ER is an abbreviation of Extensive Reading. ER is a proven approach to successful foreign language acquisition. When learners read extensively, they read texts which are just above their levels. They do not need to use dictionary to look for meanings because they can guess meanings of unfamiliar books from the context. In this way, they can enjoy the story and forget they are reading to improve their foreign language skills.
Most Japanese students are familiar with intensive reading where they examine texts by studying the vocabulary and grammar, but at the University of Shimane we encourage students to read a lot of easy books to build their fluency.
There are over 3,000 ER books at the library, and we implement an ER program in a freshman’s English course.