As a teacher of English as a foreign language, I am often approached by students asking about the best way to study English. I first tell my students to develop a program of study that suits their own needs and interests. I then tell them to follow that program regularly, thirty minutes a day from Monday to Friday, for example. Then, if the student in question has basic conversational competence, I usually advise him or her to go to the library and choose and English book and read that book cover to cover, using a dictionary only as a last recourse. To benefit most from reading, students must be instructed in what I like to call “reading for fluency.”

“Reading for fluency” is very different from the reading exercises with which most Korean students are familiar. The short difficult passages found in TOEIC or TOEFL examinations may serve a purpose, but achieving fluency is not it. Equally difficult passages used in high school and university English classes taught by Korean instructors who translate phrase by phrase and clause by clause likewise do very little improve one’s overall communicative competence in English.

“Reading for fluency” entails quick reading using a dictionary only when the meaning of a sentence is completely unclear due to an unfamiliar word. When we learn our native language as children, our brains are forced to guess new meanings of unknown words from the context of what is being said. That is one way we learn to think in our mother tongue. Reading without constantly consulting a dictionary and by guessing at the meanings of new words will help our students think directly in English. This is a skill that is sorely needed by Korean students.
Students in Korea have precious few opportunities to practice their English skills. There is a dearth of authentic materials. A book, be it a novel or a work of non-fiction, offers students a wealth of real language to digest. By carefully selecting a written work, students in effect have the opportunity to interact with a master of the English language. It is important to remember that language is a whole, and that by working on reading will simultaneously improve speaking, listening, and writing skills. It is impossible to compartmentalize the various skills involved in learning a foreign language. In Korea’s recent zeal for communicative language teaching, it is not wise to abandon the written word. The various skills complement each other, and reading will help students’ speaking, listening and writing.

Perhaps the most important advice I can give to my students is that they approach their chosen book not as a difficult task to be completed, but as something to be enjoyed. They should choose a book that reflects their own personal interests or tastes. Korean students have surely been exposed to books translated into Korean from English or another language. They should be advised to recall a book that they particularly enjoyed, find it in English and try reading it anew. It is very important that the book stimulates int erest so that pleasure can be taken in reading it. Truly any book, as long as it provides it reader with enjoyment, will be of help. My Korean teacher told me she read Little House on the Prairie in English for hours on end late into the night out of sheer enjoyment. It is that type of enthrallment that should be aimed for in reading for fluency.

My goal as a teacher of English as a foreign language is not only to offer my students excellent classroom instruction, but also to offer them the tools they need to improve their language skills on their own. Reading for fluency is an excellent way to do just that. So please go to the nearest library or well-stocked bookstore, browse through the section dedicated to foreign language books, and choose a book of interest. Take it home and start reading it without their dictionary. If it turns out to be boring, take it back and choose another. The most important thing is that you enjoy the reading, you should be ready to try out several different books. Following these steps will result in a rapid increase in English fluency.