I know i need to spend some time searching the forums for topic redundancy, but I need a quick answer.
First, my situation: 30 + kids in class, broken into groups of 4/5. Each group member reads for 5 minutes, and the other students rate what they hear, focusing on one aspect of the reading student's reading - accuracy, pronunciation, speed, and expression. It may seem silly, but it gives the listeners something to do and works their listening skills (an actual skill). In the meantime, I rush around to make sure I can listen myself to every student in the class, noting their weaknesses. It is a demanding lesson plan, but this is the best way I have figured to get the most out of this "reading class".
Second, the kids: English level high, comprehension and improvement of English low. I feel the focus on reading aloud takes up too much time and is not a valuable skill, especially at the expense of building vocabulary and the usage of, comprehension, and grammatical structure appropriate to match the level they are reading.
I'm hoping this makes sense.
So my questions are as follows:
1. Do you read aloud in class?
2. Do you think this is a useful skill to practice?
3. What is the best way to get the most out of this "skill"?
Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration.
Comments
kevin henchman
Bellesella,
I'm not sure how often I read aloud in the real world. Telling kids a bed time story? It's hard for a native speaker to do naturally. It gives my Japanese students confidence but wouldn't there be more value in setting real conversation tasks ? As a listening skill -yes , and you can demonstrate how stressed words carry the essential meaning of an utterance (see Alan Maley)
Kevin
giganick
Kevin, Bellesella,
I also wonder about the pros of reading aloud. In terms of learning to enunciate and pronounce properly, then with appropriate feedback and strong encouragement, then I believe it is very appropriate. Like Kevin, I use it a lot with my Japanese students. It gives them confidence. And as Bellesella says, it is exhausting monitoring all the students (in my case, classes of 40).
I think it depends heavily upon what you are having your students read.
I occasionally use books as follows. I choose a short book ("readers") of about 4000 words, split the book in half, and split each half again into about ten parts. In the lesson, I split the class into the same number of groups (about ten) and give each group a section to both translate and read aloud. Everyone must read. The groups divide their sections as they consider appropriate, among the members. Each group is approximately working on 200 words. They can use dictionaries, they can ask each other and, providing they ask in English, they can ask me. For motivation (and copyright reasons), I also give every student a copy of the whole book we willl use. Setting up, translating and practicing take one lesson. Performing and translating for the class takes one or two. In total, doing both halves will take about five or six fifty minute lessons with classes of this size. The class I do this with, I teach four times a week, so I would do this on maybe two lessons a week, and something else in the others. It's not a plan that can be used too often, but occasionally and it has the following educational benefits:
1. Students learn the language in the book and retain it well because they did it meaningfully and autonomously.
2.Students experience challenging grammar, which they learn in a meaningful way to interpret.
3.Students practice enunciating clearly and using appropriate stress.
4. Student motivation is given a huge boost. Together, they have completely translated a book from English to Japanese! They have effectively read a book in English!
The disadvantages are that as with any autonomous activity, some students will take the laziest option, and that the language learnt is not fixed to a structure that easily fits into a syllabus.
I have been experimenting with Reading tasks as suggested by Dave Willis, an earlier guest writer, too. I recommend reading his articles and trying his ideas.
With most reading aloud tasks, I am having students read a conversation script. This has the advantage that you direct students to learn useful situational language (and anything else on the syllabus). My Japanese students are very comfortable memorising a short script and performing it in pairs before me. I am unsure of the benefits of this. I hope that the phrases will come back to them when necessary. I know all my German was learnt this way and a lot of my French. But be prepared for very noisy lessons as students practice, perform and - needless to say - take advantage of the mayhem to chat about the weather.
Hope these comments help,
Best of luck,
Nick
high school teacher, Japan
PS I have just delivered a 40 minute speech in Japanese. I read it all from my notes. I believe the writing of it, the practice and the delivery of it have improved my Japanese. In conversation, I use communication strategies all the time to cover my weaknesses. My communication strategies have become awesome. But my Japanese is barely improving at all.
lxguy
I'm sure reading aloud is a useful skill.When I was a student,I was asked to read aloud in the morning.When I read some books in my spare time,I can't help reading some good passages aloud.And now I am a teacher of English in a middle school.I often suggest my students spend some time reading aloud.In my classroom,I also spare some minutes for the students to read aloud.
varalaxmik
varalaxmik
I also agree you sir. I'm sure reading aloud is a useful skill.when i was a student, i was asked to read aloud in the early morning. I think this is most useful. i often suggest my children reading aloud, you don't forget your lessons.
ol4ik
sush
When I ask my students to read aloud in the class one is very slow, not loud enough or hesitates and soon the class loses its interest. Your idea is great. Collobrative learning helps the learner shed all inhibitions.
Sush
KATEPINA
I work at a language school and i have around ten students in each class.
I get students to read aloud when i believe this will make them pay more attention to the text but only a paragraph or so never a whole text. i mean when it comes to reading as compehension-it must be done silently. I also read aloud to them sometimes so that we go through a text faster or so that i can explain vocabulary for example faster. Are there other teachers who do this?
With small children i like to practise reading aloud, as i believe it helps them to pronounce words better,understand written sentences-texts and even assist their speaking skills through dialogue role-play.
i believe reading aloud is a skill we must teach because we encounter it in real life situations for example when we read instructions or pieces of written text to someone. I once had a student preparing for the f.c.e. and she had never read aloud before. Suprisingly, she had difficulty reading out. Lastly, if we don't show students how to read aloud how are they to do it?
admin
Hi all
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