Computer game boosts children's' language skills (fwd)

[Michael T Hammond]

phil et al

Very interesting, and very good of you to bring it to everybody's
attention.

I am of course massively in support of bringing technology to bear on
Native American language issues, but I have what are probably cranky
concerns about the story below. (I know I'm lecturing to the choir here,
but here goes anyway.)

>From the perspective of Native American languages, I think we have to be
really cautious of a world view that treats Native American language
development and maintenance in any way like some sort of language
disability. These languages are in trouble, not because there is anything
"wrong" with the languages or the speakers, but because of the general
cultural setting in this country.

My second concern is as a linguist. The language below seems to imply that
language learning is like learning to do anything else, and raw practice
is what is needed, rather than a deeper understanding of how language
actually works.

mike h.

On Fri, 29 Aug 2003, Phil Cash Cash wrote:

> Computer game boosts children's' language skills
>
> Exclusive from New Scientist Print Edition.
> http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994093
>
> A simple computer program that teaches children to distinguish between
> sounds can dramatically boost their listening skills. It can allow them
> to progress by the equivalent of two years in just a few weeks, the
> game's creator claims.
>
> The game, called Phonomena, was devised by David Moore of the University
> of Oxford, UK, as an aid for children with language problems, but he
> says his latest trials also show that it can help any child. Other
> experts, however, are reserving judgement until independent tests are
> carried out.
>
> Phonomena is designed to improve children's ability to distinguish
> between different phonemes, the basic sounds that form the building
> blocks of language. Up to a fifth of all children are thought to have
> problems hearing the differences between some sounds, says Moore, who
> heads the UK Medical Research Council's Institute of Hearing Research.
>
> In the game, children have to distinguish between pairs of phonemes such
> as the "i" sound from the word "bit" and the "e" from "bet". They are
> played one phoneme followed by two more examples, and asked which one
> matches the first sound. As the game progresses the phonemes are
> gradually "morphed" to make them more and more similar, making it
> increasingly difficult to distinguish between them.
>
> With 44 phonemes in English, there are potentially more than 1000
> different pairs, but the game concentrates on just 22 pairs of the
> commonest and most similar-sounding phonemes.
>
>  Listening ages
>
> In the latest trials, 18 children aged between eight and 10 played the
> game three times a week for four weeks. Their language abilities were
> compared before and after exposure to the game using a standard
> listening test.
>
> The team found a dramatic improvement in their language abilities, with
> listening ages up by an average 2.4 years compared with 12 children who
> did not play the game. In earlier trials on children with learning
> difficulties, the speech and language therapists who tested the game
> reported similar improvements.
>
> But Ted Wragg, an expert in education at the UK's University of Exeter,
> warns that such trials can produce misleading results. The improvements
> could be due to the efforts and attention of teachers and therapists,
> rather than the game itself. There is a history in education of people
> and companies making claims about learning products that do not stand
> up to scrutiny, he says.
>
> Moore says independent tests will be done. But he is convinced that
> computer games such as Phonomena that are designed to teach key sensory
> skills could make a big difference in education. Even normal computer
> games have been shown to improve visual skills, he points out. "In the
> future, every child's dream of homework consisting of hours spent
> playing computer games may well become a reality."
>
>  Catching a ball
>
> It is a bit like teaching someone to catch a ball, Moore adds. "Sensory
> performance is no different from motor performance. As far as we know,
> the neural processes driving them both are the same." And just as
> playing catch improves hand-eye coordination in other tasks, Moore
> thinks the phoneme training boosts children's general language skills.
>
> The advantage of using computers, he says, is each game can be tailored
> to a child's abilities. An Oxford-based company called MindWeavers has
> been set up to commercialise the game.
>
> Similar computer-based language tools already exist, such as those
> developed by Scientific Learning of Oakland, California. But these are
> geared exclusively towards children with speech and language problems
> and involve intensive training.
>
> "We don't believe you need to do this draconian amount of training for
> it to do good," says Moore. He is also exploring the use of phoneme
> training as an aid to adults learning a foreign language.
>
> Duncan Graham-Rowe
>