News Flash: Brain strain?

Are products like Fast ForWord an essential piece of the
puzzle in improving student reading and language skills? 

The students walk into the classroom and sit down at their computers. They fit headphones on and wait for the systems to start up. They then can begin a forty or fifty minute protocol in different "games" that are supposed to help rewire the brain.

If someone walked into this classroom he/she might see students bent over with their heads on the computer desks as if they were asleep. Yet, they are in a challenging phase of an exercise where they need to recognize low and high sounds.

The sounds are played so quickly that some students find it easier to concentrate by shutting out any visual distractions, and the only movement comes from their fingers as they swiftly enter choices on the keyboard.

Welcome to a classroom in the 21st century where students are experiencing the Literacy products by Scientific Learning. According to the company, the software is designed to "rewire the brain for academic gain." Their website says that the software is so effective that "on average, students can achieve a one to two grade level reading gain in 8 to 12 weeks."

The major principle behind the development of the software centres around the research of brain plasticity that "demonstrates that completing learning tasks in a frequent, intense timeframe accelerates learning."

The acronym MAPS is used to summarize the four key cognitive skill sets that are developed when using the Fast ForWord products. MAPS stands for memory, attention, processing rate and sequencing.

There is no doubt that science has made dramatic strides in how the brain works, and these discoveries have helped form the basis of new teaching approaches in schools across the globe. But can computer software programs really give the brain "a workout" that will help improve students' cognitive skills and reading fluency?

Unsurprisingly, according to Scientific Learning, they can. The Reading Progress Indicator (RPI) was designed by an independent assessment provider company, Bookette Software, to measure students' reading and language skills as they progress through the Fast ForWord products.

This assessment, combined with the experience of many schools, makes for an impressive number of testimonials that praise the effectiveness of Scientific Learning's line of computer products.

Additionally, the RPI assessment allows the software to automatically set a student in the program and at the level it determines will be best for that student. Although the educator can disable this feature and assign the student to another product if he/she feels the RPI assessment placement is misdirected.

The newest versions of products from Scientific Learning
are online, so students can "exercise their brain" anywhere
 there is a high speed Internet connection, whether it is a
computer lab, classroom or even at home.  
So is Fast ForWord a new revolutionary way to help students develop reading and language skills through computer generated brain exercises? Those who have invested in the software say yes, but there are some doubts.

According to the website teacheffectively.com, at least two independent studies of the program question how effective Fast ForWord is, particularly if compliance with the program is inconsistent.

Dr. Steve Miller, a co-founder of Scientific Learning, responded to the site in the comment section. Dr. Miller said that the Fast ForWord products now have 30-50 minute protocols per day as opposed to the older 90-100 minute protocols that were used when the research was done. Dr. Miller then provides the titles of three published studies that found Fast ForWord to be effective in raising literacy outcomes.

Despite doubts and conflicting evidence, it looks like Fast ForWord will not disappear any time soon. In fact, other companies are now on the scene, like Lumosity, that also provides brain computerized games for any ages. The company claims their software has helped people recover from diseases and accident-related brain injuries. Similar to Scientific Learning, Lumosity is "advised by leading experts in neuroscience and cognitive psychology."

It is doubtful educators would see computer brain games as the ultimate solution for improving reading and language skills. However, for schools and districts that can afford the products and can devote the time, they may be an excellent supplement, particularly for struggling, special needs and at-risk students.

Related sites:

  • The Reading Brain and the Fast ForWord Program: Click here
  • Exploring the re-wiring of the brain: Click here
  • New Clues on Rewiring the Brain: Click here
  • Brian Flexibility, Basis for Software Development to Treat Learning Disabilities: Click here
  • Rewiring the brain to learn: Click here

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