DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ READING SKILLS

DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ READING SKILLS IV A NA TRA JA NO SKA , M A AIM • The a im o f this p re se nta tio n is to ra ise the a wa re ne ss o n the ne e d to c o nsta ntly d e ve lo p the re a d ing skills o f stud e nts. READING FOR CONTENT INFORMATION • It’ s imp o rta nt to sa y tha t whe n d isc ussing re a d ing skills, o ne sho uld a lwa ys ha ve in mind the la ng ua g e in whic h we wa nt to a na lyze o r d e ve lo p the re a d ing skills. • Ho we ve r, this p re se nta tio n c e nte rs o n the c o mmo n stra te g ie s fo r d e ve lo p ing re a d ing skills in e ithe r the mo the r to ng ue o f the stud e nt o r in a fo re ig n la ng ua g e (Eng lish). • Whe n c a n we imp le me nt the sa me stra te g ie s? The a nswe r is whe n re a d ing fo r c o nte nt info rma tio n i.e . the p rima ry a im is no t to le a rn the la ng ua g e b ut re a d ing fo r c o mp re he nsio n. WHY IS THE READING SKILL SO IMPORTANT? • Be fo re I g ive so me p ra c tic a l sug g e stio ns o n ho w to d e ve lo p the re a d ing skills o f o ur stud e nts, I wo uld like to e mp ha size the imp o rta nc e o f ha ving we ll d e ve lo p e d re a d ing skills a nd why the y sho uld b e c o nsta ntly d e ve lo p e d . LANGUAGE SKILLS READING SKILLS • Ac q uire d o nc e a nd fo r a ll? • Ne g le c te d ? • La st re c e ive d g uid e line s? • Inp ut • De ve lo p me nt o f the o the r skills • Ma ke d istinc tio n b e twe e n fa c t a nd o p inio n; imp o rta nt info rma tio n a nd the o p p o site ; • Le a rn to summa rize , a na lyze , c o nne c t; d e ve lo p p e rso na l o p inio n a nd id e a s. HOW CAN WE DEVELOP STUDENTS’ READING SKILLS? • The first ste p to wa rd s imp ro ve me nt o f the stud e nts’ re a d ing skills is b e ing a wa re tha t it is o ur jo b a s instruc to rs to he lp the m d e ve lo p the re a d ing skills, a nd to inc lud e it in o ur c o urse o utline a s a n objective a mo ng the o the rs. HOW CAN WE DEVELOP STUDENTS’ READING SKILLS? • The n, stud e nts sho uld a lso b e (ma d e ) aware of the need fo r we ll-d e ve lo p e d re a d ing skills. • Instruc to rs sho uld provide information on the nature of the reading skill and guidelines o n ho w it c a n b e imp ro ve d re g a rd le ss o f the c o urse the y te a c h. • Fina lly, re a d ing sho uld n’ t b e o nly a ssig ne d a s ho me wo rk. Fo rm time to time , reading activities should be done in class a s we ll. IN-CLASS READING ACTIVITIES • Inte ra c tive • Inte re sting • Stud e nt c e nte re d • He lp ful ( Pra c tic e , Instruc to r’ s g uid e line s, fe llo w stud e nts’ e xp e rie nc e a nd te c hnic s) • The re is a lo ng a nd ric h histo ry o f re se a rc h in the fie ld o f re a d ing c o mp re he nsio n. The stud y o f re a d ing c o mp re he nsio n is we ll-d e ve lo p e d a nd it’ s b a se d o n lo ng tra d itio n o f the o ry a nd re se a rc h. TIPS I will try to simp lify a nd o utline c e rta in tip s tha t stud e nts c a n b e re mind e d o f: • Eve ry re a d ing a c tivity must ha ve a clearly stated aim. Yo u sho uld kno w why yo u a re re a d ing , a nd wha t’ s the p urp o se . In o rd e r to und e rsta nd the a im o f the re a d ing mo re e a sily, the p urp o se o r the a im sho uld b e e mb o d ie d in a fo llo w up a c tivity p ro vid e d b y the instruc to r. • Stud e nts must b e a wa re o f the reading technics a nd kno