Reading skills in English plays an important role as it does not come as naturally as
speaking. In fact, students do not learn how to read just by being exposed to reading
materials, but rather, for them to learn this important skill, they ought to be taught
explicitly and systematically.
Firstly, establishing the main aim of teaching reading is really important as there are
several reasons why a learner can read. For instance, one can read in order to develop
his/her knowledge of the language of instruction or for fun. An individual may also
read for the purpose of gathering information or for confirming the authenticity of the
knowledge at hand or even to critically assess someone’s thoughts or style of writing.
Secondly, setting the intention of reading affects the most effective method of
comprehension reading. For instance, in case a person is reading a particular poem for
the purpose of gratification, he/she is only required to make out the words used by the
poet and the manner in which they are presented and has no need to classify the
subject of the poem.
In contrast, in case an individual uses a scientific article with the aim of supporting a
certain outlook, one requires to have been exposed to the terminologies being used.
He/she should also comprehend the specific information as well as the cause-effect
cycle of the information presented. This encompasses the main objective of teaching
reading to learners in our learning institutions.
If a teacher focuses on teaching reading in order to encompass communicative
competence, diverse reading materials such as newspapers, comprehension textbooks
as well as the internet should be used. This is because exposing the learners to diverse
reading materials develops their communicative competence tremendously.
In general, though a teacher is crucial in instructing effective comprehension skills,
the benefits can only be achieved through cooperative learning. Learners should work
hand in hand with each other in order to comprehend texts. Besides, they should also
employ the given strategies of comprehension reading. We as the instructors should
assist the learners to work in groups and model the reading strategies to them.