1. TEACHING READING SKILLS
FARAH SAEED
9.00-11.0 am August 01, 2015
 READING----- A cognitive process of decoding symbols to derive meaning from text, which
according to Dechant (1991) cited by Macceca (2007, p. 4), is, in fact, “a visual process that begins
with one’s ability to use one’s vision to interpret graphic symbols.”
 In other words it “is a process of constructing meaning from written texts--- It is a complex skill
requiring the co-ordination of interrelated sources of information” (Stanely, 2007).
 Three components of reading:1) Decoding, 2) Comprehension and 3) Retention.
 By the end of this presentation, participants of the TEFL WORKSHOP should be able to:
 Identify 5 components/pillars of reading instruction,
 Describe 6 essential developmental reading approaches,
 Outline 8 student-centered reading instructional methods,
 Develop suitable reading activities for a lesson while exploiting reading sub-skills,
 Design and implement a reading programme via effective teaching principles (e.g. explicit
and implicit reading instruction) as well as by considering developmental nature of reading
for students of particular level.
 Implications for Teachers:
 A. Issues to consider: Comprehension or psycholinguistic guessing skill can & should be
taught, reading comprehension should be a dynamic and interactive exchange between
students & teachers, students can compensate for a lack of their proficiency by
increasing their awareness of reading strategies, and extensive reading practice is
essential in building both fluency & knowledge (extensive vs. intensive reading
practice).
 B. Things to do: Draw in / activate students’ prior knowledge, develop students’
awareness of clue-searching strategies, use different reading materials (including
readers) and design a variety of tasks for different purposes, help students making
predictions and drawing inferences, monitor their comprehension development and
provide them clarification in case of any confusion, create pictorial mental &
mnemonic imagery, let students summarize of what they have read, and evaluate what
they have read.
 The recommended readings, in this context, are “The Reading Skills” by Fame Clan, “Reading
Strategies” by Lic. Magda Castro and “Teaching Reading” by Alexis Centrella Vegas & Nancy
Coronado on slideshare.net