What is reading

What is reading?Reading is actually a very complex process that requires a great deal of active participation on the part of the reader. It is an active thinking process involving the interaction between the reader and the print. That is to say, the reade r‟s schema (former or previous knowledge) about the topic to be read and his language knowledge (vocabulary and grammar) directly affect his understanding of the reading material and in turn, the new information about the topic contained in the reading mat erial will enlarge the reader‟s former schema.Reading is a very important means of gaining knowledge about culture, custom, science education and technology from others or other countries. It is a good way of learning the most advanced hi-technology to serve the needs of the social development and the interests of our people through reading. Reading is an inseparable component of the English learning. We should lay solid foundations for our advanced education, and we can master the language by reading largely. However, it is a very complex activity involves almost all psychological processes including sensation, perception, motor behavior, motivation, attention, emotion, cognition and all kinds of memory. Reading is an active process; the reader can talk with the characters, acting the role, seeing through the thought of whiter.A good reading teacherA good reading teacher can use certain motivational strategies that encourage independent learning and help weak learners. Through these strategies, learners have a better chance of developing strong reading skills. It is essential for a good reading teacher to know that the learner starts reading before he or she even begins school, and the activity continues throughout their school career. Hence, it is advisable for us to give our students the right reading instructions from the very beginning.There are certain techniques and methods applied by us to improve the reading skill of the students. It is essential that the teacher understand and relate to the reading instructions that were previously introduced and practiced on the student. Experienced teachers must know the different ways to teach effective reading and must be able to use a variety of materials and texts to ensure the success of the exercise. Good reading teachers constantly attempt to introduce different reading strategies in order to improve the reading skills of children. Some reading instructions need to be given to children according to their reading abilities. Moreover, it is essential that reading teachers give personal attention to each of their students. The most important quality of a good reading teacher is that he or she must always regard themselves as life-long learners, so that they will be able to teach their students in the best way possible. Reading provides detailed information on Reading, Home Reading, Reading Glasses, Reading Comprehension and more.Efficient readingActually, efficient reading is about reading in a way that allows us to understand the writer's message without spending too much time in the process. That means two things, understanding texts ands reading fast. Someone think understanding is more important, or someone thinks reading fast is more important. I tend to be both. The first step for efficient reading is to know what you want. So the first thing for the student to do is to decide what he wants to get out of his reading. Hence as a reading teacher, the first thing for the student to do is to decide exactly what he wants to get out of his reading.This is the second step for our efficient reading. So once we have fixed on the objective, we must next decide what sources to consult. Whatever we need to read, it is useful to have a quick look at it all first to get an idea of the layout of the text and what is included. It can always shorten the time are able to choose material and also make our selection more reliable. For this reason, we can skim through the text to see what is included and how it is organized. Like this: Titles and headings (plus maybe a sub-title), The blurb, Biographical information about the writer, The summary, running titles, table of contents, list of figures, Preliminary material, foreword, preface, introduction, Index and Bibliography.The second step is improving our reading speed. There may have some important factors which can influence reading speed and comprehension, for example, choosing the right material, using the text effectively, making use of all the resources in the text, and exercising reading speed.In conclusion, in my opinion, I think efficient reading means using the least effort to obtain satisfactory results, and understanding texts as fast as possible.Extensive reading approachThe second part of this class is discussing the dimensions of extensive reading. In this part, Dr. Rajeev analyzed its in three aspects. In the first instance, he analyzed in detail that what is an …extensive reading approach‟. Through his analysis and explanations, I have known an …extensive reading approach‟ involves students reading long texts or large quantities for general understanding, with the intention of enjoying the texts. That is to say, students are allowed to choose the books they read depending on their interests, and there is not always a follow-up discussion or work in class. In this way students are encouraged to read for pleasure and should become better readers. Moreover, the principal objective of undertaking an extensive reading approach is to get students reading in English and liking it. In the next place, Dr. Rajeev led us to discuss the characteristics of an extensive reading approach. According to the discussion, we summed up an extensive approach is usually gave student more freedom to choose reading materials that interest them and more responsibility in finding materials their own selection. In other words, the text is always to read for comprehension of main ideas, not every detail and word, and dictionaries are rarely used while reading. In the end, Dr. Rajeev from two points of view to construed effects that influence the extensive reading—reading attitudes and motivation.My philosophy of teaching readingMy philosophy of teaching has been influenced greatly from my undergraduate education in a liberal arts environment, where the emphasis was placed on learning how to think rather than learning what to think. Consequently, as a