120 hr. TEFL Course Module 3-Reading (Pt.4 Inferring)

Module 3: Reading

3.1.4 Advanced reading skills

Making inferences: Once your students begin improving in their ability to understand English text, the next step is to help them improve their ability to make inferences. Making inferences means reading between the lines and accessing meaning that is not explicitly stated. For example, if a man were to walk into the room, closing an umbrella, you would infer that it was raining outside. No one specifically told you that it was raining, but you were able to use context clues to draw that conclusion. Once students are more comfortable understanding what they read, working on their inferential thinking will help them learn how to see the meaning in a text that is not explicitly stated.

Drawing conclusions: This idea goes hand-in-hand with inferential thinking. To be able to accurately draw a conclusion, a student needs to be able to understand the literal meaning of a text and how that literal meaning can lead to a conclusion.

Comparing and contrasting: Comparing and contrasting is the next step along the line of textual analysis. To compare and contrast two texts, a reader needs to understand the purpose of the text as well as the strategies that a writer uses to convey meaning. This skill can be extremely useful, as it easily lends itself to having students identify which text is more effective. 

Distinguishing between fact and opinion: As part of the evaluative process of reading, distinguishing between what is fact and what is opinion can be an incredibly nuanced task. It requires your students to really understand what the text is saying to evaluate whether the text is based on opinion or fact. This can be difficult, especially when the text is opinionated, with a speaker who presents his or her opinions as fact. 

Self-questioning: As your students get more comfortable with reading texts on their own, it is time to get them into the habit of reading actively. People tend to think of reading as a passive activity because it is done quietly, but to really understand a text, you need to constantly question what is going on. Having your students use annotations to express their self-questioning will help them get into the habit of asking questions as they read. This is also helpful because they can go back to text they have previously read and easily point out the important information. 

Problem solving: While problem solving is a cognitive skill, asking our students to solve problems in English can be complicated even for students who are natural problem solvers. Problem solving requires true comprehension, understanding beyond the explicit, and the ability to think critically while working with a foreign language.