The document provides tips for teaching reading with computer-assisted language learning (CALL). It discusses selecting appropriate reading texts at the right difficulty level. It recommends emphasizing important words and providing opportunities for learners to interact with texts by clicking for help. Teachers should let CALL texts spark discussion among learners and choose materials that explicitly teach language. Evaluation of comprehension and language knowledge helps focus learners on what they are learning. Teachers should help develop strategies for online reading.

1. Tips for teaching with CALL: CHAPTER 3: “Reading”
Reading is not only the goal of instruction. It is also the process by which learners can develop their language abilities and strategies for language use.
Two goals of teaching reading are:
* To help learners understand the meaning of a text.
* To help them use the text to develop their overall language ability.
TIPS FOR TEACHING READING WITH CALL (computer- assisted language learning)
WHAT RESEARCH SAYS: WHAT THE TEACHER CAN DO:
1. SELECT CALL MATERIALS WITH The language input that learners are exposed to should make When teachers select a CALLm program with texts for the
APPROPIATE READING TEXTS: The variety of them stretch their language knowledge just the right amount. whole class, they should read the texts, complete a sample of
electronic texts and CALL activities make it easy to find Texts must contain language that is sufficiently difficult for the activities, and prepare to discuss the texts with the
texts that are at the appropiate level of difficulty, that cover learners to learn something from, but they should contain students in class. The teacher can also look for CALL
topics of interest to learners, and that include tasks that elaborations to help learners comprehend the meaning. The materials that are adapted to the level and interests of the
engage learners. importance of learners engaging with learning materials: students.
such engagement can potentially develop if the teacher
selects interesting and appropiate challenging materials.
2. LOOK FOR IMPORTANT WORDS AND Schmidt (1992). Learners are more likely to learn vocabulary CALL reading materials clear linguistic objectives: attempt
PHRASES TO BE EMPHASIZED ON THE and grammar if they notice these forms in the teaxt they read. to draw learners’ attention to examples of relevant
A text becomes salient when learners have trouble vocabulary and grammar in reading. Use of colour, font size
SCREEN: CALL programs should help by emphasizing understanding it. Vocabulary and grammar becomes salient and animation.
particular aspects of the language on the computer screen. Te by highlighting the words in the text. Language can be
input must be salient (noticeable or relevant) so the learners’ salient by exposing learners to the words many times. This
attention will be directed toward it. has been called an input flood because learners are flooded
with the target vocabulary and grammar. Language can be
salient because of what the learner has been taught before
reading or what the learner is expected to do after the
reading. CALL reading materials: students learn vocabulary
in reading texts if they are given help in understanding the
salient forms: a combination of salience and help is good for
language learning.
3. PROVIDE LEARNERS WITH Interaction with electronic texts benefots for Second 1º Teachers should look for Call reading activities that
OPPORTUNITIES TO INETRACT WITH THE Language learners. When they interact with the electronic provide opportunities for interaction with texts and the
texts by clicking for help with vocabulary, the likelihood of program. The amount of opportunity for interaction in
COMPUTER FOR GETTING HELP WITH THE their remembering words increases. The more ways in which reading differs among programs. 2º Teachers should explain
LANGUAGE IN THE TEXT: Learners interact in Call learners access the vocabulary the more likely they are to to students how they can get help by clicking on the
reading materials when they click on the phrase for help remember it. The more interaction, the more likely the appropiate links. They should prompt learners to take
meaning, select help from a menu to obtain grammar or learner is to acquire the languagethat is the focus of the advantage of the help and interactive activities that the
culture explanations, or respond to a question and receive interaction. computer provides. 3º Teachers should assign interactive
feedback on the response. Interactions are potentially activities, such as comprehension questions, that accompany
valuable: they direct learners’ attention to language, they the text. They prompt additional interaction with texts.
raise awareness of what learners do not know, and they
provide learners with help in comprehending the language.
4. LET THE TEXT ON THE SCREEN SPARK The types of assistance learners receive in such reading- CALL programs and Web sites include guidance for such
INTERACTION AMONG LEARNERS: CALL based conversations are valuable for their language activities. Teachers can supplement the CALL reading with
programs provide texts that learners can read together, and development. CALL activities are interesting because the pair or small- group work, having students make predictions,
the teacher can provide an assignment that requires learners computer provides a dynamic contribution to the learners’ summarize, or relate the reading to their personal
conversations. experiences. Ensure that all members of the group participate

