How are you going to read academic texts and research papers in English? You might be worried about your reading speed in English (your L2). While class time should largely be dedicated to interactive activities, that isn’t to say that reading isn’t important inside the classroom too.
Step 1: Preparation
- Ask your lecturer for reading material to be available ahead of time.
- Keep note of commonly used words that you find in research papers (e.g. linking words).
- If your lecturer does not suggest that your class gets into study groups, you propose it!
Or ask some native speakers you have spoken to if they would like to do this. - Think about dividing up the reading so that you all read what you have been assigned, but each person takes responsibility for really focusing on a different part and producing a summary / mind map of this, along with questions that they think the lecturer might
ask on their part of the article: either in the next class or in the assignments/exams.
Step 2: In Class
- Presentation Slides: use class slides to help your comprehension during class. Try not to simply write down everything the slides say, but instead concentrate on using the slides to complement your understanding of the teacher’s lecture.
- Reading articles or textbooks in class: while it is best that each student reads the relevant material in preparation for the class, reading can also be done in class. Teachers can have students practice by having them take turns reading aloud. For longer texts, why not split students into groups, and have each group concentrate on a different section? Then, each group can present the main idea of their section to the rest of the class.