The ER SIG participates in or holds 3 regular annual events.
Upcoming Events:
We will have a short talk about Extensive Reading from Yuko Suzuki & Hiroko Moroki on Sunday 26 April 19:00-20:00. The event will involve a short 20-30 minute casual talk from our PresentER, followed by around 20-30 minutes of questions and discussion. PresentERs takes place on the last Sunday of each month online on Zoom. It is free for anyone to attend.
Abstract:
In August 2023, a volunteer group of extensive reading practitioners in Japan launched the “Tadoku Neta” Blog, which provides cultural and linguistic trivia related to books used in English extensive reading. The blog aims to help Japanese readers better understand cultural references and contextual elements in the stories they read. A survey of 190 students and teachers showed that the blog supported scene visualization, cultural understanding, and overall comprehension. An analysis of high school students’ open-ended responses further revealed three main themes: impressions of the blog, gaining new knowledge that supports comprehension, and changes in reading approaches.
Bio:
Hiroko Moroki
A&A ENGLISH HOUSE
Hiroko is an instructor at the Yao City Lifelong Learning Center providing seminars on teaching English at elementary school. As an advisor on using picture books for English education and a published author, she has delivered workshops across the country on CLIL and extensive reading.
Yuko Suzuki
ABC4YOU
Yuko is the owner of ABC4YOU English school in Tokyo, where she teaches infants to adult learners. She specializes in a range of teaching techniques including storytelling, songs, and extensive reading. She has been researching and practicing the teaching method of 'usable' English language skills, and has taught students who have been admitted to several top universities such as Tokyo University. She has a graduate degree from Keio University and lectures throughout Japan as a Tokyo ELT teacher. She is a certified picture book specialist by the National Institution for Youth Education, and a member of various organizations including the Japan Extensive Reading Association.
ZOOM link: https://zoom.us/j/95645186806?pwd=LJiXXFd7ibJHGV5i6JIIipmRwgN4rf.1
We will have a short talk about Extensive Reading from Dr. Shaiful Islam on Sunday 30 September 19:00-20:00. The event will involve a short 20-30 minute casual talk from our PresentER, followed by around 20-30 minutes of questions and discussion. PresentERs takes place on the last Sunday of each month online on Zoom. It is free for anyone to attend.
Abstract:
The presentation explores shifting the primary EFL curriculum from traditional rote memorization to a systematic Extensive Reading (ER) model. While conventional pedagogy relies on intensive study, this approach positions the library as the core of vocabulary development, prioritizing incidental vocabulary acquisition through pleasurable, high-volume reading. The speaker argues that granting learners autonomy in text selection boosts cognitive engagement and lexical retention. Furthermore, evidence suggests that students in ER-immersed programs achieve superior collocational competence and academic writing proficiency compared to those in traditional settings, demonstrating the effectiveness of sustained engagement with diverse, self-selected texts for long-term language mastery.
Bio:
Dr. Md Shaiful Islam is an Assistant Professor at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) and Director of the English Language Resource Center. Holding a PhD in TESL from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, he is a widely published scholar in prestigious journals such as Teaching in Higher Education and Applied Linguistics Review. His research expertise includes self-regulated learning, educational assessment, and EFL/ESL pedagogy. A prominent leader in the academic community, Dr. Islam serves as President of the Teachers Association for Studies in Language, Literature, and Culture (TASLLC) and Vice President of the Bangladesh English Language Teachers Association (BELTA).
YouTube playlist of previous PresentER events
Apply to talk at an upcoming PresentERs event
