Materials for developing reading skills

This chapter analyses the interface between research principles on reading skills development and the approaches to reading often found in published ELT materials. Firstly, reading, reading skills, and strategies are described in terms of their main characteristics, and an overview of the interaction between the author, the text, and the reader is provided. The chapter also explores reader response theory, which includes two dimensions: efferent and aesthetic response. Reading activities typically used in the classroom are critically discussed. The chapter argues for a reader-centred approach which emphasises a more authentic reader–text interaction. To facilitate this approach, materials should encourage learners to focus on their own interpretations of a text, rather than on comprehension checking exercises which only allow for one correct answer. The chapter calls for the development of reading skills materials which recognise that learners are usually proficient readers in their L1 and that they can harness these skills in their L2 reading.