Katsuhiro Yamauchi
Hiroshima University
About
I am an assistant professor working at Hiroshima University, Japan. I have been involved in ER for several years. I used to work at a private high school in Japan. My research interests include vocabulary learning and teaching methods, especially ER and Bibliobattle.Sessions
College and University Merging ER with Mini-Bibliobattle: Reading Style and Presentation Skills more
Mini-Bibliobattle, a book-report activity in which students present and vote for their favorite books, has been reported to enhance learners' interest in reading and improve their presentation skills. This activity can be incorporated into ER, and students can present their books and bridge reading with speaking. However, the specific factors that distinguish Book-Champions from other participants in terms of reading and presentation styles remain unclear. A questionnaire survey revealed that winners were more likely to: 1) attract the audience’s attention, 2) speak fluently without hesitation, and 3) use gestures frequently. Follow-up interviews indicated that winners read their presenting books more carefully than other books, focusing on key highlights. Additionally, they selected books that personally interested them, allowed them to incorporate their own experiences, or had storylines that were easy for the audience to understand. These findings suggest that Mini-Bibliobattle encourages students to engage in more careful reading and deliver more captivating presentations.
All Levels Four Practical Tools to Add to the ER Teacher`s Toolkit: A Workshop more
While appropriate difficulty and compelling content are essential for extensive reading, “linked skills activities” (Nation, 2024) that incorporate students` reading can further enhance learner engagement in coursework. This workshop aims to introduce four tools to use with ER and provide teachers with actual practice and takeaway materials. Reading Circles (Furr, 2009) include unique roles for students to address in discussions on common reading texts. Six Hats Thinking is a structured discussion format where participants first adopt a shared perspective before exploring others and can be used for selecting books. Mini-Bibliobattle is a 3-minute oral book report competition where attendees share their different favorite books and Q&A sessions decide a champion title. ER with Audio Support explains how reading-while-listening is key for development in young learners where novice readers decode words with phonics using audio/visual cues to aid comprehension. The sessions will share guidelines for instruction and feedback, and student reactions.
