Speaker
Description
This presentation reports the results of a survey of university students who read picture books in small groups, as part of their English course. Students were asked to reflect on their group reading experience, and list some pros and cons of reading a single text in a group. The results show how reading in small communities of practice can be integrated into English classes, and suggest ways for mitigating the drawbacks mentioned by students.
Abstract
Reading is often considered a solitary activity of the English classroom. However, reading can be a group activity, whereby learners increase their reading competency through the micro-community in which they participate.
In a required English reading/writing stream course at a Japanese university, students alternated between two types of reading activities. In the first, they read a newspaper article by themselves, and discussed the answers to comprehension questions in pairs in conventional style reading tasks. In the second, they read a picture book in English, which was shared in a group of 2 -3 students, and answered equivalent questions about content.
This presentation reports the results of a survey in which the students were asked to reflect on their group-reading experience, and list some pros and cons of reading a single text in a group. The results highlight some positive outcomes of group-reading, such as students being able to check their understanding with their group members, checking and teaching the meanings of new words, and being exposed to different interpretations of the text at the point of reading. Many students also cited the fact that simply working as a team was enjoyable. Some negative outcomes of group-reading reported included difficulties arising from different reading speeds, as well as the tendency to be distracted from the reading task by social conversation.
This presentation will show how reading in small communities of practice can be integrated into English classes, and suggest ways for mitigating some of the drawbacks mentioned by students.
Short summary
This presentation reports the results of a survey of university students who read picture books in small groups, as part of their English course. Students were asked to reflect on their group reading experience, and list some pros and cons of reading a single text in a group. The results show how reading in small communities of practice can be integrated into English classes, and suggest ways for mitigating the drawbacks mentioned by students.
Keywords
Reading
Groupwork
Active learning
Picture books
| Scheduling preference | Anytime on Saturday |
|---|---|
| Title | The effectiveness of group reading in university English classes |