How I started applying AAR in Zoom sessions with International English learners.

It all started with a paper book and its audio version.

The book was "Atomic Habits", by James Clear. It was actually the first time I tried reading and listening to a book at the same time. I've always listened to audio books in English, I find it really useful to improve listening skills.

When I got the paper version of "Atomic Habits", luckily I got the audio version as well, for free. “Luckily” not because it was free, but because I’d never ordered the paper book AND the audio book together before. I had only used one OR the other. Getting them together made a huge difference in my reading comprehension.

Since I had both, I decided to read and listen to the book at the same time, just for fun.

Saying that I was impressed by how much easier it was to understand and follow along with the text is an understatement. I got so excited, I decided to do some research to see if there were actual benefits to listening to a text while also reading it.

I then started researching articles, content, material, and whatever could give me a better understanding about what I was experiencing. There must’ve been something about it somewhere.

After extensive research, I came across an activity called "AAR" - Audio Assisted Reading.. Bingo!

Teachers use this activity across the country to help kids improve their reading skills.

Wow! I was amazed by everything I was reading. And I found out that AAR applies to other areas of English learning as well.

But to my surprise, it was hard to find accessible AAR content that would be relevant for adults’ English learning.

As I've been hosting speaking clubs for English learners for a while, I thought that it would be amazing if I could bring this activity into my Zoom meetings. So I started searching for resources and tools that I could use in the sessions. Also, I tried to gather all the information available on how AAR works and how to use it effectively.

After putting all the information together, I prepared a program for the session, following these steps:

1. Choose a reading passage and audio recording of the reading.

2. Ask students to listen to the audio while following along on the paper or digital copy of the passage.

3. Have students read out loud along with the audio recording.

4. Ask students to read the passage without the audio.

I then added one more step:

5. Read to an audience.

Adding the audience readings to the practice came after noticing that some English learners (if not most of them) have a very difficult time speaking in front of an audience (and I have been through that myself). Public speaking can be freaking scary, especially when it comes to learning a new language.

Thinking about the struggles of speaking in public and how AAR could help immensely in this process, I decided to add "audience readings" to my sessions as part of the practice. The participants don't need to improvise or prepare anything. What they do instead is read the text that they have just practiced in the first part of the session, which helps to build confidence. Also, when they listen to other people from different countries reading the same passage, they feel connected and motivated.

After putting the steps together, I implemented them in a session, and it ended up being a huge success! To my surprise, I received a lot of messages and positive feedback from the participants, and some even said that it was the first time they ever spoke to an audience, and that despite being nervous, they were feeling good and proud of themselves. That made me very happy and excited with the results. My heart was full, and I decided to continue using these steps in future sessions.

That was the beginning of this amazing and rewarding journey hosting AAR sessions, and I've learned a lot from this experience.

I'm very happy to be able to share and spread the word about this activity, and for witnessing the improvements achieved by those who join the sessions.

In the next posts, I'm going to share some of the resources and tools that I've found to use in AAR online sessions.