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PresentERs – Motivating High School Students to Read

September 28, 2025 @ 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

We will have a short talk about Extensive Reading from Mary O’Sullivanย on Sunday 28 September 19:00-20:00. The event will involve a short 20-30 minute casual talk from our PresentER, followed by around 20-30 minutes of questions and discussion. PresentERs takes place on the last Sunday of each month online on Zoom. It is free for anyone to attend.

Abstract:

In this presentation, I will describe my teaching situation, and how I encourage students at Osaka Prefectural Kitano High School to take part in extensive reading through Xreading. Motivation is central to success, so I begin by helping students understand the benefits of extensive reading for language growth. I also try to sustain interest by setting achievable goals, giving rewards, and offering praise and recognition for progress. I will share examples of how these approaches work in a large, mixed-ability high school classroom. I donโ€™t know all the answers for motivating students but I will share what has worked for me.

Speaker Bio:

Mary Oโ€™Sullivan has taught languages in Ireland, Spain, and Japan. She began her career teaching Irish in secondary schools in Ireland before moving to Spain, where she taught English as a Second Language. Returning to Ireland, she taught both Spanish and Irish at secondary level. After moving to Japan, she spent about 15 years teaching English at university before joining Osaka Prefectural Kitano High School, where she now teaches English. She has developed her own teaching materials and is interested in practical ways of supporting student learning. At Kitano, she has introduced Xreading to make extensive reading more accessible and to support fluency in large, mixed-ability classes.

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