Here are the 3 main takeaways:
1. At the heart of reading is comprehension, where students can draw meaning and pleasure from the text. Decoding is simply the mechanics of reading, where one connects the visual symbols to their phonological sounds. One can have decoding skills but not comprehension. For comprehension to be successful, reading fluency, defined as accurate reading at an appropriate speed and emotional expression, needs to be
strong.
2. Reading fluency is best built through guided oral reading, where a child or student is given immediate correction or guidance as he/ she reads aloud. This has been found to be superior to silent reading in building reading fluency. While this is a simple technique, parents and teachers may be constrained by time to support 1:1 reading.
3. Using voice-recognition technology, Reading Assistant is a computerised personal reading coach designed to provide guidance to students as they read aloud. At the same time, using thoughtful questions and books personally selected at just the right challenge for each child, comprehension skills and strategies are developed. The result is a stronger reader who can derive meaning and
pleasure from reading.
