The excitement is building around Fast ForWord Foundations I, the flagship of the new Fast ForWord. We have received great feedback from early reviewers, so we just have to share the buzz. Here is a top ten list with some big wins for students, for educators, and for the whole Fast ForWord family.
Students are going to love...
1. Streaks:
Rushing to earn points can lead to mistakes that set you back. In contrast, earning high streaks requires staying focused and avoiding mistakes – which is how you make progress in the Fast ForWord exercises. How many can you get correct in a row?
2. Autoplay:
Now you can zip through a series of three or more trials with one click of the Go button. If you get them all correct, you earn bonus points and bump up your next Autoplay series. Autoplay and the Streak signs work together to reinforce the importance of consecutive correct trials.
3. Replay:
Classrooms can be noisy places. If you didn’t hear a word or sound, you no longer need to guess. Click the Replay button and be sure of your answer.
4. Progress indicators:
The Progress Meter has been supercharged! Combined with the new Feeder Meter, Completion Sign, and 10% celebration animations, it gives immediate feedback about each step you make forward, and you can readily see exactly how far you have come.
5. Increased adaptivity:
Okay, they might not call it that… but students will love being able to fast-track through material that is easy for them, and quickly reach material that provides the right level of challenge.
Educators are going to love...
6. Enhanced introductory sequences:
We have figured out where many students get stuck and provided more complete and differentiated instruction to help them make a strong start.7. Just-in-time, automated coaching:
Rather than merely raising a flag when a student needs help, Foundations I identifies when and where a student is struggling and provides coaching to correct such common issues as understanding the task, content knowledge, choosing effective strategies, and maintaining attention / motivation.
8. Vocabulary pre-teaching:
No more flash cards getting students ready to use Fast ForWord! Foundations I embeds instruction in relevant vocabulary within the exercises.
9. Direct instruction on language structures:
Ever wonder how to teach reduced relative clauses to a second grader struggling with Ele-bot? Now, Ele-bot is carrying more of her own weight, by coaching students on what to listen for and how to understand various grammatical forms.
The whole Fast ForWord family is going to love...
10. SmartLearning Technology:
You can’t see it, but it powers many of the improvements in this list and it opens the door to future improvements. Imagine that – educational technology that learns and gets smarter, just like you and your students do!
