Archive Copy.
Extensive Reading in Korea: 10 Years Going from Strength to Strength
This session will review the developing awareness of Extensive Reading (ER) in Korea in the last few years. It will show how awareness of the concept of ER has grown but is still sadly misunderstood in many quarters despite important gains. The session reviews the development of Korea-based ER organizations such as KOTESOL’s ER-SIG and the Korean English Extensive Reading Association (KEERA), and their contributions to the development of ER on the Korean Peninsula.
The case for ER in Korea will then be presented. Data from an analysis of Korean textbooks shows that very little actual reading is done in the formal school system, but supplementing this with graded reading materials will significantly increase the volume of text learners meet and thus the chance that language items will be acquired in the longer term. Data will also be presented to show how much Korean learners can benefit from additional reading on top of their coursework.
The presentation then focuses on what areas ER might best target to promote Extensive Reading in the future and how we can collectively build awareness for the need of ER for Korean learners.
Biographical sketch
Dr. Rob Waring is an acknowledged expert in Extensive Reading and second language vocabulary acquisition. He has presented and published widely on these topics. He is Associate Professor at Notre Dame Seishin University in Okayama, Japan. Professor Waring is an Executive Board member of the Extensive Reading Foundation.
20-20 Session
A Framework for Assessing Online Reading Resources
This session will review some of the resources available for online graded reading and will present a framework for assessing what features a good website should have in order to be able to successfully provide a rich, rewarding and meaningful reading experience. The session starts by asking participants to review some websites currently providing reading materials, and then assesses how well each achieves its aims. From this the participants will co-develop a set of principles and features that students and teachers would require from this form of reading that can guide both online reading resource developers as well as teachers and students looking for these resources. If participants bring their own internet connected smart-phones or laptops, they will be better able to participate in this session
