[MUSIC] Welcome back to Teach English Now! In this video, we want to take a look at what we've learned from the reading approach. Specifically, we'll talk about what we've learned and changed, as well as what we've kept in most language classrooms today when it comes to the reading approach. First, let's talk about what's changed. Obviously, contrary to the 1930s, it is a lot easier to interact with people who speak the language we are teaching. So for most students, the main purpose is not to learn how to read a foreign language, but to learn all four skills. Namely, reading, writing, listening, and speaking. As such, there is not as much focus on reading nowadays as there was back in the 1930s. Of course, reading is still a main focus in academic programs, because those students generally have to do more reading than, say, students who are learning English to travel. And because reading has less of a focus, there is a lesser focus on memorizing lists of vocabulary words and grammar structures that are only used in reading. Also with some exceptions, there are a lot of well qualified teachers out there that can speak a language well. And so a movement away from a focus on reading makes sense. Still, the reading approach has given us many techniques that are used today. Let's name a few. Skimming and scanning. Teachers today still teach and practice the skills of scanning and skimming. Which are techniques for getting information from a reading passage without reading the entire thing carefully. Teaching specific skills such as these, helps students get what they need from long reading passages in a short amount of time. And are useful for various types of learners, from university students, to casual travelers who may need to learn to read a menu or brochure in a foreign language. Extensive reading. Another useful technique, still used today, is extensive reading. A number of studies show that general exposure to a language, and a lot of it, helps increase understanding and acquisition of the language. Especially when combined with teaching. In other words, just reading books in a foreign language may not be the most effective way to learn that language, but it certainly doesn't hinder you. And may even help you, because you see more vocabulary words, more grammar structures, and more use of the language in context. Many teachers today still ask students to read something everyday in the language they are studying. I myself have a library of books in English that I let students borrow, so they will read more outside of class and, hopefully, find joy of reading in English. Guided Reading. Sometimes, teachers will use guided reading with students to help them more easily comprehend a particular story or reading material. Guided reading is like reading with scaffolds. The teacher covers specific vocabulary that appears in the reading. And that students might not know. They may have explained parts of the story in the native language. Or in a simpler language to help students understand. And of course, they may also give students tests and quizzes to see how much they understood and learned from the guided reading activities. Guided reading helps students also learn different kinds of strategies for language learning, as a teacher shows a learner how to break down passages into bite-size comprehensible chunks. In short, while most language teachers no longer focus only on reading today, there are still many of the techniques from the reading approach that are useful, especially in academic contexts. You may find yourself using some of these from time to time, depending on your answers to the questions of purpose, content, and technique for your particular teaching situation. Thanks for watching Teach English Now. In the next video, we are going back to the 1940s to look at the audio lingual approach, should be fun, see you then. [MUSIC]
