To Read or Not to Read: Building Real-World Skills Through Extensive Reading in University Settings

This webinar explores the role of extensive reading in enhancing language acquisition for university-level ESL students. Focusing on a Book Club project implemented in our classrooms, we will discuss a set of strategies designed to promote engagement, improve reading comprehension, and develop intercultural awareness as well as critical thinking skills while exposing students to authentic language.

The session will outline the pedagogical framework for this project, the selection of materials for different levels and types of courses, the integration of reading tasks, and the implementation of interactive activities that encourage discussion and collaborative output processing. We will also reflect on students’ responses to the project and its impact on their overall linguistic experience.

By sharing practical insights and challenges, this talk aims to provide educators with adaptable approaches to incorporating extensive reading into their own teaching contexts, including AI-assisted strategies, whilst fostering language development across the four macro skills.

26 February at noon CET on YouTube.

The speakers

Isabel Luísa Pinto is an ESL teacher at BabeliUM – ELACH, where she has been teaching for the past eight years. She holds a BA in Modern Languages and Literature (Portuguese and English) and a Master’s in English Language and Literature. Her academic interests focus on 19th-century literature, particularly Victorian poetry and the novel.

In addition to teaching, Isabel is an experienced translator and interpreter. She has been actively involved in the implementation of extensive reading projects in ESL classrooms, fostering language acquisition through literature. Her work reflects a commitment to bridging language learning with literary studies, encouraging students to engage deeply with texts.

Mariana Esteves is an English and German as a Second Language teacher at BabeliUM – ELACH, where she has been teaching for the past eight years. She holds a BA in English and German Studies and a PhD in Applied Linguistics. Her academic interests include second language acquisition, educational linguistics, discourse and interaction analysis, lexical studies, and technology-enhanced language learning and teaching.

In addition to teaching, Mariana has a passion for languages. She also holds a diploma in Spanish and is knowledgeable in other languages. She is particularly interested in the cross-linguistic and cross-cultural benefits of language learning. Mariana has been actively involved in implementing extensive reading projects in ESL classrooms, fostering languaging through literature.