Allow Passages to be read as a whole
Jennifer Delgardio
With Integrated Reading and Applied Math (CCE activities as well), students have to click the audio button, then click on a sentence/paragraph for it to be read aloud. They have to repeat this for the entire passage/every question and answer choice.
Teachers are finding this to be a distraction for students with attention concerns. This is proving to be frustrating for lower level students as well.
"Is there a way to enable reader for the entire passage without the student having to click the listen button for each line and each multiple-choice question?"
Jennifer Delgardio
In training Montgomery last week, a teacher brought a similar request up. Their students are "annoyed" with having to click the audio button, then the sentence/paragraph, and repeating through the entire thing. They requested an option to a)read the entire passage in one go OR b)use the functionality as is (ie. let it be up to the student).
Judy Teevan
Also some teachers want the students to read these without audio support to access student independent reading.
Jennifer Delgardio
Judy Teevan: Exactly - from my understanding it would be "all" or "one part at a time" - we wouldn't be able to change the style for lower level activities vs. higher level.
Judy Teevan
I really support the idea that students click to move to the next paragraph. This is actually most helpful to students who have attention issues because they often have to re-read paragraphs (due to distractions). As we stress in training, it's important for teachers to model for students. Even modeling, how to move to the next paragraph or saying - I'm not sure I completely understand what the author is saying here, let's read that again. Same with the questions. If the auto-reader just plows through the questions it is likely to lose the student. Also students may need to click an answer choice to hear it again, not the question and ALL answer choices.
Is this a request that comes in often or is this from a particular customer?
Jennifer Delgardio
Judy Teevan: I've had this complaint come in a handful of times from Robeson specifically. Really for the younger k,1 students. I agree with your thoughts on it as well. But wanted to record the request
Jennifer Delgardio
Another request here:
Would it be possible for the program to read the passages all the way through, instead of part by part? For the younger students, clicking the speaker icon to turn it on, and then clicking the part of the passage to be read, and then having to do it again for the next part, can be a little much, especially when they accidentally scroll, and then have to figure out where they were and which part they were at.