Cracking a not-so- mysterious code

Move over Da Vinci Code, there’s a more difficult – but less controversial – universal code that is proving to be a tough nut to crack for about 50 percent of the global population.

It’s English, plain and simple. And an Ottawa-based computer-aided education software company called AutoSkill International Inc. is ready to help these people crack this problem code.

According to Richard Stanton, AutoSkill director for international business development, who was in the country recently for the International Reading Congress, half of the world’s population needs a more structural approach to learning English. "This is where tools like our software program really can help because it creates a structure for them to learn it," he says.

There is a big difference between knowing how to read and understanding what you’ve just read. Yes, it’s easy to mouth the words but to understand them completely? According to Gemini IT Consulting Corp.’s (AutoSkill’s Philippine partner) GM Cielo Reyes, one out of four Filipinos is functionally illiterate, which means he’s unable "to decode symbols and make them into something significant and understandable."

All these code talk may seem mumbo-jumbo to you but, truth is, it’s as easy as reading your ABCs. In a nutshell, the Academy of Reading software program is a teaching tool where a student having a hard time in reading comprehension can peruse according to his/her own pace. The child will be given reading activities that target the development of several skills, including phonemic awareness and sound-symbol association, phonics and decoding, and comprehension.

Stanton likens reading to learning how to drive a car. "When you first learn to drive, you first struggle with the mechanics of driving. Over time, those driving skills become subconscious and you’re not thinking about the clutch or stickshift anymore. Reading is similar. The reason people struggle is because they’re tripping all over the mechanical skills of reading like sounding out words, listening and matching what they hear and see on the page. Once you master these, then you start focusing solely on understanding what they’ve read," explains Stanton, adding that reading doesn’t come naturally for people. "It’s something that was created and not everyone picks it up naturally."

The whole idea behind this program came from two Canadian neuropsychologists from McGill University in Montreal who wanted to help dyslexic patients. Wanting to explore the potential technology vis-a-vis the reading process, they worked with Vince Walter who was then with Unisys. At that time, the government of Ontario provided almost $35 million for the development of a "pedagogically superior software," said to be the most expensive program to be funded by the Canadian government.

After 10 years of clinical trials involving young kids, adults and even prisoners, the program was turned into a Windows program for use in North American schools. In Stanton’s words, they were able to develop an easy-to-use and scalable system.

From the US and Canada, the program was tried out in Ireland and the UK. Stanton cites the case of a troubled teenager from Birmingham, England, who couldn’t read but got into the Academy of Reading. After completing the program, he got so motivated to learn and did well apparently. "He applied for a scholarship in the US and had been accepted," says Stanton.

In Jamaica, Vince Walter shares, a school’s literacy rate jumped from 68 percent to 91 percent after three years of using the program. And to prove how cost-effective the system is, Walter adds that in that Jamaican school, it took only 10 computers to help 900 students improve their reading comprehension. "You only use it for a limited period of time, perhaps 45 minutes a day, three to five times a week. While it’s costly to get the program, once you use it, it will take you less than a dollar to advance a child’s reading skills," he says.

Stanton stresses that the program is not about speed reading. Instead, it’s all about consistency. "It’s a comprehension program and it’s all about efficient reading," he says. While the program mainly targets kids who are in the upper grades and beginning of secondary school, the program can also be used by adults and can be used not only in school, but also in workplaces such as garments industry and hospitals. Why, a deaf person reportedly benefited from the said program. "It’s important for employees who lack reading skills to take this program so they could understand, say safety manuals, well," Stanton adds.

Stanton and Walter had already discussed the program (which, by the way, is complemented by another program called Academy of Math) with representatives from the Department of Education and, with Gemini IT Consulting Corp.’s help, launched pilot tests in several schools in Metro Manila. Among the schools that have availed themselves of this program are Ramon Magsaysay High School, Temple Hill International School, St. Scholastica, Miriam College and Integrated Montessori.

But can the children relate with the stories included in the program? Absolutely, replies Stanton, explaining that most of the themes they have included in the program are universal anyway. "But we’re closely coordinating with the Department of Education to come up with stories of high interest to the learners here," he says. The teachers can also modify the content. For example, a teacher can explain to a Filipino student that a lorrie is the same as a truck, and that the word "napkin" is called a serviette in Canada and a "diaper" in the UK.

The programmers also took great pains to come up with age-dependent stories. So, says Stanton, adult learners won’t be reading about dancing rabbits in here. As much as possible, they tailor stories to a particular region. While the program is highly cost-effective for schools, owning one at home could be expensive as it could fetch at least P80,000. But eager learners need not fret as the people behind AutoSkill will soon introduce a browser-based Internet version of the program. A website set up by the Department of Education for the schools to be able to access the program is also being encouraged, following a similar scheme employed in Irish schools.

Walter, who is the chair of Cornerstone Inc., the distributor of AutoSkill in Asia, South America and the Caribbean, says that Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Korea have employed the program. "But the Philippines is the first main country in Asia where we’re introducing the program on a large scale. We are extremely hopeful that this is going to set the tone in Asia," he says.

But before everyone starts thinking that this program is a cure-all, Stanton clarifies that the program is "not the entire solution." It does complement other programs and provides the foundation needed for developing a kid’s reading skills. "I don’t think you can replace one-on-one teaching as it’s always the best way. But the reality is the school system has large classes of children needing help. This is why we get used all over the world because it’s an issue of scale," says Stanton. "Once the students are there in front of the computer, the motivation to keep reading won’t be far behind. The students become engaged and motivated learners. That is because we have unlocked that code of reading that used to hold a lot of people back."

With the code finally cracked and broken down into easy-to-understand sections, expect more individuals to read better in English. And that makes reading more enjoyable ... yes, especially when cracking mysterious codes from controversial novels.