Humanising Language Teaching
Year 5; Issue 6; November 03

Extensive Reading in Language Learning

Gerry Sweeney, Teacher Development,
ESADE Language School, Barcelona (sweeney@esade.edu)

Having tried various approaches to extensive reading, often with little success, here is what I now tell my students. And, below, are the reasons why I say them.

1. Quantity before quality: what counts is how much you read, so read a lot
2. Choose something too easy rather than too difficult
3. Don't have a pen in your hand when you're reading
4. Don't use a dictionary
5. Read something you enjoy, if you can. But read in any case.
6. Read fast
7. If you don't understand, don't go back. Go on, and read faster.

1. Quantity before quality: what counts is how much you read, so read a lot

Why do we want students to read extensively? I suggest there are four reasons. First of all, to recycle what has already been learned. The more you read the more you recycle. Also to learn more: the more you read, the more language you pick up in passing. And to learn to read: you get better at reading by reading. Finally, as it is the easiest and least stressful of the skills, reading can be a motivating factor. For all four reasons, quantity should have priority over quality.

So I tell my students at the end of every class that the first item of homework is “Read!” I even tell my adult students that, if they have to choose between coming to class or reading, to stay at home and read. (Fortunately, so far I don't think anyone has taken me literally! And I wouldn't recommend giving this advice to younger students – they just might follow it!)

2. Choose something too easy rather than too difficult

It's better to err on the side of easiness. Why? Because to err in the other direction means reading less in a given time. (See above). And because trying and failing is usually more demotivating than trying and succeeding. People who succeed in a given arena will often go on to look for new challenges. Those who fail will often give up. The student who finds his book too easy will probably move on to something more interesting, which means more difficult.

3. Don't have a pen in your hand when you're reading

If you've got a pen in your hand you aren't reading but studying. Studying is very useful but it isn't reading - at least it isn't extensive reading. A pen will slow you down and mean you read less.

4. Don't use a dictionary

A dictionary will slow you down, too. My advice to students is to use a dictionary only when they've seen the same word five times and still don't know what it means. In most cases by the time they get to five, they'll already have a pretty good idea of the meaning and won't need the dictionary. If after seeing it five times they still don't understand, at least they'll have the consolation of knowing it's a frequent word and therefore useful and worth a visit to the dictionary. And if they don't get to five, they won't be wasting their time on an obscure word they may never see again. If they can't cope with a book (by which I mean “follow the story”) without a dictionary, they should change the book. I tell them to “save it till next year.”

5. Read something you enjoy, if you can. But read in any case.

You'll read more if you read something you enjoy. So I tell students to spend a little time trying various books before choosing one. And for this reason I never use a class reader: what for one person is a great read is deadly boring to at least one classmate. They should be free to change books if they don't like the one they're reading. There's nothing wrong with not finishing a book. The only sin is to stop reading altogether.

How do I check up on how much the students are reading? The answer is, I don't. But what I do do is devote a few minutes of every class to talking about reading. In pairs or small groups, I invite them to talk about what they are currently reading in English. This serves two purposes: first, it is a constant reminder to them of the importance of reading. Secondly, it is an occasion for them to compare notes and discuss books they find easy or difficult and ones they find interesting or boring.

6. Read fast

Other things being equal, reading fast means reading more. It also means there's less temptation to lapse into “studying”. And it means you are more likely to “caught up” in a story – and therefore read more. You need to be an expert in order to ride a bicycle slowly. If you aren't, you fall off. Something similar happens in reading.

7. If you don't understand, don't go back. Go on - and read faster.

Why? Because sometimes something you don't understand is clarified in the subsequent lines, or even pages. Going back slows you down – which means less reading. If reading faster doesn't work, change the book!

And what results does all this bring? Well, in the very worst cases I would say no worse that those I got in the past with an imposed set text, deadlines for reading specific chapters and tests on the book: nobody reads very much. But usually, with the approach I now use, most students read much more than they did previously. And in the best cases, at least some students read an enormous amount, learn a lot in the process and, perhaps the most significant outcome, develop a taste for reading which outlasts the course. One of the most striking compliments– at least I took it as a compliment! – I've ever had as a teacher came from an ex-student who told me he'd really enjoyed the course he'd done with me and the best thing about it was all the reading he'd done at home …