The significance of developing reading skills and the use

Current Situation for Teaching and Learning Reading in Samarkand University

The perceived role of English in international economic success has led Uzbek government to require English courses at all levels of the education system. Although today’s requirements lay great emphasis on the development of students’ listening and speaking skills, English instruction at the university level is also devoted to reading as it has been intricately intertwined with language teaching itself. The

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textbooks used in the university English classes are designed for intensive reading courses and are well above the students’ current comprehension levels. They include short and authentic texts followed by a variety of exercises that encourage students to study vocabulary and grammar because they know they will be given tests and quizzes, or at least they will be asked questions in class that demand a detailed knowledge of vocabulary, structure, and comprehension details (Field, 2002). Teachers control the conditions of reading by instructing, explaining and illustrating vocabulary, grammar and sentence formation, teaching reading strategies and testing students’ comprehension in the hope to help students to learn English, which turns reading into a process of detailed study, memorization, analysis and guessing (Field, 2002). Urquhart and Weir (1998) describe this kind of reading lesson as ‘testing, but not teaching’.

Literature Review

Because of COVID-19, we have to work with students online (web-distance learning). There are different names for computers and internet-based teaching and learning such as web-based learning, e-learning, computerized-learning, on-line learning or virtual learning (Jorge Hugo).
According to Sampson (2003) distance learning referred mainly to students’ independent learning at a distance, developed through the means of self-study texts, non-contiguous communication, and not controlled by the teacher.
Holmberg (1986) explained how “distance education includes the various forms of study at all levels which are not under the continuous, immediate supervision of tutors present with their students in lecture rooms or on the same premises, but which, nevertheless, benefit from the planning, guidance and tuition of a tutorial organization” (p. 26).
The role of teachers in web distance learning is essential as Easton (2003) stated that web-based teaching is not about “putting up a website or turning one’s lectures into text and then stepping back” (p. 89) because this approach is not effective for learning. While Wallace (2003) made explicit the growing interest in understanding the role of the web-based teacher in courses in which communication and interaction among students and teacher is a must. She states how web-based teachers should be able to “create presence in online discussions through a number of techniques including facilitating discussions, providing direct instruction, and giving feedback to students” (p. 260). Salmon (2000) presented a model for teaching and learning in web-based environments that includes five components: access and motivation; web-based socialization; information exchange; knowledge construction; and, development.