Educational Software for Those Learning to Read

Learning to Read, Not Learning to Play

One of the first things the speech pathologist Jim Larrabee insisted on when Mindplay approached him was that he didn't want to be involved in typical "edutainment" educational software. As a teacher, he saw most of his students just plug away at a program, hitting keys or clicking randomly, until the game portion started. Instead of actually learning to read, they were just playing games. My Reading Coach is not a phonics game or "edutainment". It is a synthesis of Jim Larrabee's reading instruction methods and several years of analysis of why it works (and how it could work better). This has been placed in a computer program that can adjust to the student's ability, pace, and retention of topics.

 

A New Model for Educational Software

My Reading Coach is a new approach to educational software. It presents the fundamental components of reading in lessons, just like in a classroom. But it does more than just spout off phonics rules. The program tests the learner's comprehension in different activities. The program keeps track of how long a student is in a lesson and the types of mistakes made. Using this information, it can alert teachers or parents to possible problem areas.

My Reading Coach approaches learning through instruction and not bright graphics, games, and funny voices. It is this model that allows the program to have the flexibility it has shown. With the addition of numerous teacher/parent-controlled options, the program can be used for second grade students, adults, and anyone in between.

This educational software doesn't get learners "hooked on phonics". Instead, it teaches them what they need to know to read and comprehend what they read.

 

Home Use: A Virtual Teacher

The My Reading Coach program is a virtual teacher. It provides the benefits of a reading teacher and speech pathologist. In the home or for homeschooling, this feature can be of great use. A parent can help their child or teen learn to read, without having to pay for an expensive tutor or learn the details of teaching reading.

 

School Use: Individualized Instruction At Last

Not everyone learns at the same pace. Some students need more help than average; some need less. It is impossible for a teacher to provide individual instruction to a class of 15 to 30 students. The teacher is forced to teach at a certain level and pace that will not match a significant portion of his/her class. As a result, some students are lost and others are bored.

My Reading Coach can give the needed individualized instruction. The program can skip lessons where the student has already demonstrated mastery. It can also repeat lessons that a student needs to review. It can do this at the same time. One student may be going through a needed review of "s" and "z" (lesson 12). At the same time, another student may be finishing "compound words" (lesson 32) and moving on to the next lesson.

In a classroom environment, this could be invaluable. Most of the students could be working on the program while the teacher works with a student that need more help on a particular lesson or an off-line activity with a student. High and low end students can be placed on the program while the teacher works with the other students.

Thus each computer running My Reading Coach becomes a teacher's aide (with the knowledge and abilities of a 25-year veteran teacher) dedicated to helping the student learn to read.