ELT World Discussion

[golightly]

I have nothing against reading out loud as such, as long as it's not used that often - it shouldn't be an everyday occurence. It certainly shouldn't go on too long either - getting students to read out a few sentences each should be enough, especially if it's a text that contains previously taught vocab. If a student hasn't bothered to learn new words, it becomes rapidly obvious.
Getting students to read out loud should only ever be one of the tools that teachers can use to check learning.
And what about the teacher reading out texts? I've used Dictogloss to great effect. It's fascinating to see how students write down exactly what they've heard, and begin to understand why certain mistakes creep into their language production, especially when they can compare it against someone who doesn't have the same L1.
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lak witch mak televizyon

[otterman ollie]

In my experience the whole reading aloud idea came about as a result of the S.S.R method (sustained silent reading) which really didn't work very well.
The readers were incapable or unwillinging to deal with a text without going through the challenging vocab first. This usually sparked off class management problems before even the subject of the text had even been discussed. The actual concept of reading for the main idea or comprehension never really got off the ground until these areas were addressed.
I do find that boredom creeps in with reading aloud, especially if you have one student read for too long, however, the subject matter usually leaves a lot to be desired and topics that the readers can relate to are at least going to foster some interest.
I personally believe that the comment that students tend to be focused in this situation as they may be asked to read next has some merit. In order to know if a student can infact read a text or have even a small understanding of what it is about, reading aloud generally gives you a quick picture of their overall language ability. I also use it to clear up vocab problems or ask quick comp question paragraph by paragraph. It does take longer I agree, but at the end of a reading session a greater percentage of the class has grasped most of what has been covered. silent reading only tells you they (the readers) can read quietly thats all.
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There has got to be a better way to make a buck, said the high executioner !

[tarte tatin]

I think this is one of the areas where experienced teachers use their intuition. I agree with the poster who said they would never do this with a class of Japanese students for example!

Instead of following hard and fast rules, the teacher needs to take into consideration the character and ability of their class and also the type of text.

I would never do it with an IELTS text as the whole point of IELTS reading is speed and scanning and skimming. On the other hand, I might do it with a poem because the poet has written it with the sound of the words in mind.

I have a one-to-one student who always wants to read the texts aloud (usually she has pre-read the text at home) and she does very well in the comprehension questions.

The type of course is also important. In the UK where students spent between 20 and 30 hours a week at school, there was time to read texts aloud if I felt it was merited. Here in Turkey, most students have 4 hours a week and would rather use the time to talk or listen, so longer texts are better for homework.

[Sherri]

[naturegirl321]

I think it's a good idea. They learn about intonation, pronuncation and can pick up vocab and grammar.

I teach privates , so for the little kids, we're doing Hooked on Phonics. For adults, they enjoy reading and insiste I correct every mistake.
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[tarte tatin]

[sadly-confused]

[Henry_Cowell]

[tarte tatin]

I said 'further training in this area'. In fact I frequently attend workshops and am very interested in developing as a teacher. I have been to all the reading workshops that I want to.

What I resent is when a poster suggests I need further training when my ideas are not in line with her own (particularly when punctuated with exclamation marks). Ideas which she has sought by posting a thread.

I have made no claim to be a perfect teacher and am certainly not basking in my own greatness. I am a competent teacher who makes mistakes like everyone else.

I am very lucky to have fantastic colleagues who all share ideas supportively without coming over all superior and condescending. In future I shall limit my methodology discussions to my own staffroom.

[che1959]

Sherri, it seems to me like you want to argue with your child's teacher and you are looking for support on this forum. You want us to say that you are right and your child's teacher is wrong.

Frankly, I think reading aloud, either in the TEFL, TESL or L1 context, is a positive activity. It builds confidence, fluency, grammar, and pronunciation. I have used it with quite a bit of success in my previous classes.

The problem with silent reading is that you are simply reading for ideas, but when you are reading aloud you are fully interacting with the words. You are saying them, hearing them, and using them. Isn't that a much better way to do things?
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[golightly]

I should also point out that silent reading is a relatively modern phenomenon. It's only with the rise of the novel, towards the end of the seventeenth century, that silent reading becomes seen as more desirable, and more socially acceptable. prior to that, texts were meant to be read out loud, in Europe at least.
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lak witch mak televizyon

[sadly-confused]

Ah henry, contributing the square root of bugger all to the debate again I see!


Tarte. ok point taken there although I feel you are wrong about not attending reading workshops, or at least keeping up to date on the latest research.


Che1859, Fcuks me, maybe there is a god afterall, I find that I am actually agreeing with something you said, although as we both know using 'sucess' in conjuction with your 'previous classes' vis-a-vis NST is somewhat an oxymoron.

BTW I loved the story about you hiding in the post office from all those nasty muslims! did you have to change your panties after that episode?
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seems nemesis is an apt name for someone who kills his own forums!