Focus on research: exte by Dr. Peter Watkins
Dr. Peter Watkins is a Principal Lecturer at the University of Portsmouth and author of Teaching and Developing Reading Skills, from our Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers series.
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s part of our research into language learning, we asked Dr Peter Watkins to write a paper on extensive reading. Here are his key findings. To download the full version, scan the QR code below.
Benefits
Extensive reading (ER) is unlike the reading that happens most of the time in most ELT classrooms. Instead of using texts that are at the limit of intelligibility for most learners, texts are relatively easy, with few unknown words.
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Although exactly how ER is implemented can vary, typically texts are much longer, often read outside class, and learners are invited to choose the texts they wish to read. Above all, ER should be a pleasurable experience.
It is probably not all that surprising that learners that engage with ER programmes – that is to say, read large quantities of text outside
