UNDERSTANDING MEANING EFFECTIVELY: PEDAGOGICAL APPROACHES TO THE READING SKILL

Abstract

Over the last quarter of the twentieth century, communicative approach to teaching and learning English has developed significantly and, at present, it is used worldwide in teaching and learning English, especially, in EFL and ESL situations. This approach is also recommended by NCTB (National Curriculum and Textbook Board) in Bangladesh. Instead of grammar-based approach, practice-based learning is considered important in recent theoretical approaches. This practice covers training of all four basic skills– listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Success of the teaching of English through communicative approach which mainly serves the purpose of communicative competence depends entirely on the practice of these skills. Among the major skills, reading as a receptive skill has a significant role as far as teaching of English in Bangladesh is concerned. Reading approaches and reading pedagogy, being important areas of EFL and ESL, have been subjected to change– change in attitude, outlet, and, overall teaching method– coping with the latest experiment in this field. So, it is time for us to meditate over reading in order to make it effective and classroom friendly. The present study has tried to evaluate reading as a means of exploiting meaning of a text, and at the same time, it intends to deal with current pedagogy of the reading skill. To make reading effective some indispensable requirements closely related to this study are also discussed in a small canvas. Finally, approaches to reading are intensely addressed.