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withnail

Joined: 13 Oct 2008 Location: Seoul, South Korea.
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Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 6:30 am Post subject: Kotesol ER Symposium on Saturday - Verdict... |
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This was great. Dr Rob Waring was at the peak of his evangelistic powers.
Great presenting too from Prof. Marc Helguson, Aaron Jolly, Scott Miles, Mike Misner, Dr Thomas Robb, Prof Jong Ryeol Kim and many others.
If you have problems with your students not doing anything English-related between one lesson and the next, the best thing to get them to do (as part of the grade) is read one easy graded reader after another, just for fun.
You can require them to just to fill in a short questionnaire simply asking for a personal response to give you at the beginning of each class to show you they did it. If they cheat, they cheat but...
The research results on the overall language benefits for students are unequivocal.
You'll also possibly be sparking off a long term habit which might lead to autonomous learning - the holy grail for every serious English teacher.
University Freshman teachers especially - your uni has a library and there will be a budget somewhere just begging for someone to tap into it.
You can order large quantities of graded readers at levels 1-3 to start off with and make it a requirement, say, 10% of the grade, to get through 10 books a semester. (in a typical 14/15 week semester). Before you do, read some articles by Dr. Rob Waring first to be aware of the potential problems.
The problems of setting up though are dwarfed by the enormous benefits.
The students choose the books they read, but they must be at a level where at least 95% of the words are known to them. Reading for pleasure. No tests.
You will find that if you can spark off in them an appetite for reading for fun, there are great gains to be had in reading speed and vocabulary recyclement and there will be knock-on benefits for the other skills too.
Possibly the biggest benefit might be in terms of affect.
A google search on "extensive reading" will bring you easily to the work of Dr. Rob Waring. From there, you won't look back... |
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withnail

Joined: 13 Oct 2008 Location: Seoul, South Korea.
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 6:28 am Post subject: |
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bumping. |
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zappadelta

Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 6:50 am Post subject: |
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Wish I knew it was going on, would have loved to have gone, as I know almost nothing about this 'hot' topic. |
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withnail

Joined: 13 Oct 2008 Location: Seoul, South Korea.
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 6:54 am Post subject: |
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Zappa - I video recorded most of it - when I get a chance to upload to Flickster - I'll give you the link, cool? |
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Chamchiman

Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Location: Digging the Grave
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 1:39 pm Post subject: Re: Kotesol ER Symposium on Saturday - Verdict... |
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withnail wrote: |
Zappa - I video recorded most of it - when I get a chance to upload to Flickster - I'll give you the link, cool? |
Would you send it to me as well?
I registered for the symposium but couldn't go. If I had gone though, I would have probably attended the workshops that were about implementing an ER program.
withnail wrote: |
You can require them to just to fill in a short questionnaire simply asking for a personal response to give you at the beginning of each class to show you they did it. If they cheat, they cheat but...
The research results on the overall language benefits for students are unequivocal.
You'll also possibly be sparking off a long term habit which might lead to autonomous learning - the holy grail for every serious English teacher.
University Freshman teachers especially - your uni has a library and there will be a budget somewhere just begging for someone to tap into it.
You can order large quantities of graded readers at levels 1-3 to start off with and make it a requirement, say, 10% of the grade, to get through 10 books a semester. (in a typical 14/15 week semester). Before you do, read some articles by Dr. Rob Waring first to be aware of the potential problems. |
Withnail, which workshops did you attend? Did you attend any that were specifically about program implementation? (There were a couple by Korean presenters - "How to Help University Students Become Lifelong Readers in the Korean EFL Context" and "Setting Up Extensive Reading a a Public High School: Getting Your Horse to Drink Water" - that I probably would have gone to.)
Also, Rob Waring's speech was entitled "Promoting Extensive Reading", but was he the one who you referred to above who had specific ideas (questionnaires, using the uni library, 10% of the grade) about how to include ER in a wider course of study? |
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zappadelta

Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 3:22 pm Post subject: |
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Sounds great withnail, thanks a lot |
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emanresu
Joined: 18 May 2008
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Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 9:57 pm Post subject: |
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withnail wrote: |
Zappa - I video recorded most of it - when I get a chance to upload to Flickster - I'll give you the link, cool? |
I am also interested in this. |
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Juregen
Joined: 30 May 2006
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Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 11:56 pm Post subject: |
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Already doing that. |
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