Hooking struggling readers with books they CAN and WANT to read: Teacher-made e-books

This project sought to address two challenges in the training of pre-service English teachers: (1) how to better prepare pre-service teachers to support young English learners with difficulties in learning to read and (2) how to provide opportunities for pre-service teachers to explore new technology tools to enhance the teaching of fundamental reading skills. In accordance with the aims, a total of 27 pre-service English teachers from the Education University of Hong Kong were recruited to explore the use of e-books to support struggling readers from two local primary schools. Through creating their own e-books, developing accompanying lesson plans, and conducting trial lessons, the recruited pre-service teachers actively constructed knowledge about e-books and their use in the early primary English classroom. Data collected from the pre- and post-project questionnaires and focus group interviews show this project increased recruited pre-service teachers’ understanding of e-books as a tool to support early literary practices as well as their ability to consider the use of e-books in English classrooms critically. Findings were also translated into recommendations on e-book design and effective use of teacher-made e-books.