Students Go Digital and Improve Their Writing Skills With Pearson's
WriteToLearn
Students, Teacher say WriteToLearn's Personalized,
Immediate Feedback Helps Improve Reading Comprehension, Writing
NEW YORK - May 29, 2008 - In today's digital world,
students use text messages and email to communicate, with almost 40
percent even using common abbreviations like LOL, TTYL and BRB in their
school assignments, according to a recent report. But, is the decline of
writing an unintended consequence? The results of the recent Nation's
Report Card writing test found that only one-third of 8th graders scored
proficient, and only 25 percent of high school seniors were considered
proficient.
Some teachers say that keeping today's digital students engaged in
learning, especially struggling learners, requires a different approach
than years past. For teachers like Mae Guerra at Denver's Valverde
Elementary School, who says reading and writing was a huge challenge for
her students just a few months ago, the digital approach of Pearson's
WriteToLearn has helped her students find success.
"It's been amazing, at the beginning of the school year a lot of
students couldn't complete a sentence."
Guerra combines classroom teaching with the Web-based, personalized
approach of WriteToLearn. Students log onto the Internet, input their
work and watch as the learning tool analyzes their writing and measures
progress.
Researchers from the Knowledge Technologies group of Pearson and the
University of Colorado spent three years creating WriteToLearn.
Immediate feedback is the key: The software gives students immediate
feedback on their writing, rather than waiting for the teacher to
provide feedback to dozens of students.
Since using WriteToLearn, Guerra's students have made tremendous
progress, with scores on district benchmark tests rising from
unsatisfactory to proficient. Guerra says it's because her students are
motivated using the digital tool's personalized learning approach, which
is almost like a game to the students.
"The practice they get...is giving them confidence, the practice
they need to write well-organized, thought-out summaries that really do
reflect what they read. So, they are not only gaining writing skills,
but comprehension skills when they read. So everything is going up in
my class," Guerra says.
WriteToLearn's personalized, immediate-feedback approach also helps
teachers to be more efficient in the classroom, since the time that was
once spent editing writing assignments can be spent on lesson planning
or other tasks. Says Guerra: "It gives me more time to work with
students who are having a hard time, it enables me to work one on one
with those English language learners who have a hard time initially
getting started with their writing ..."
Learn more about WriteToLearn at
www.WriteToLearn.net.
About Pearson
Pearson (NYSE: PSO) is the global leader in educational publishing,
assessment, information and services, helping people of all ages to
learn at their own pace, in their own way. For students preK-12,
Pearson provides effective and innovative curriculum products in all
available media, educational assessment and measurement for students and
teachers, student information systems, and teacher professional
development and certification programs. The company's respected brands
include Scott Foresman, Prentice Hall, AGS, PowerSchool, SuccessMaker,
TeacherVision and many others. Pearson's comprehensive offerings help
inform targeted instruction and intervention so that success is within
reach of every student. Pearson's other primary businesses include the
Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group.
For more information, press only:
Lisa Wolfe, L. Wolfe Communications, 773-227-1049, lwolfe@lwolfe.com
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