Viewing Extensive Reading from Different Vantage Points

Abstract

Some years ago (in about 2007), I was asked by Professor Neil J. Anderson, known for his expertise in second language (L2) reading, to identify my top-five priorities for teachers of L2 reading.It sounded like a simple task, but it was not so simple.With all that we need to know about reading itself, reading instruction, reading curricula, reading materials, the teacher's role in reading classes, and, of course, our own students who oftentimes have pressing needs to improve their reading abilities, how is it possible to identify just five (not even six) priorities for L2 reading teachers?As it turns out, it was an interesting intellectual exercise to narrow down key issues in teaching L2 reading to a grand total of five.To arrive at my top-five priorities, I found myself thinking about the complex nature of reading itself in addition to the roles of working memory and the lower-and higher-level processes required for reading comprehension.I reviewed our varied purposes for reading (including reading for general comprehension, reading to search for specific information, reading for the gist, reading to learn, reading to integrate information from multiple sources, reading to write, and reading for pleasure) and the skills and strategies needed to achieve our reading goals.I thought about what it takes to become a fluent reader, a strategic reader, and an efficient reader.I contemplated the role of automaticity, the influence of motivation, the relationship between reading fluency and reading comprehension, the importance of morphological awareness, the impact of discourse organization on reading, and the all-important role of vocabulary.And, of course, I reflected on the varied realities of reading classrooms, in second and foreign language settings, and how much we teachers have to achieve in a relatively short amount of time to help our students become more skilled, strategic, confident, and motivated readers.But there was even more to consider.I reflected on the instructional practices that I have witnessed in diverse settings, where teachers strive to achieve curricular goals and meet students' (sometimes pressing) reading needs; some of those practices are particularly effective, while others, at least in my view, are quite ineffective.