi

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Institute of Applied TechnologyUnited Arab Emirates

British Council Presenter scholarship

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1.Decline in reading2.Need for improving reading comprehension3.Sources of reading comprehension difficulties

4.Improving reading comprehension

Agenda

NILE TESOL 2013 The purpose of learning to read

Introduction

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the British Council’s 2010 report on IELTS .

Marsden (2002)

Marsden and Wallace (2001)

O’Sullivan (2004)

READING ABILITIES ARE IN DECLINE.

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Much of a student’s success is based on reading comprehension skills.

reading failure can last an entire lifetime and make higher education and higher earnings out of reach

literacy is also seen as essential for success in the workplace.

The need for improving reading comprehension

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reading also enhances learning English in multiple ways :

Absorb Vocabulary, grammar and sentence structures as they occur in authentic contexts

building solid information about different topics reading boosts analytical thinking insights into the lives and worldview of those

who speak the target language

The need for improving reading comprehension

NILE TESOL 2013 A. The Bottom-Up Approach

B- The top–down approach

C- The Interactive Approach

Approaches to dealing with a reading text

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Do These Approaches Really ‘Teach’ Reading?

Can you ‘teach’ reading in limited class time?

Don’t we sometimes teach how to ‘avoid’ actually reading?

Is there ever going to be one method that suits all our diverse learners?

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Motivation is critical for reading in a second/foreign language.

learners view reading in English as a school subject and academic task,

“Motivated students usually want to understand text content fully and therefore, process information deeply. As they read frequently with these cognitive purposes, motivated students gain in reading comprehension proficiency” John Guthrie

Sources of Comprehension Difficulties

a. Lack of motivation

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mismatch between the text selected and students’ language level.

Unfamiliar vocabulary, grammar and sentence structure hamper students’ understanding. (Fecteau, 1999).

The gap between the student general and cultural

knowledge and that found in the authentic text was reported to undermine the activation of global strategies t. (AL-Mahrooqi,2012)


b. Difficulty of the text:

NILE TESOL 2013 reading process is a highly personal activity and hence difficult to observe and monitor.

quite often the reader may not be in a position to explain the process

Rumelhart (1977) points out, reading involves the reader, the text and the interaction between the reader and the text.


c. Misunderstanding of the reading process

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Fcrr.org

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For comprehension to occur, the reader shouldodecode the words, oattach the meaning to words and sentences, oconnect text information to relevant background knowledge, omaintain a mental representation of what the reader has already read, oform hypotheses about upcoming information and omake decisions based on the reader’s purpose for reading – all at the same time.

Carlisle and Rice, 2002


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“ the L2 user does not switch off the L1 while processing the L2, but has it constantly available” (Cook,1992 p. 571).

Higher level readers transfer their L1 reading ability more successfully than lower level readers.


4. Weak first language basis

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Writing style and structure are also believed to pose a problem for students in trying to comprehend texts (Davis et al, 1992; Al-Mahrooqi, 2012).

Some passages of the IELTS tests, for example, are widely disliked due to an abundance of metaphorical language and imagery that students fail to interpret (Kamariah, 2009).


5.Writing style and text organization

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Teachers use the transmission model to deliver information. 90% of teachers see reading as a pronunciation exercise and teach only one strategy that enables students to obtain explicit information from a graded passage. (Mustafa,2002)


6.Teaching practices:

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Cont….Teaching practices:

Read and answer the question.

“ She gronked the floobe”

Question: what did she gronk?


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Word-by-word reading, pointingRegression: Needless or unconscious rereading,

habitual and signals lack of concentrationMoving lips while reading (Vocalization)Talking to oneself in as s/he reads silently (Sub-

vocalization)translate the whole textPhysical habits: Tapping foot, pencilWatching TV, eating, interruptions, etc.(Distractors)

These behaviors are believed to reduce reading speed, comprehension and recall.


7. Students While-Reading Behavior

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make sense of the information in a passage: Measure text readability ? Teacher intuition , handy toolsSimplified (bridged)textNativized text gradual introduction of authentic materials (Al Mahrooqi, 2012)

Improving Students’ Reading Abilities

1.Text Readability

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students’ interest great pleasure and fill students’ curiosity to

know more

Effectiveness of reading instructions depends not only on students’ linguistic and literacy skills but also on the level of interest, (Guthrie, et, al 2004)

2.Better Text selection


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Teacher preparation attractive teaching strategies conducive “reading” environment motivate students to read. Understand students' reading

behavior

3. Teaching Strategies


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Agree/ Disagree Why

A. Comprehension occurs naturally after a student learns to decode, thus comprehension just needs to be tested.

B. Comprehension will improve through isolated teaching of specific comprehension skills (e.g. sequence, cause and effect, main idea).

C. Students must be taught to flexibly use a repertoire of strategies for text comprehension.

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Developing Comprehension

Process-Oriented Product-Oriented

Testing Grading

Evaluating

Guided Practice

Independence

Modeling

Adapted by Dr. Lois Huffman from (Richardson & Morgan, 2000)

Testing Comprehension

vs


3. Teaching Strategies

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…a growing body of research has demonstrated that students can be taught the strategies that good readers use spontaneously and that when students are taught those strategies, both their recall and their comprehension of text improve.

(Pressley, 2002; Stahl, 2004)

NILE TESOL 2013 word knowledge is the key ingredient in successful reading (Cobb,1999)

vocabulary sufficiency in facilitating reader autonomous abilities. (Al Mahrooqi,2012)

4. Building a solid repertoire of words:


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Libraries are poorly equipped and rarely visited Role of school librarians

collaboration between the classroom teacher and the librarian

5. Using the Library


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Technology has undoubtedly changed what people read, how they read, and when they read.

Features of eBook Internet

6. Using technology


NILE TESOL 2013 Content-area teachers need to be engaged in a unified approach to literacy instruction in which they acquire proficiency in two to four high-impact strategies/practices that they then use consistently within their areas of instruction.” (Sharon Vaughn)

7.Involve content teachers in teaching Reading


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The desire to improve your students reading skills

The willingness to try new techniques in teaching reading

The motivation to practice reading

READING IS NOT MAGIC IT REQUIRES:

NILE TESOL 2013 “If you want children to read well, they

must read a lot. If you want children to read a lot, they

must read well.”

NILE TESOL 2013 Thank You

[email protected]

Education

Nile tesol2013 dr.omar