Tomorrow at 11am CET I will be presenting a webinar at the Macmillan Online Conference. Two years ago I presented a webinar on extensive reading and we discussed ways of encouraging students to read for pleasure beyond the classroom. This year we’re going to be looking at the opposite end of the reading spectrum, though, of course, the two are linked.
In this year’s webinar I want to look at how we use reading texts in a face-to-face classroom. I will not be discussing reading skills. The focus of the webinar will be on making the most of texts (and this could just as easily refer to scripts from audio or video ) as examples of language at work and as a springboard, an excuse almost, for close-up work on structures, patterns and lexis, maximizing the exposure to language that the text offers and encouraging and enhancing language awareness and noticing. The pay-off being, hopefully, that the students will carry this awareness and ability to learn as they read beyond the classroom.
The basic premise of the webinar stems from the criticism often levelled against coursebooks that reading texts are not adequately exploited on the page. I think this can often be true, but possibly also inevitable. There is very little space on a printed page to add much in the way of exploitation once a reading text is in place (though digital platforms could potentially offer much more – but that is another post!). And often, in the editorial process, the exercises that focus on the language of the text, and the way the language is used, are the first ones to go. But I would also argue (and I will try and demonstrate) that these aspects of the text can be exploited by the students and teachers in the class without the support of coursebook (or other previously written) material using a variety of “blueprint” activities that can adapt to each new text and each new teaching context.
Here is the handout for the webinar Making the most of reading texts HOs 2013 bcn (with an image pasted in below). It’s a simple list of possible activities. I’m hoping to cover them all, in detail or in passing, tomorrow morning. Once the webinar has aired, I will come back and add a link to the recording.
Annoyingly, I will be attending an INSETT workshop at the same time as this on! But I will try and catch the recording at a later point. 🙂
Hi Lizzie! I’ve had classes both Monday and Wednesday at the same time as the other sessions! Frustrating but kinda inevitable with teaching timetables 🙂
Looking forward to it, Ceri!
Hi Ty!
You just put a big smile on my face 🙂
Looking forward to it too!
Good luck with the webinar, Ceri! Timetable clash here so will look forward to watching the recording.
Thank you 🙂
Dear Ceri, fingers crossed! Will be teaching right at that moment, but will try to see the recording.
Thank you 🙂
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Thanks for ideas. Nowadays it’s getting more popular to focuc on meaning/contenct but not form. I’ll share these teachniques with my ‘traditional’ teachers. They should find and use some creative ideas on focusing on form doing pre- and after reading tasks!
Thanks Tatyana!
Dear Ceri,
I would like to watch you webinar at the Macmillan Online Conference but it’s impossible. When you click on ‘watch the session again’, Scott Thornbury’s: ‘The SLA Hall of Fame’ is available only 😦 I like and respect Scott very much but I’d love to see your talk as well.
Have you hear about it ?
Regards
Hi Hanna,
Thanks for calling by. Apparently it’s on the same recording at Scott’s, or at least a friend watched both on the same recording. I’ll look into it and get back to you.
Hi again Hanna,
The sessions have been recorded in time blocks ie all the morning sessions in one block, so you need to fast forward to the session you want to see (though it’s well worth the time to watch Scott’s session first!)
Let me know if you’ve got any questions!