The Library Academic Practice Coaches run a Reading Group in conjunction with the ESOL Team in the DHB Skills Hub on the 2nd floor. This is directly after the ESOL students finish a lesson with their tutor on the 4th Floor to try to build on the momentum of their lesson and improve their overall English ability. We also try to highlight how reading can improve their English aptitude and encourage them to visit the Library to access the vast resources that Bradford College Library offers every student.
Once the students were back from the Autumn Half Term break, we began reading Around the World in 80 Days. The edition that we’re using is correct for the level of most of the students but would certainly be a quick read for the higher level. For this reason, we decided to read a higher level book with the advanced students and we selected Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
To create student interest in Around the World, we created a PowerPoint presentation to set the scene for the way that the novel was actually released at the time; serialised in 1872 in a newspaper to coincide with the events in the book set in 1872.
We discussed whether or not the book was Fiction or Non-Fiction as the technology in the book was completely in keeping with the latest technology of the era. The general public at the time really didn’t know if the story was true or not as it appeared in a newspaper. This kind of blended learning also encouraged reading the novel AND discussing 19th century travel methods (Suez Canal, trans-American and connected Indian railways, etc.) and life in the 1870s.
We haven’t finished the novel yet but the students seem to be enjoying this 19th century adventure story and the periphery discussions surrounding life, religious customs, methods of transportation and worldwide travel in1872.
For the group reading Dr. Jekyll, we sparked intrigue by challenging them to ‘read between the lines’ in a PowerPoint that also introduced the concept of a person’s Alter Ego. The idea that there is more to a book than what is literally written on the pages is a suitably mature approach to Literature. Rightly so, we are treating the students as adults and, more importantly, as adult readers.
We will use the facilities in the Immersive Room once again for a themed Escape Room-type session blending comprehension of the book, grammar, world geography (identifying countries on a worldwide map) and some Maths tasks as well. The students seem to enjoy these lively digital sessions as they also bring reading the novel to a conclusion.
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