Hua, I recently read a study saying that if you consistently read English materials that are “just right”—a bit challenging but still understandable—your speaking ability can improve even if you don’t practice speaking every day.

Really? That sounds a bit like Krashen’s “comprehensible input” theory. But if students don’t speak, how can they become more fluent?

The study followed 90 university students for six months. Each week they read AI-generated articles tailored to their level. In the end, all three groups showed clear improvement in their speaking test scores.

So they mainly did reading? That’s fascinating! But wouldn’t AI-written articles be boring? I worry students wouldn’t stick with it.

Some students thought that too, but many said they remembered vocabulary more firmly and had ready-made expressions in mind when speaking, so they felt less nervous. It reminds me of the old saying: ‘After reading ten thousand books, writing flows like magic.’

I see. So input is like soil, and output is like flowers. As long as the soil is fertile enough, the flowers will naturally bloom. But were there any problems with the study?

Yes. For example, there was no control group, only one teacher rated the speaking tests, and many beginner learners dropped out midway. So we can’t draw firm conclusions yet.

Hearing that makes me want to try this in my class. Maybe the key isn’t just speaking more, but first letting students read material that’s just right. Do you think we should also reflect on our own teaching methods?