The ER SIG participates in or holds 3 regular annual events.
Upcoming Events:
Title: PresentERs – ER in a Vietnamese EFL university context: did our first attempt make meaningful changes?
Abstract: Last semester, we integrated ER into a Reading–Writing B1 course at the university level in Viet Nam. Initially, we viewed ER mainly as reading for pleasure outside the classroom. However, through implementation, student feedback, and discussions with ER specialists, we began to see ER differently — as a continuum that can connect intensive reading, shared reading, graded readers, classroom interaction, and independent reading development.
In this talk, we will briefly share: how we adapted ER to fit a real university curriculum with limited class time; what surprised us about student engagement and participation; and how our own understanding of reading development changed during the process.
We will also reflect on the challenges of implementing ER in an exam-oriented context and how small, manageable changes can still make a meaningful difference. The session is especially relevant for teachers working in universities or contexts where a fully “pure” ER may not seem realistic.
Coming up in August...
Ella Jung will talk about English Language Education Centers for Young Learners in South Korea.
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
