Return-Path: <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id h62AVLC16053; Wed, 2 Jul 2003 06:31:21 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 2 Jul 2003 06:31:21 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <13128@tommy.demon.co.uk> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: jn@tommy.demon.co.uk (John Nissen) To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ESL:9102] Re: Prison aid X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: PCElm 1.11 Status: O Content-Length: 3924 Lines: 102 Hello Elsa, WordAloud does allow a sentence-at-a-time display as well as word-at-a-time. (Toggle between them using '#'.) We find that the main advantage is for none of the things you mention, but for post-review, i.e. viewing the whole sentence that has just been read a word at a time. You raise an issue as how one learns to read. Personally I believe in the phonics approach, and there is no substitute for getting the student to concentrate on the decoding process. This is where the word-at-a-time display comes into its own. It is the closest analogue to spoken speech, so can be regarded as the most 'natural' way to present speech in a visual form! The saccadian eye movements are avoided, as is skipping from the end of one line to the beginning of the next. Thus the student has minimum distractions from the decoding process. BTW, it is possible to read very rapidly this way - called RSVP (rapid serial visual presentation). In WordAloud you can synchronise the display to synthesised speech (currently British English only), so that, as one strategy, the "pre-reading" can be done to allow a student to get the general meaning by themselves. Then you can switch off the speech, and go into 'collect' mode. When there is a difficult word, you can click on the word, and it is automatically put in a word list, for subsequent revision, e.g. at the end of a reading session. This feature is a boon for ESL. Regards, John P.S. There is a loose-leaf book on the "Top Marks" phonics method, supported by WordAloud, price $29. -- In message <F078EEE4D799064E95F003CFD9B4C7FC04B9760B@UMBE2K1> nifl-esl@nifl.gov writes: >I would be careful about any program that advocates reading >one word at a time; this robs students of the ability to use >multiple contextual cues, to do pre-reading, previewing and many >other strategies that aid the meaning making processes. >Elsa Auerbach > >> ---------- >> From: John Nissen >> Reply To: nifl-esl@nifl.gov >> Sent: Tuesday, July 1, 2003 5:56 PM >> To: Multiple recipients of list >> Subject: [NIFL-ESL:9100] Re: Prison aid >> >> Hello Gail, >> >> You could try WordAloud - download it from the web onto a CD - >> from http://www.cloudworld.co.uk. >> WordAloud can be used for 30 minutes before it times out. >> It includes phonics material which could help in >> adult education/literacy classes, including ESL. >> WordAloud displays a word at a time across the screen, >> so, with a large monitor, can be used to teach a number of >> adults in a classroom setting. >> >> BTW, WordAloud has recently been used for TEFL with great success >> in Sri Lanka. >> >> Regards, >> >> John >> -- >> >From: Gail Spangenberg [mailto:gspangenberg@caalusa.org] >> >Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2003 1:21 PM >> >To: Multiple recipients of list >> >Subject: [NIFL-ESL:9095] >> > >> > >> >Friends, I have received a rather compelling letter from a male >> >inmate in Colorado asking for advice and materials on how best to >> >work as a tutor with men in adult education/literacy classes at the >> >prison (mainly GED and ESL). He needs to be able to obtain materials >> >at no cost. From what I can tell of his letter, he has no e-mail >> >access, but I would like to try and help him out by letter with some >> >sound leads. If anyone experienced in this area can offer >> >suggestions that I might compile and pass along to him, I'd be >> >grateful for a direct e-mail response from you. Thanks very much. >> >Gail S >> >-- >> >Gail Spangenberg >> >President >> >Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy >> >1221 Avenue of the Americas - 50th Floor >> >New York, NY 10020 >> >212-512-2362, fax 212-512-2610 -- Access the word, access the world! -- Try our WordAloud software!! John Nissen, Cloudworld Ltd., Chiswick, London Tel: +44 (0) 845 458 3944 (local rate in the UK) Fax: +44 (0) 20 8742 8715 Web: http://www.cloudworld.co.uk
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Thu Mar 11 2004 - 12:16:03 EST