w whic h o ne the y sho uld use in o rd e r to c o mp le te the ta sk d e p e nd ing o n the typ e o f te xt a nd the a im/ fo llo w-up a c tivity. READING TECHNICS /TYPES OF READING • Skimming is a re a d ing te c hniq ue tha t p ro vid e s und e rsta nd ing o f the who le te xt witho ut re a d ing it fro m wo rd to wo rd . It invo lve s d isc o ve ring the ma in id e a s o f a te xt b y re a d ing first a nd la st p a ra g ra p hs a nd to p ic se nte nc e s, a nd p a ying a tte ntio n to o the r d e ta ils o n the p a g e like title s, b o ld typ e o r ita lic s, p ho to g ra p h c a p tio ns, e tc . READING TECHNICS /TYPES OF READING • Scanning is a re a d ing te c hnic tha t o ne use s to find sp e c ific info rma tio n witho ut re a d ing the who le te xt. It invo lve s lo o king d o wn a nd a ro und a p a g e q uic kly a nd e ffic ie ntly se a rc hing fo r imp o rta nt wo rd s, fa c ts o r p hra se s to find sp e c ific info rma tio n. • Whe n sc a nning a te xt, o ne sho uld use p e rip he ra l visio n a nd sho uld n’ t fo c us o nly o n the lo g ic a l flo w o f the te xt. READING TECHNICS /TYPES OF READING • One sho uld o b se rve wha t he / she is re a d ing with a wid e -a ng le sc o p e , a s if he / she we re lo o king a t a n ima g e ra the r tha n a b lo c k o f te xt. One sho uld use the sa me wid e -e ye sp a n a s whe n d riving , lo o king a t a ll tha t surro und s us a nd he a d ing o ur wa y. READING TECHNICS /TYPES OF READING • Using the wid e -sp a n a p p ro a c h, the re a re se ve ra l me tho d s in whic h o ne c a n "re a d " a p a g e . • - Re a d p a ra g ra p hs d ia g o na lly, a nd p la c e e mp ha sis o n the ke y wo rd s. • - Re a d the p a g e in a "Z" • - Re a d in a "U", mo ving d o wn the p a g e , a nd b a c k up . • One c a n skim the te xt b y re a d ing the first se nte nc e o f e a c h p a ra g ra p h. • One c a n a lwa ys use the he lp o f the ind e x fing e r, b y mo ving it a t a slig htly fa ste r p a c e tha n the re a d ing sp e e d . READING TECHNICS /TYPES OF READING • Sc a nning o fte n c o me s b e fo re skimming . Fo r e xa mp le , sc a nning c a n b e use d to d e te rmine if a re so urc e ha s the info rma tio n yo u a re lo o king fo r. Onc e the re so urc e is sc a nne d , it c a n the n b e skimme d fo r mo re d e ta il. http :/ / le a rning .b lo g s.nytime s.c o m/ 2009/ 11/ 09/ s kimming -a nd -sc a nning -using -the -time s-to -d e ve lo p re a d ing -skills/ READING TECHNICS /TYPES OF READING • Light reading Re a d ing fo r le isure te nd s to b e 'lig ht': • Re a d a t a p a c e whic h fe e ls c o mfo rta b le . • Re a d with und e rsta nd ing • Skim the b o ring , irre le va nt p a ssa g e s. An a ve ra g e lig ht re a d ing sp e e d is 100-200 wo rd s p e r minute . This fo rm o f re a d ing d o e s no t g e ne ra lly re q uire d e ta ile d c o nc e ntra tio n. READING TECHNICS /TYPES OF READING • Word by word type reading This typ e o f re a d ing is time c o nsuming a nd d e ma nd s a hig h le ve l o f c o nc e ntra tio n. Pe o p le use this typ e o f re a d ing fo r unfa milia r c o nc e p ts, sc ie ntific fo rmula e e tc . READING TECHNICS /TYPES OF READING • Reading to study Its a im is to und e rsta nd the ma te ria l in d e p th. The me tho d invo lve s five simp le ste p s; Surve y, Que stio n, Re a d , Re c a ll a nd Re vie w. Survey: skim thro ug h to g a in a n o ve rvie w a nd no t ke y p o ints. Question: d e vise q ue stio ns yo u ho p e the te xt will a nswe r. Read: slo wly a nd c a re fully. Recall: fro m me mo ry, write d o wn the ma in p o ints ma d e b y the c ha p te r. - Review: re visit yo ur q ue stio ns - c o mp a re the se to yo ur re c a ll a nd e sta b lish ho w we ll the te xt ha s a nswe re d the m; fill in a ny g a p s b y furthe r re a d ing a nd no te -ta king . • Speed reading TIPS De p e nd ing o n the re a d ing te c hnic a nd a im, stud e nts c a n: • o Underline important, key sentences, and definitions. • o Highlight words or whole paragraphs • o Use special marks on the margin to indicate importance, relevance, or reference to other parts • o Take notes in a notebook • o Draw visual representations of the text like charts and graphs etc. TIPS FOR INSTRUCTORS FOR IN-CLASS READING • Up-front planning is c ruc ia l • Cho o se units o r c ha p te rs fro m the c o urse b o o k o r so me o the r re le va nt b o o ks, a rtic le s, ne wsp a p e r a rtic le s tha t yo u think a re e sse ntia l fo r the stud e nts to re a d fo r the c o urse yo u te a c h a t the b e g inning o f the se me ste r. • If yo u d o n’ t ha ve a n e le c tro nic ve rsio n o f the te xts, typ e the m o r a sk so me o f yo ur stud e nts to typ e the m fo r yo u (it a lso invo lve s re a d ing ). TIPS FOR INSTRUCTORS FOR IN-CLASS READING • Start with easier tasks/ follow-up activities tha t re q uire re c o g nitio n, ma tc hing , filling in, T/ F, multip le c ho ic e ra the r tha n ma king o utline s, d ra wing c ha rts a nd g ra p hs, a nswe ring q ue stio ns, summa rizing . • Stud e nts c a n wo rk individually, in pairs, or in groups o f thre e . Yo u c a n sta rt with g ro up wo rk, the n p a ir wo rk, a nd la st ind ivid ua l wo rk. IN-CLASS READING ACTIVITIES • Ea c h re a d ing a c tivity sho uld b e p re c e d e d b y a worm-up activity re le va nt to the typ e o f te xt a nd the follow-up activity o r the aim o f the re a d ing . • Yo u c a n intro d uc e the to p ic , a sk o p inio n, c he c k b a c kg ro und kno wle d g e o n the to p ic ; • yo u c a n a sk a q ue stio n c o nne c te d to the ma in id e a , e lic it p o ssib le a nswe rs fro m stud e nts; • the y c a n p re d ic t the c o nte nt o f the te xt (fro m the title , p ho to , ke y wo rd (s) p ro vid e d b y the instruc to r); • the re a d ing c a n a lso b e b a se d o n the p re vio us le c ture , a nd use d a s re visio n, so the stud e nts will b e fa milia r with the c o nte nt. • Provide clear instructions. Assign time for completion of the task. Monitor. At the end of the task, leave enough time for checking the answers, feedback, comments, questions. IN-CLASS READING ACTIVITIES • Putting paragraphs in order; Cut the te xt in me a ning ful p a ra g ra p hs (o ne A4 p a g e c ut into no mo re tha n five p a ra g ra p hs a nd no t le ss tha n 3). Distrib ute the sa me p a ra g ra p hs to a ll g ro up s o f stud e nts o r if the te xt is b ig g e r, yo u c a n g ive d iffe re nt p a rts o f the te xt to e a c h g ro up , a nd the n a sk the m to c o nne c t the who le te xt b e twe e n g ro up s. IN-CLASS READING ACTIVITIES • Missing sentences Ta ke o ut imp o rta nt se nte nc e s fro m a te xt. Ask the stud e nts to find the ir p la c e in the te xt ( 3-5 se nte nc e s p e r p a g e ). Distrib ute the te xt fro m whe re yo u’ ve a b stra c te d the se nte nc e s to stud e nts in o ne p a g e . The n p rint the se nte nc e s o n se p a ra te p ie c e s o f p a p e r. Whe n the time is up , p ro vid e the o rig ina l ve rsio n o f the te xt to the stud e nts fo r insig ht. IN-CLASS READING ACTIVITIES • Matching headlines to paragraphs • Filling –in a table http :/ / www.ue fa p .c o m/ re a d ing / e xe rc ise / sc a n/ mo ns t.htm • True/ False questions ( no t sta te d – a s third o p tio n) If yo u c a nno t find a lre a d y ma d e T/ F q ue stio ns re la te d to a te xt/ ma ke the m o n yo ur o wn ( no t le ss tha n 5 no t mo re tha n 8), o r it c a n b e d o ne a s a re a d ing e xe rc ise ( stud e nts ma ke the T/ F q ue stio ns, yo u c he c k a nd g ive the q ue stio ns to a no the r g ro up to a nswe r the m). IN-CLASS READING ACTIVITIES • Multiple choice questions ( 3-4 c ho ic e s, a ll o f the a b o ve , no ne o f the a b o ve a lso p o ssib le a s o p tio ns; no le ss tha n 5 no mo re tha n 10). • Visual representations of a text - Cha rts, g ra p hs, time line s, ta king o ut d e finitio ns, c o nc e p ts, imp o rta nt fig ure s fo rm a writte n te xt within a p ro vid e d mo d e l, o r stud e nts c a n ma ke the ir o wn o rg a niza tio n. USE THE SMART ART OR CHART TOOL BAR IN MICROSOFT WORD. USE THE SMART ART OR CHART TOOL BAR IN MICROSOFT WORD. IN-CLASS READING ACTIVITIES Write a one-sentence summary/ heading of a paragraph • Writing an outline of a text ( ma jo r c ha ra c te ristic o f a c o nc e p t, p he no me no n, p ro c e ss) • Summarize a text • Reading-comprehension questions - Answe r q ue stio ns b a se d o n a te xt ( the q ue stio ns c a n b e writte n o n a se p a ra te she e t o f p a p e r a nd d istrib ute d to the stud e nts; the y c a n b e b a se d so le ly o n the te xt, o r c o mb ining p re vio us kno wle d g e , c o nne c ting thro ug h the ma te ria l, d e ma nd ing c ritic a l thinking , discussion questions e tc .) Stud e nts c a n a lso g e ne ra te the ir o wn q ue stio ns within g ro up s a nd the n a nswe r the o the r g ro up ’ s q ue stio ns. • CONCLUSION • De ve lo p me nt o f stud e nts’ re a d ing skill sho uld b e o ne o f the c o urse o b je c tive s whic h will sho w the instruc to rs’ c o mmitme nt to c re a ting c o mp e te nt p ro fe ssio na ls a nd future sc ho la rs/ re se a rc he rs. • The first ste p to imp ro ve the stud e nts re a d ing skills is b y intro d uc ing it in the c la ssro o m. CONCLUSION • The intro d uc tio n o f the re a d ing a c tivitie s in the c la ssro o m he lp s the stud e nts d e ve lo p the ir re a d ing skills b y tra ining the m to b e c o me mo re p ro fic ie nt, b y ma king the m a wa re o f the ne e d to wo rk o n the ir skill, a nd b y ma king the m mo re c o nfid e nt in d e a ling with suc h a c tivitie s. Fina lly, it he lp s the m p a ss the e xa m mo re e a sily b y le a rning in c la ss. • It p re p a re s the m fo r ind ivid ua l, in-ho me re a d ing ne c e ssa ry fo r suc c e ssful e xa m p re p a ra tio n, writing Ma ste r o r PhD the sis, a nd o the r p e rso na l p urp o se s. Fina lly, it he lp s the m b e c o me ind e p e nd e nt le a rne rs, d e ve lo p the c ritic a l thinking , p ro b le m so lving , a na lytic a l skill a s we ll. La st b ut no t the le a st, it p ro vid e s a n e xc e lle nt le a rning b ut re la xe d , stud e nt c e nte re d a tmo sp he re . • http :/ / www.na tio na lg e o g ra p hic .c o m/ ng e xtre me e x p lo re r/ p d f/ e ffe c tive p ra c tic e s.p d f • http :/ / a b a b a so ft.c o m/ wo rd s/ sc a nning .html