Teaching Communicative Reading Strategies to EFL Learners in Iraq

Communicative language teaching is the stated goal for learning the English language in Iraq. An examination of the Iraqi English reading classes shows that communicative methodology has not been implemented into the classroom practices to enable the students to be proficient readers. The current reading instruction does not consider the use of an interactive model of reading, nor does it teach reading strategies. Thus, with such practices, students are unlikely to become proficient readers. Based on such factors that influence English language teaching in Iraq, this study was conducted. The study investigates the current practices of reading instruction in Iraqi high schools and how effective these practices were when compared to the best practices of communicative language teaching. The results revealed that the actual practices in Iraqi high schools were less effective in producing successful readers who could actively interact with the text in order to achieve comprehension. Finally, recommendations for improvement are proposed. The proposal presents a six-hour lesson plan to be considered as a model of practices that may be incorporated into the English language classroom.