teacher I hope I can inspire my students, awaken their desire to understand, and motivate them to share their knowledge with others. One of my main objectives as a L2/FL reading teacher is to instill in students the importance of reading as an end in itself, which is, reading as a pleasurable activity from which the reader acquires personal and social benefits. More importantly, however, I would like to teach students how to be active readers. Whether they enjoyed the book, or whether they despised it, students need to learn to question, to be involved in the text, to develop new ways of understanding.Many foreign language students, certainly those in China, can already read in their first language, and may even have the habit of regular reading. The main barrier to foreign language reading for such students is exactly that: the foreign language. The students are in a Catch-22situation. They cannot understand enough of the foreign language to make sense of most written material, and yet they must read the foreign language in order to develop reading fluency. Faced this language barrier, how can we find a solution for this problem, and how can we improve their abilities to read in the L2 could increase with the amount of pleasure reading willingly undertaken? Literature on teaching reading has pointed out the importance of extensive reading for improving reading skills and expanding vocabulary. In addition, the principal theoretical motivation behind the use of extensive reading in second language learning comes from the idea that learners need large amounts of comprehensible input in their new language in order to make progress toward overall command of that language (Krashen, 1982). As a reading teacher, I will adopt an extensive reading approach in my future reading course. Furthermore students can develop their language knowledge through extensive reading is attractive for several reasons. First, reading is essentially an individual activity and therefore learners of different proficiency levels could be learning at their own level without being locked into an inflexible class program. Second, it allows students to follow their interests in choosing what to read and thus increase their motivation for learning. Third, it provides the opportunity for learning to occur outside the classroom. I believe the extensive reading approach can be operated in every country and at all levels.In my view, a teacher should not be limited to the schoolbook, the textbook, given to them; but they should feel free to incorporate a variety of types of texts. I view the course material as a vehicle to develop these skills, which are transferable to all interests and future career plans. If the materials available are interesting to the students, then they will be far more likely to want to read them. These books should also be at a level appropriate to their reading ability. Therefore, I think an effectual L2/FL reading course depends largely on making right choices about reading materials and ensuring that these materials are available. At the beginning of the semester, in my classroom, according to the theory from Graded Reading Programs, I will designate several reading groups to the library to find and select some interesting reading materials, which are based on students reading proficiency. Meanwhile, I must ascertain that students find pleasure in reading; they need to read materials that appeal to their various interests, materials that they can identify with and establish a bond with, materials that they can read comfortably without having to struggle with the overt meaning. For reading materials, I will use a wide range of materials which include magazines, newspapers, short stories, popular fiction etc. Students are encouraged to begin with shorter, more easily comprehensible texts such as short stories, magazine and newspaper articles, and to progress to longer texts such as popular fiction and inspirational writings through my instruction.As a teacher, I must also make the classroom an interactive experience. I believe reading can be invigorating and yet challenging undertakings. Although watching a teacher lecture is not always exciting, I still hope I will be able to show my students that reading were important tools that can also be fun. Just as an audience member can view a performance as either boring or entertaining, students can view their lessons and assignments the same way. If the performer or the teacher can demonstrate that it can be entertaining, then the student will be able to walk away enabled to recreate what they experienced for others.How to induced students‟ motivation is another important aspect. In my classroom, I will structure my lessons always around the extensive reading. I will choose one period each week for students to read independently. Maybe Mondays and Fridays are good days for this, because beginning and ending the week with pleasure reading enhance the development of positive attitudes. Everyday my students will bring their books and reading materials to class and begin reading as soon as the class begins. Meanwhile, an area in the classroom will be set aside for storage of reading materials so that students who forget their materials or need new ones can get them without any hassle. When my class will being given, the interaction will be always carried out in a relaxed, non-threatening, non-judgmental atmosphere and students will voluntarily contribute to the interaction. For the most part, in my class, interaction consists of sharing and talking about texts read during the sustained reading phase. As students read texts that they can comprehend and enjoy, they will draw psychological and intellectual meaning from their reading. Hence, they will gain an opportunity to express what excites or impresses them, to question what they have read, and to think individually and as a corporate body about their reading.This opportunity allows them to share their reaction and responses with their partners, their group, or with the class.In the interaction phase of individual reading, according to the theory from Graded Reading Programs, I will arrange a range of activities, such as the “Retelling Procedure”, in which students retell stories, ideas, or discoveries, taps into the storyteller that naturally exists in people. It also allows readers to summarize their reading, rephrase text, and identify closely with it. Because retelling