ESL Speed Readings: the free app and learner management system
2023-06-03, 10:10–10:40 (Asia/Tokyo), E2
Language: English

Speed reading, an important skill for language learning, falls into Paul Nation's fluency strand of language learning. This is because there should be no unknown vocabulary, or at least very little, in the readings. In this way, learners can focus on increasing their reading speed, instead of language-focused activities like vocabulary learning. At a New Zealand university, teachers have been incorporating speeding reading for years. Over the years, Sonia Millett, Paul Nation, and Emmy Quinn have written over 100 graded stories for the speed reading program. Each of these stories has a comprehension quiz which consists of 10 multiple-choice questions. Until recently, these stories were only available in PDF format. This presentation details the newest format for the speed readings. The speed readings have been used to create a mobile app titled 'ESL Speed Readings'. This is a free app and is available for Android and iOS devices. The app comes with 120 stories at four graded levels. Furthermore, for teachers, there is an accompanying learner management system. This system allows teachers to monitor and download their students' progress. The presenter will demonstrate the app and the learner management system, as well as discuss implications for pedagogy.


This presentation details the free mobile app 'ESL Speed Readings'. The presenter will demonstrate the app and accompanying learner management system where teachers can track student progress.