AN EXAMPLE OF HOW TO MAKE “READING SKILLS” MATERIAL INTO AN ONLINE
COURSE (3 ECTS CREDITS)
In this example we use the SANAKO Forum 100 Internet-based solution that enables
synchronous e-learning, allowing the tutor and learners to be in the same virtual space
at the same time, although physically wide apart. The programme provides real-time
audio, text and visual collaboration and file-sharing between learners and educators.
Obviously, it is possible to use the material for contact teaching in a computer classroom,
or as an online course with Skype or other audio communication tools.
Warm-up (pairs or groups of three)
This little booklet can be used to encourage students to consider what they read and why
they read. The reflection tasks can be done in groups of three so that the students actually
discuss their reading habits as well as the two texts with similar contents but different level
of difficulty. This is a great opportunity for teachers to find out, what their students find
difficult in reading technical texts in English, and build on that. The purpose is to activate
and motivate, and to give the students a feeling that by focusing on certain things in the
text, they can help themselves.
The unit consists of a few reading tests. Teachers can choose which one to recommend
their students to take, or let the students decide for themselves. The idea is for the
students to test themselves, and then compare their results in groups or pairs, and talk
about what seemed difficult or easy. Or if they understood at all what they were reading!
Effective reading (pairs and groups of four)
This unit provides the basic information on how to read effectively, plus some extra
information and activating exercises in the form of links. The material is both in English
and in Finnish. Students should read the English version (to get practice in reading), and
only refer to the Finnish version, if they don’t understand.
The learning method is collaborative work. The teacher should divide the students into
groups of four.
Students read the ‘theory’ in the little booklets in pairs. Each pair reads different booklets
(one or two depending on the number of pages) and reports back to the other pair what
they found was important information. They do this in pairs so that they will better
understand the contents and remember what to tell the others. As they tell about the
booklet they read, they all have the booklet open and all of them do the exercises. The
exercises can be done afterwards as homework or during the lessons together.
So, they talk about what they read. Teachers can decide whether they should speak
English or their mother tongue. Using their mother tongue, especially with weaker
students, could perhaps focus their attention better on the contents rather than the
language.
The links provide further information on certain topics, and are often quite extensive. The
students should be advised to only skim the links and report back what they find useful.
The pair can divide among the two of them which one reads which links.
The little booklets can all be read first and then move onto the exercise section. However,
it might be more useful to stop at a suitable point and practice with an authentic text. For
instance, after Look at the whole, the students could already start on their ‘Individual
reading task’, finding their texts, skimming and making annotations, not necessarily
finishing it yet at this point. After Guess the new words they could do the exercise
‘Words in a Sentence’ and continue working on their own texts helping each other if
necessary.
Using Dictionaries
This unit is best done in class (physical or virtual) teacher-led, together with students.
Otherwise, there is a danger that students might just browse through the case, and not
really stop to think what they should be learning.
This is a useful follow-up to the Effective reading unit, where students already started on
their individual text projects. The teacher could now ask the students to bring their texts
and mark the difficult words, whose meaning they haven’t been able to guess. These
words can then be looked up in online dictionaries together or the students can work on
their own words after the unit has been studied.
First, Dictionary page overview, a typical dictionary page, could be studied together so that
students pay attention to the different forms of the same word (noun, verb, adjective,
adverb). At this point, students could already try a few other online dictionaries to look up
words that teacher gives them or they have themselves.
‘A quest for bulk soil’ is a case, where an engineer is reading a difficult technical text. The
case introduces how he tries to decide what the term ‘bulk soil’ means in his text.
Teachers can decide where to stop and let the students try for themselves. Maybe one
good place to stop could be at MOT, and the class could spend some time checking their
own words in it. The main thing to point out is that the first translation is not necessarily
what they want.
Termipankki might be new to the students as well. So, a stop here might be worthwile.
OneLook, Cambridge Dictionary and Encarta (which is also a dictionary that has
pronunciation, too, although here introduced as a search engine) could all be covered first,
and then let the students find their own words in them.
Google is very useful in finding words. Here the class could stop for a bit longer with the
teacher introducing how to use it effectively. If the word or compound word doesn’t pop up
as such, it’s a good idea to write both languages in the search window. With ‘bulk soil’ it
doesn’t help, but there are many other cases, where it does.
There are tasks to follow the case, where students can practise using online dictionaries to
find the meanings, opposites, pronunciation of certain words. Teachers can use this part
as a resource if they want to demonstrate finding words, or have students do these tasks if
they haven’t got their own words to find. It’s always more motivating for students to work
on their own problem words, especially if they already have their individual text and are
working on that.
Tasks
Teachers can easily make more text based tasks. The idea is here to give a few examples
of the kind of tasks that could be provided.
Nokia reading assignment could be individual homework to be checked in groups later.
Words in a Sentence is a short exercise and might be best done during the lesson in
groups or pairs, where students can suggest different answers and perhaps give reasons
why they think the word is a noun, although it, in fact, is a verb.
Dictionary assignment could be individual homework to be checked in groups later.
Unicorp is a nonsense text for better students that shows how you can say a lot without
really saying anything.
Five texts with some work on each text are considered enough for 3 ECTS credits,
including the study of the use of dictionaries and effective reading.
Assessment
Assessment could be pass/fail depending on how hard the students work and do their
exercises. However, if teachers want to grade the students, it should be possible based on
their individual and pair work text projects as well as active attendance in virtual or
physical classes. Teachers can also, if they so wish, make a reading test providing a new
text and tasks that have been practised on the course.