Key Issues in the Teaching of Reading
Issues in Second Language Teaching - Alessandro Benati
Alessandro G. Benati [+ ]
University of Portsmouth
Professor Alessandro Benati is Professor of Second Language Acquisition and Head of School of Languages and Area Studies at the University of Portsmouth. He is internationally known for his research in second language learning and teaching, with special emphases on processing instruction. He is a pioneering researcher in the area of second language acquisition (SLA) and has built a reputation on two fronts. On one front, he is a premier Italian language scholar producing the most empirical work on the teaching and acquisition of Italian in the world. On the other front, he is a scholar in the more general field of instructed SLA, with an emphasis on the effects of formal instruction on the acquisition of grammatical properties by second language learners. He has a strong publications record with 12 established monographs, chapters and articles in international journals (Language Awareness, IRAL, and Language Teaching Research).
Description
In this chapter, the role of reading comprehension in second language learning and teaching will be discussed. An interactive and communicative approach to teaching reading skills will be proposed. At the end of the chapter, general guidelines as to how to develop effective tasks that help L2 learners improve their reading and comprehension skills will be offered.