Teaching Reading

Teaching reading can be an arduous task as it is often difficult to get the attention and the interest of the students on the lesson. The main object used in a reading lesson is the text; so it is very important that deep consideration be given to the choosing of the text. In a class of some thirty odd students, we, as the teacher should remember that each and every student is a totally different child. They may be of the same age, brought up in the same place even, but their likes and dislikes would not be of the same area. It is not possible to have a text which all the students love, but it can be something which has a connection to them and to which they can relate. In other words, it should be authentic. This would make the students take an interest in the lesson. It is not only the text which should be put into consideration, the activities which come along with the text should also perk up the students’ interest.

Theorists and practitioners are constantly arguing about how reading proficiency takes place and how best to facilitate this. Many approaches have been developed which have had a substantial impact on teaching reading lessons. These approaches adopted in the classroom are usually determined by the student’s needs, goals and learning styles.
According to Harmer (2001: 42), “learners will need to be constantly exposed to language in order for it to be learnt”. He further explains that communicative activities and task-based teaching offer real learning benefits. Also, according to him, another factor which boosts up the interests of the students is to lower their anxiety and to encourage students to discover things for themselves. This usually leads to improved language retention in the long run.

In order for the students to become interested in reading or writing, they need to be guided towards it with care and caution. Just throwing a passage at them and telling them to read the passage and complete the worksheet will definitely not make them interested in it. A variety of authentic activities should be introduced to them in such a way which would create their interest and get their creative minds working at full speed.

Although lessons are mainly based under one main activity, like reading or grammar or vocabulary, not only this type of work is given during the lesson. Variety is a must if the teacher aims for a successful lesson. The students do not enjoy doing just one type of work for one or two whole periods. It is vital that the students be motivated and keen to learn. In the lesson, students should be exposed to an interesting story which is authentic to them. This makes them understand the situations given in the story without any difficulty. The receptive and productive language skills need to be well linked and incorporated in the lesson using communicative, cooperative and task-based activities. It should also be noted that the teacher knowing and understanding the students’ interest areas give the teacher a better and easier access into producing activities which will keep the students engrossed in their work.