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ESL forum >
Ask for help > FCE Students struggling with Reading
FCE Students struggling with Reading
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EstherLee76
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FCE Students struggling with Reading
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Hi there, I teach online and have lots of problems with my intermediate students who just aren�t doing their tasks unless the tasks are easy. They especially avoid doing their readings. I asked one of my students, who really is a good kid, why he wasn�t doing his work and he told me frankly that he doesn�t like the readings. They’re difficult and boring for him. I�ve read that here in Peru, reading habits and reading comprehension are really low. I know my students aren�t reading in Spanish and getting them to read long exercises in English really is a challenge. Anyone have any advice for me? Would really appreciate it. Many thanks, Esther
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10 Nov 2024
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traute
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Dear Esther, Students don�t read anymore, they are too busy on Tik tok, Instagram, etc. They find it really hard to focus and for the past 4 or 5 years I�ve been noticing a decrease in their ability to concentrate, to understand what they are reading and all this results in lower grades. They don�t read anymore and in my opinion, reading is key to learn vocabulary and do better writings. It�s a pity but at the moment not much can be done about it. I�ve seen a lot of tv documentaries about it. You should read a book called "La fábrica de cretinos digitales" by Michel Desmurget. I am exactly going through the same challenges as you and I am sure we are not alone! Huge hugs, Mar |
10 Nov 2024
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spinney
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I don�t really know if this counts or not, given the question relates to students actually reading but something I did really helped me with my Spanish reading and I have been recommending this to my students ever since, And most who have followed my advice say something positive about it. If the audiobook exists for the text they are supposed to read, try and get them to listen to it while they are out walking or doing exercise ... if young people still do exercise.  Let me explain. My problem with reading in Spanish is that I kept stopping on every page and reaching for a dictionary. As such, it took me so long to get through a book. And then one day my boss sent me to an airplane factory not too far from where I live which was accessible via a small route on the bicycle. About a 25 minute journey. I started listening to some Spanish audio books and found myself doing an extra 20 or 30 minutes on the way back as I was getting into the stories so much. And with new idioms and words, I just did what I normally do here in Spain, understand it by the context. I have "read" quite a few books this way and it has the double benefit of improving my listening comprehension as well as boosting my vocabulary. The only problem is that some of the voice actors are a bit naff. So, I tend to choose books according to who is reading them. English audiobooks have some wonderful voice actors and the library for them is enormous.
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10 Nov 2024
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EstherLee76
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Thanks for your sympathy Mar. I can get quite down when I look at readership here. I suppose it�s going down worldwide but I�ve also heard that book sales are strong elsewhere. That�s so interesting Dale. When I started reading in Spanish, I was usually reading on the New York subway system. It was impossible to read and look up words in the dictionary while standing in a crowded train (this was before smartphones, of course). So, I would read a few pages, stop, take out the dictionary, put it away and then continue reading. After a while, I realized that I could guess the meanings without using a dictionary. When I was teaching high school, I had the students read along to audiobooks on Youtube - like the Hunger Games or Romeo & Juliet. It seemed to help but I sometimes felt that I was just giving them a crutch instead of enabling them to read independently. When “I” was in high school our French teachers gave us Sartre or Descartes and said "Take this home and read it." and we did. Sigh. Anyway, my students won�t have smartphones, youtube or audiobooks on their FCE exams. They need to learn to tackle these readings. I think I might teach some skills like skimming and scanning, guessing the meaning of words, talking about referents etc. But if anyone has any more suggestions or sympathy - they would be more than welcome! Thanks guys! |
10 Nov 2024
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maryse pey�
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Hi all, What I do when training with my students : I ask them to close their eyes. Then I read some sentences by some sentences. "What have you recognized ? understood ?" After I ask them what words sound new or "strange" for them. We comment all the necessary details and I make them try to guess the new vocabulary (with roots or prefixes and suffixes). Sometimes I read a 2nd time the same part of the text (eyes open this time) and finally I ask them to read aloud. Then we comment the meaning of the text to be able to answer the questions. You can ask them to write the main ideas with their own vocabulary. |
10 Nov 2024
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douglas
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Great input from all of you! I have to admit, it does seem that kids just don�t read, as in what we traditionally call reading, much anymore.The instant access to everything has changed this paradigm I think. So, thinking a bit out of the box, I would consider having them watch videos if available, but require they watch them with subtitles in English as welll (audio AND subtitles in English). Subconsciously the text wil be seen and processed while the other communication channels stimulate interest and retain attention. Just my thoughts, I could be wrong. Douglas |
12 Nov 2024
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