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From the
Salt Lake Tribune:
Alex adjusts his seat, so he can more intently focus on the task at hand -- an exercise unfolding not on the pages of a workbook but on a computer screen.
Crowned by headsets, he and other sixth-graders click away at the promptings of their laptops for nearly an hour without so much as a peep. They are clearly motivated and seem to be enjoying what looks to be a video game.
"There are no discipline problems in this room. They're working really hard. After this, they're beat," remarks their teacher, a grinning Shauna Venturino.
Venturino is heading up a Murray School District experiment at Longview Elementary involving 50 sixth-graders and a colorful computer program called FastForWord Language. Developed by Scientific Learning Corp. in Berkeley, Calif., the program applies neurological theory to language and reading problems.
Scientists now widely believe the brain is "plastic," not rigidly wired, and can rewire itself given the right training. Applying that idea, FastForWord doesn't aim to teach students to read, but to improve their capacity to read. The games are like mental aerobics, "retraining" kids' brains for learning and literacy.
Skeptical? So was Venturino.
"There are a lot of interventions out there, and you have to choose carefully, because you only have so much time in the day and so many days in the school year," she said.
But Venturino says she was swayed by research showing the technology works and by a desire to "do something different for these kids."
A veteran special education teacher, Venturino has worked for years with children who have multiple and severe learning disabilities. Progress for these kids can be achingly slow, she said. "You're grateful, but it's slow."
FastForWord, as its name implies, promises speedier, more permanent gains. With just 18 computer sessions five of the Longview children have advanced an average of one full grade level in reading, standardized tests show.
Not all the children are disabled; they were picked for the experiment from classrooms at random to represent the full spectrum of learners. But even the most disadvantaged show increased focus and retention, say parents and teachers.
"I've seen a real improvement in Alex's ability to articulate what he wants, and it seems to have boosted his self-confidence," said his grandmother, Joan Watson, who describes her grandson's disorder simply as an inability to express emotions and thoughts.
It's too early to say whether these improvements are tied directly to FastForWord, acknowledges Wendy Bills, who oversees special education grants for Murray district and decided to give the software a try. She will test it over six months, tracking students' progress using standardized literacy tests and other tests provided by Scientific Learning. If it's successful, the program may go districtwide.
"I think a lot of districts are watching to see how our kids do," Bills said.
FastForWord is reportedly being used in more than 5,000 schools across the country even though the software isn't cheap.
Murray spent $18,000 for its time-limited license. But Scientific Learning sales manager Bob McCarty says it's an investment that will save money in the long run. He claims some users have made such gains they were able to move out of special education into mainstream classes, which are cheaper to staff.
Educators overwhelming agree on the importance of literacy. Without it, excellence in high school and beyond is impossible. But most research shows the foundation must be laid early in childhood. Students who are not reading on grade level by the end of the third grade quickly fall behind their classmates and 70 percent never catch up, studies show.
Although the makers of FastForWord say it benefits students at any age, at least one researcher says such claims "may be overstating things."
Utah State University's Ronald Gillam led a 2008 National Institutes of Health study of FastForWord, gauging its success against other literacy programs.
Gillam looked at kids with language impairments, some of whom have auditory processing problems, for which FastForWord was designed. Some children who appear to develop normally, have trouble processing rapid speech sounds. SastForWord developed an algorithm to elongate some sounds and increase the loudness of certain frequencies. Changing the sound forces kids to pay closer attention, prompting their brains to respond differently.
The voice issuing verbal instructions to identify shapes and colors in the game "Space Commander," for example, sounds like it's under water. Each time, the child gets something right, the computer issues a rewarding sound or gives points, and the sounds progressively become normal.
"There is some neurological evidence that changes in the brain occur," says Gillam, "But here's the rub. Our research showed there are lots of ways to improve the way kids perceive sounds. Whenever kids are faced with a task where they have to listen carefully and respond quickly, they tend to improve."
One benefit to FastForWord, though, is the backend tracking software that produces daily progress reports, helping teachers determine where and when a given student needs a little hand-holding, said Gillam, a professor at USU's Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education.
Teachers at Longview are believers.
Jennifer Allred has seven kids in the program, all of whom have made significant literacy gains, according to literary skills tests given three times a year.
"I'm definitely thumbs up on it," said Allred.
Said 20-year teacher Dale Johnson, "I wish we could put them all into it, if you want to know the truth … I've seen a lot of things come and go, but this is really getting down to the nitty gritty. This will give them a foundation that will help them academically for the rest of their lives."
From the Salt Lake Tribune:
