M a education paper-v methods of teaching english

3.C iii. Intensive reading: 
Intensive reading refers to “careful reading (or translation) of shorter, more difficult foreign 
language texts with the goal of complete and detailed understanding” according to Bamford and 
Welsh. 
Intensive reading can be associated with teaching of reading in terms of its component skills i.e. 
distinguishing the main idea of a text, reading for gist etc. Intensive reading is appropriate for 
learners who need help with reading skills or with skills to achieve particular goals, for e.g. 
academic reading proficiency. Intensive reading helps with faster vocabulary acquisition and 
awareness of language structures.

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Extensive Reading 
 
Intensive Reading 
Fluency, skill forming 
 
 
LINGUISTIC FOCUS 
 
Analysis of the language 
Very easy 
 
DIFFICULTY 
 
Usually difficult 
A book a week 
 
AMOUNT 
 
Little 
Learner selects 
 
SELECTION 
 
Teacher selects 
All learners read different 
things ( something interesting 
to them) 
 
WHAT MATERIAL 
 
All learners study the same 
material 
Mostly at home 
 
WHERE 
 
In class 
Checked 
by 
reports/summaries 
 
COMPREHENSION 
 
Checked 
by 
specific 
questions 
(Welsh quoted in Waring, Getting an ER Program Going) 
All academic study requires a lot of reading. Competent readers adapt their mode of reading to 
their reading purpose. A reading that leads to understanding is a process of active knowledge 
construction by the reader.
Intensive reading is a mode of understanding in which readers focus on a fairly comprehensive 
understanding of a given text. 
A teacher seeks to find a balance between Extensive and Intensive reading 
All reading for understanding requires the interaction of two types of cognitive processes, 
namely, 

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1. Top-down processes, and, 
2. Bottom-up processes