International Conference at NTUST

What a relief! It finally over. Working at the conference is really tiring.
Yet, I go to some great speeches and presentations.

I like the one presented by an Japanese Yoshihiro Omura.
The topic is "Instituting an Extensive Reading Component: Preliminary Findings.
I really like Mr. Omura and the way he presentes.
In this presentation he talks about how the professors promote extensive reading in universities.
He lists the different approaches, for example extnesive reading as a class activities or homework, different enduring time for extensive reading, different evaluations for reading, etc.
And see how it effect student's overall English ablity.

I find it interesting that it reminds me of a case I heard.
The story happens in Japanese elementary school.
There are two classes, in one of the class, students are leave to read the books they like at whole Englis class. Meanwhile, the other class has ordinary teacher's lecture.
Surprisingly, the one leaved to read by themselves have significantly better English ability than the ordinary class.
I ask Mr. Omura in person after his presentation, I ask him about the story I heard about extensive reading in elementary school.
Surprisingly Mr. Omura tells me that actually he is also responsible for planning elementary school students' learning English is Japan.
He say that extensive reading strategy use differently in elementary school.
I think that extnesive reading definitely help students's learning.
Now in Taiwan, we are not only doing extensive reading in English, but also in Chinese.
We are encouraged to read Chinese books and write some report.
It's pretty much the same as the strategy of Extensive Reading, right? To improve our English/ Chinese!!!