How to get your students to read without really trying
Thomas Robb
Thomas Robb started his reading program at Kyoto Sangyo University in 1988 with popular foreign English youth literature, having students write summaries @ 1 notebook page per 40 pages read. However, syntax, vocabulary and slang in children's books are often beyond the ability level of EFL readers, thus failing to stimulate interest in recreational English reading. And summaries may be more challenging and daunting than quizzes. Next was Accelerated Readers and in 2007 Version 1 of Moodle Reader was developed-- and implemented into the English Department in 2008.

Students have other priorities for their time, so reading quickly is good-- with less down time for dictionary searches, so they read more and get more exposure to lexis and syntax. Starting at a lower and more accessible level helps break the translation habit while, hopefully, maintaining interest. However, the bottom line is that if there is no way to check, many students will not do it. The MoodleReader quiz program lets students complete quizzes, and teachers check them, online free of charge. Each student has a personal page on the website that records their progress in books and number of words read.

Robb finished off by walking us through the simple processes for implementing this excellent tool into a school curriculum.
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