The time has come to establish a new system for teaching the necessary

Don’t Test Yourself 
This isn‘t school. You don‘t need to ace this reading exercise. If you can‘t 
completely understand it, that‘s okay. The goal of this is to gain vocabulary over time 
in a more subconscious learning environment. Keep it simple and ask questions later. 
Avoid Dictionaries 

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While dictionaries can be a necessary tool in language learning, they can also slow 
you down. Again, the goal of this exercise isn‘t to completely understand everything 
you‘re reading. It‘s to build a general recognition of words and phrases so you can 
absorb the language naturally over time. 
Embrace the Solitude 
Classmates are great when you‘re practising pronunciation, but this exercise 
requires a more solitary approach. Make sure your environment is free from 
distractions so you can focus. In your solitude, you can concentrate much easier. 
Speed Read 
If you find yourself straining over the small things, it defeats the purpose of the 
exercise. Set a pace for yourself before you start reading so you don‘t turn this sprint 
into a marathon. This can be accomplished with a timer on your phone, or an alarm so 
you know when you‘ve been reading for an hour. You might also find using a pointer 
or finger as a physical guide a useful tool. The key is to keep it fast, don‘t linger on 
the speedbumps. 
Do it Yourself 
Teachers are not necessary for extensive reading. You can start this today in the 
comfort of your own home. However, if you find yourself in a classroom environment, 
try to keep this exercise separate. This method is not meant to be guided or graded.
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An extensive reading approach introduces students to the dynamics of reading as it 
is done in real life by including such key elements of real-life reading as choice and 
purpose. Richard Day and Julian Bamford, in their forthcoming book Extensive 
Reading in the Second Language Classroom identify ten characteristics found in 
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Williams R. (1986) Top ten principles fro English as a second language: Theory and techniques teaching 
reading. ELT Journal, 40, pp. 42-45

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successful extensive reading programs.