The ELT e-Reading Group was created by a collective of English language educators from all over the world with the support of the British Council. It aims at encouraging ELT professionals to read literature in English, helping to build bridges between cultures and contributing to build tolerance and intercultural competence through the discussion of works literature.
The group meets online and participants post their comments to a discussion board, sharing their points of view on short stories and poems written in English.
The ELT e- Reading Group was created having especially in mind those English language professionals who work in special conditions; teachers who have little access to libraries and books in English; who work in remote areas or conflict zones where it is almost impossible to guarantee safety and the right to public gatherings and/or who count on little support to start a reading group in their workplaces.
Over the past few years the popularity of Reading Groups has dramatically increased in the UK and around the world, becoming a place to cultivate dialogue and discussion along distinct themes. The enCompassculture website, the British Council worldwide reading group, provided the main inspiration for this project; however, the difficult access to reading material faced by some English language teachers and educators working in different countries prompted us to create an online reading group instead of a group meeting in a specific place or time.
The group for is open to all ELT professionals who want to join it. A text, usually a short story or poem, is chosen each month and participants are invited to post their comments to the group discussion board.
- To encourage English language teachers to read literature in English, creating opportunities to get in contact with texts from different countries, periods and authors;
- To promote debate and an in-depth engagement with relevant issues through the discussion of works literature;
- To provide opportunities for teachers to talk to each other online underpinning the reading habit and building an ELT community of readers;
- To help English language educators to see other points of view connecting them to a wider world, other philosophies and new ideas building bridges between, and insight into, other cultures thus contributing to build tolerance and intercultural competence;
- To create opportunities for English Language teachers to develop their own language skills, increasing vocabulary, improving pronunciation and increasing their understanding of idiom and expressions as well as their command of the language as a whole.
To make the reading material widely accessible, the texts are chosen from online sources created and/or supported by the British Council itself, such as New Writing, BritLit and Poems on the Underground. A link to the text of the month is posted to the group discussion board and participants can download it freely. Texts are chosen based on their accessibility, interest and potential to raise debate on complex and relevant issues.
To become a member of the ELT e-reading group, please click here to register on the enCompassculture discussion boards. Join in and talk to other readers around the world. It's easy to do. If you've never visited it before, you need to register first. You will then be sent an e-mail to confirm your registration, click on the link and then you can join in any discussions. Select the ELT e-Reading Group, read the postings, then choose which to post to and click on reply.
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