Current international literacy results have been disappointing. Take the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results, for example. They showed that of the 600 thousand 15-year old’s that were assessed, 25% could not understand the main point of the short text that they read[1].
In Australia, the results showed that these student’s reading ability has regressed over the last 20 years[2]. Moreover, a recent review found that about 10% of all Australian school students have literacy skills below grade level[3]. And, it’s particularly discouraging that half of Year 1 students are still struggling with phonics, a crucial skill in reading success[4].
A large body of research has identified the specific skills that are necessary to teach for literacy success[5]. Yet, there is also a body of evidence to show that the problem can somewhat be attributed to inadequate teacher-training programs that underplay or even ignore these key areas of literacy instruction[6].
To fill the gaps, enter the new, fun app, Learn to Read George Canine. Available on Apple and Android devices, it’s a free, high-quality app that helps teachers and parents teach early literacy skills. Every bit of the app, Learn to Read George Canine, is based on solid scientific evidence and the latest government recommendations for early literacy[7].
Learn to Read George Canine can boost students’ early literacy success because it focuses on and integrates the five key areas in literacy education: phonemic awareness (which is about recognizing sounds in words), phonics (matching alphabet letters to sounds and blending them to form words), reading fluency and vocabulary[8]. All of this leads to the fifth area and the goal of reading instruction: reading comprehension[9]. The app incorporates these five areas explicitly, sequentially and systematically to make sure that kids succeed in reading, spelling, writing, and understanding what they read and write.
To top it off, throughout all of this, the app makes learning fun. In particular, the five key areas are always linked not only to cool games, but also to non-fiction and fictionalised stories that are relevant to the lives of young people. Through these stories[10], students learn how to apply their phonics skills to meaningful reading and writing activities. Furthermore, the fictionalised stories promote broader capabilities, like resilience and social cooperation. And through all of this, unlike many other apps, the program collects not one byte of personal information about the users.
A good deal of research suggests that small, personalized tutoring groups can significantly improve students’ literacy skills[11], especially in the early years[12]. Learn to Read George Canine is an equally successful literacy tool whether used with small tutor groups, one-on-one interventions, or whole-classroom lessons.
The app’s first ten lessons have been successfully tried out with Kindergarten and Year 1 students who struggle to meet the expected levels. When using the app with a small tutorial group, one experienced Year 1 teacher said, “I’ve never seen my kids so engaged and focused.” And, she’s likely to repeat that line when the next ten lessons are added to the app.
Learn to Read George Canine is an important teacher aid because when kids who’ve been struggling finally reach their target level, they’re more likely to improve in all school subjects, and therefore, to stay in school to the very end. The research shows that that’s good news for their future lives[13].
Learn to Read George Canine is a free download app that gets students excited about reading, spelling, writing, and understanding text, so that they can reach their expected grade levels, become confident readers and writers, and stay in school. That pathway gives them the autonomy and freedom that they need to fully participate in the world, and that’s the ultimate aim of the app.
[1] OECD. (2019c). PISA 2018 results (Volume I): What Students Know and Can Do. https://www.oecd.org/pisa/Combined_Executive_Summaries_PISA_2018.pdf?
[2] OECD. (2019c). PISA 2018 results—Combined executive summaries, Volume I, II & III, Australia – Country Note https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/PISA2018_CN_AUS.pd
[3] Productivity Commission 2022, Review of the National School Reform Agreement, Study Report, Canberra.https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/school-agreement/report/school-agreement-overview.pdf
[4] New South Wales Department of Education. (2022). Year 1 Phonics Screening Check 2022 Update
Government of South Australia Department of Education. (2022). 2022 phonics screening check summary.
[5] For example, phonemic awareness, the single best predictor of reading success. It’s the ability to recognize and manipulate the smallest units of sound in spoken words. For example, the idea that the word, cup, has three separate sounds, and that if you change the first sound to a ‘pah’ sound, you get a new word, pup ). Phonics is the ability to match these sounds to alphabet letters.
[6] For example, https://education.nsw.gov.au/about-us/educational-data/cese/publications/literature-reviews/effective-reading-instruction-in-the-early-years-of-school
[7] For example, NSW Curriculum Education Standards Authority. (2023). New South Wales Curriculum. https://curriculum.nsw.edu.au/
[8] For example, National Reading Panel. (2000) Report of the National Reading Panel–Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction. Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
New South Wales Department of Education. (2022). Effective Reading Instruction in the Early Years of school. https://education.nsw.gov.au/about-us/educational-data/cese/publications/literature-reviews/effective-reading-instruction-in-the-early-years-of-school
[9] For example, National Reading Panel. (2000) Report of the National Reading Panel–Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction. Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
New South Wales Department of Education. (2022). Effective Reading Instruction in the Early Years of school. https://education.nsw.gov.au/about-us/educational-data/cese/publications/literature-reviews/effective-reading-instruction-in-the-early-years-of-school
[10] For example, the definitive work on this topic by Adams, M.J. (1991). Beginning To Read: Thinking and Learning about Print. Language, 67, 388.
National Reading Panel. (2000) Report of the National Reading Panel–Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction. Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
[11] Productivity Commission. (2022). Review of the National School Reform Agreement, Study Report, Canberra.https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/school-agreement/report/school-agreement-overview.pdf
[12] For example, Wanzek, J., Stevens, E. A., Williams, K. J., Scammacca, N., Vaughn, S., & Sargent, K. (2018). Current Evidence on the Effects of Intensive Early Reading Interventions. Journal of learning disabilities, 51(6), 612–624. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219418775110. 2018 Nov/Dec;51(6):612-624. doi: 10.1177/0022219418775110. Epub 2018 May 21. PMID: 29779424; PMCID: PMC6247899.
[13] For example, Amy L. Reschly (2010) Reading and School Completion: Critical Connections
and Matthew Effects, Reading & Writing Quarterly, 26:1, 67-90, DOI: 10.1080/10573560903397023