of exciting or moving episodes and events primary to the retelling process. Furthermore, by retelling contents that matters, the retelling stimulates the listener to become interested in the same text, thereby setting in motion a dynamic process of extending the circle of interested readers. During a part of the class, often known as “bell-wo rk”, every day my students will spend the first few minutes in class reading a piece of text. This will be a great time for students to see how much reading can affect their lives. At the same time, either students will keep a journal about my reading lessons, where they will answer a prompt I supply, or they will write whatever is on their minds. Writing in a journal enables people to organize their thoughts, and over time, they can see how they develop as people and as writers. One of the gifts I wish to give to students is the ability to own their work. I would like students to walk away from my classroom with the proud knowledge that “I enjoyed this book. Maybe this is my first time to know the fun of English reading”Through these methods and others, by the end of the semester, I would like my students to be familiar with several different kinds of reading; “They can understand that extensive reading inEnglish can give information, pleasure -- the gamut of reactions that it brings in the learners‟ n ative language” (See Marc Helgesen &Miyagi Gakuin, Sendai‟s article). Students will place their work in a portfolio so that their parents, as well as the student, can see their progress throughout the year. In the end, I simply wish that my students would learn to read critically, to open their minds to different genres and texts. With such a large field of study, I hope that I will be able to narrow it down for students to grasp and understand. To sum up, whether or not many students who will doubt, struggle, and rebel against my philosophy of teaching reading. I just hope for my theory and philosophy of teaching reading could help my students who have yet to develop positive attitudes to reading, a classroom-based programme that addresses their special needs is an important first step towards overcoming resistance to reading, with the hope that these students will eventually become independent readers.Reading course descriptionCourse Objectivesi. Reading abilities about understanding syntax will be improved.ii. Learn how to apply effective methods for developing second-language reading skills. Appendix A Course Overview (8 weeks)PART AThe Extensive Reading CourseLesson 1 WeedingStimulating students‟ interest in the textEncouraging students to discussTeaching a reading skill: scanningWriting a paragraphTips on scanning a textTopics for Further Intensive ReadingLesson 2 Card makers capitalize on 'anti-V Day'Stimulating students‟ interest in the textEncouraging students to discussReading for gist:Examine in detail different parts of news.Topics for Further Intensive ReadingLesson 3 HairStimulating students‟ interest in the textEncouraging students to discussReading for gistUnderstanding the text organizationTips on getting the general gist of the textTopics for Further Intensive ReadingLesson 4 Apple Launches New I Tunes Phone and I pod Stimulating students‟ interest in the textEncouraging students to discussReading for gistTopics for Further Intensive ReadingUnderstanding the text organizationLesson 5 BambooStimulating students‟ interest in the textEncouraging students to discussRecognizing the main pointSummarizing the whole storyTips on mastery of reading skillsTopics for Further Intensive ReadingLesson 6 Mobile PhonesStimulating students‟ interest in the textEncouraging students to discussTeaching a reading skillUnderstanding the sentence structureLesson 7 SniffStimulating students‟ interest in the textEncouraging students to discussUnderstanding the sentence structureTips on grammar exerciseTopics for Further Intensive ReadingLesson 8 FootballRecognizes students' different abilities and interests Encouraging students to discussMatching the headings with the paragraphTips on reading skillsTopics for Further Intensive ReadingLesson 9 CoffeeStimulating students‟ interest in the textEncouraging students to discussSkimming a passage to get overall meaningMatching the headings with the paragraphTips on reading skillsTopics for Further Intensive ReadingLesson 10 TattooStimulate students‟ interest in the textEncourage students‟ different reading skillsEncourage students to react to the textThink about revising vocabularyLesson 11 Contract of EmploymentUnderstanding the different style of textUsing the format with a different textTips on reading the different style of textTopics for Further Intensive ReadingLesson 12 Obesity linked to less sleepEncour age students‟ different readingSkills to encourage students to react to the text.Examine in detail different parts of news.Understand previously discussed terminology through their examination of news. Recognize general characteristics of news.Topics for Further Intensive ReadingPART BThe Transitional Reading CourseLesson 13 Santa ClausAdvancing reading skillsSummarizing for long articleWriting letters for further writing courseTips on writing formatTopics for Integrated SkillLesson 14 WasteAdvancing reading skillsSummarizing for long articleTopics for Integrated SkillWriting summary for further writing courseLesson 15 CheatingUnderstanding idioms and idiomatic phrasal verbsComprehending the whole text in depthWriting letters for further writing courseTips on Vocabulary ExerciseTopics for Integrated SkillLesson 16 AlcoholAdvancing reading skillsSummarizing for long articleThink a bout revising vocabularyTopics for Integrated SkillReact to the students‟ level of interestPART CThe Intensive Reading CourseLesson 17 MalarialReading for gist and detailImproving reading, speaking and writing skillsTips on Integrated Sk ills‟ exerciseTopics for Further Writing CourseLesson 18 NovelsAnalyzing the situation from the novelMaking comments for the novelParticipating in group discussionsUnderstanding and interpreting the text.Exercises for complex grammar structuresIdentify elements related to the literary trend to culture Tips on Advanced Reading SkillsTopics for Further Writing CourseLesson 19 My First jobEncourage stu dents‟ intensive Reading SkillsGrip V ocabularyLearning Language PointsU nderstand the text‟s main ideaInteraction ActivitiesMaking Preparations for an Interview。