2. to discuss the text and work with the language of the text. assigning a role to each member of the group and having
Learners can work together to check predictions, seek students take turns performing each role. (Prereading and
additional information and help, cut and paste the text to Postreading activities)
produce a glossary, and outline a new text.
5. CHOOSE CALL MATERIALS THAT TEACH Explicit teaching is better than simply, letting students sink Many CALL reading have vocabulary exercises to preteach
ENGLISH THROUGH READING: To help learners or swim on theit own in reading. The use of explicit key words in the reading passage. A teacher can aldo choose
increase their knowledge of English teachers should choose instruction can draw learners’ attention to the language and CALL readings that focus on grammar. Follow- up activities
CALL reading materials that explicitly teach language to the help them understand new vocabulary and grammatical that the teacher might include can focus on the vocabulary,
students. constructions. syntactic structures, derivational suffixes, and cohesive
devices found in the texts. By increasing the odds the
students will remember the language they learned.
6. INCLUDE EVALUATION OF LEARNERS’ Feedback directs learners´attention to parts of the reading Learners immediate knowledge of the correctness of their
COMPREHENSION AND LANGUAGE that they don’t understand and helps to identify gaps in answers should highten their perceptions of their reading
learners Second- Language knowledge. CALL programs abilities. Evaluation in terms of successful completion of a
KNOWLEDGE: Evaluation in CALL programs helps would provide feedback on why responses are incorrect. This unit of instruction or a program is illistrated in 3 ways: 1 A
focus learners’ attention on what they should be learning help prompt learners to try to figure out where the problem progress report from an end- of- unit quiz; 2 Feedback on
while they are reading and points out what they do not know lies. reading comprehension questions; 3 A cummulative
after they have worked on reading activities. 2 types of progression through a reading program.
evaluation in CALL for reading: 1º the learner responds to
questions and other activities (feedback about correctness
and more information to understand learners’ errors); 2º at
the end: a summary score about performance on that unit.
Both types help learners and teachers make decisions about
subsequent choices of instruction, and they are expected to
help in the process of learning.
7. HELP LEARNERS DEVELOP THEIR Reading on the Web means searching and evaluating the One of the strategies that students can learn is self-
STRATEGIES FOR READING ONLINE: Many of results of seraches, quickly scanning lists of results to decide monitoring. To help students develop a sense of confidence
the strategies that learners develop through reading in CALL if a search was successful, clicking on several of the results in self- monitoring their reading skills, teachers can
activities will serve them well as they read from electronic to look at them quickly, and choosing one or more pieces that encourage them si estimate how many questions they
texts and paper texts in the future. Teachers should attempt to satisfy the search. answered correctly before having the computer check their
help learners develop not only good learning and reading results.
strategies, but also the range of strategies required for reading Strategies useful for paper and online reading include
and working with texts inline. (including using online tools understanding the main idea and important details, skimming
for help comprehending anline texts) and scanning, restatement and inference, and summarizing.
Teachers can help by making use of language learning
software that accompanies tehir textbooks.
Heightened awareness of how to go about skimming texts
effectively will serve well beyond the boundaries of the
classroom.
Using readily available monolingual and bilingual
dictionaries, using tsanslation services, and copying notes
from a passage and storing them in word processing files.

3. SUMMARY:
These techniques for instruction offered by CALL have the potential to add significantly to the quality of the time that learners spend reading in
English by enriching the language experience that is possible through paper materials while acculturating them to the world of electronic texts. Learners will
have the opportunity to expand their reading strategies through the foundations of electronic reading skills that they have learned in class.