SoftRead™ the method and the software program

 

Dyslexia bypassing method which will teach reading to anyone

 

Generally speaking, reading is an essential skill in any learning process. Poor reading might block the learning process and therefore be a reason for unsatisfactory learning results and achievements.

 

Reading is composed of two different skills – the first being   the decoding of the reading symbols, and the second is comprehension of the reading material.

 

When we say 'I have read this article', we mean we have accomplished two things – we have decoded and then also understood. We cannot always   really fully understand in depth as to the   meaning of what the writer meant, but if we didn't correctly decode, then we definitely wouldn’t have comprehended any information about the text.

 

The software takes the learner from the very basic level of reading. Some will spend more time on these basic stages and some less, but every one will have to go through these stages. The more interesting part is the rules which teach and train the reading and spelling patterns.

 

SoftRead ™   teaches and trains reading and spelling simultaneously, i.e. one is the decoding process and the other encoding. These two skills are like a mirror of each other, complementing each other to the full process of reading. When people/potential students complain to us about their spelling problems we know they lack decoding awareness. This awareness is achieved by teaching and later training the reading patterns.

 

The following article was written by Daniela Aviv, an Israeli who developed a method and created a tool to help non-readers to become readers.

 

The language referred to is English, which is a second language in Israel, and of course is not the native language.

 

Not only do Israelis find English rather difficult to learn, yet  they find it even more difficult to read since the reading techniques are totally different – the symbols, the direction, and most important all the letter combinations and  patterns as the silent letters are mostly unknown in Hebrew.

 

The world according to Daniela Aviv is divided into two: The easy readers who learn to read unnoticeably, and the non-readers who have to be taught how to read.

 

Daniela Aviv does not agree with, or support the idea of recorded material, taped textbooks and so on. She claims that every one must read. Reading is essential. It is an important tool for one's career and everyday life.

 

 Fortunately since dyslexia is a condition that can be dealt with, all we have to do in order to succeed is to bypass it. This is the underlying and guiding concept – dyslexia is like an allergy – bypass it and you won't know you have it.

 

 

The software succeeds in   teaching   reading to every non-reader in a relatively short time. One of its most special qualities is the detachment and disconnection from semantics. According to D. Aviv it is easier to teach a non-English speaker to read rather than an English speaker. She attributes a great deal of importance to the coding and decoding techniques and trains the brain to decode and code systematically and logically also using images and patterns.

The method implemented in the software teaches the non-reader or the slow reader to read in a pragmatic and logical way by bypassing his weakness and by using his analytical skills.

 

The first stage is to arouse the awareness of the reader to all the sounds and their symbols and vice versa – all the symbols and sounds they represent and then the connection between them.

 

The method's principle is based upon compositions of syllables by adding sound to sound, and letter to letter. Every group of letters is first introduced by using images and sounds, and then the student learns to compose and decompose the sounds and the syllables. Every stage is accomplished by phonetic dictations.

 

The syllables and words are mostly meaningless, a thing which helps the learner to really read and not guess or memorize.

 

Once all the letters and the basic sounds have been properly introduced, the software now introduces 50 different patterns or letter combinations.

 

Now it is the right time to teach how to identify these patterns and their sounds. The student learns how the letters affect each other and what sound each pattern makes.

 

The software is friendly, easy going, very consistent and well structured. It offers clear visual and audible explanations with various exercises and drills to go with.

 

This is going to be the first English speaking version after it has already been used in Israel.

 

Aviv English Career ltd has been recently approached to consider various co-operations with academic institutions and learning centers in Israel due to the method uniqueness.

 

Israeli immigrants to the US have also purchased the software since they found no right solution on the US market or at US schools. (These were obviously Israelis with learning disabilities and English non readers).

 

 

 

She emphasizes the importance of learning/better to start the process later but right/correctly rather than early and in a wrong way.