Computer Reading Programs

Parents put a lot of faith in computers but software by itself cannot teach your child to read. Unfortunately most commercial reading programs emphasis flash and entertainment over structure and content. These programs entertain and engage the child but fail at actually teaching them to read.

Also, like other reading programs, computer reading programs assume that readers have pre-existing and fully-developed cognitive skills. This means that most computer reading programs focus on reading instruction, rule-based lessons, and fluency games, rather than addressing reading issues at the foundational level of cognitive processing.

Cognitive skills are a determining factor of an individual's learning ability, according to Oxfordlearning.com the skills that “separate the good learners from the so-so learners.” In essence, when cognitive skills are strong, learning is fast and easy. When cognitive skills are weak, learning becomes a struggle. Hundred and thirty studies have shown that 88% of below-grade-level readers have significant weaknesses in cognitive skills.

According to the National Institute of Child & Human Development, a division of the Educational Department in the U.S.A., “repeated and monitored oral reading improves reading fluency and overall reading achievement…. No research evidence is available currently to confirm that instructional time spent on silent, independent reading with minimal guidance and feedback improves reading fluency and overall reading achievement.”