A Reading Coach that Listens: (Edited) Video Transcript

Jack Mostow, Alexander G. Hauptmann, Steven F. Roth, Matthew Kane, Adam Swift, Lin Lawrence Chase, Bob Weide

Abstract: At Carnegie Mellon University, Project LISTEN’ is t‘aking a novel approach to the problem of illiteracy. We have developed a prototype automated reading coach that listens to a child read aloud, and helps when needed. The coach provides a combination of reading and listening, in which the child reads wherever possible, and the coach helps wherever necessary -a bit like training wheels on a bicycle. Let’s see how the automated coach responds to various things a child might do. The output of the automatic speech recognizer is displayed at the bottom of the screen. Help when needed: The coach recues a misread word by rereading the words that lead up to it, just like the expert reading teachers whom the coach is modelled after. This context often helps the reader correct the word on the second try: Text: The cow lives on the farm. Reader: “The cow lives on the farm.” Text: She eats grass all day long. Reader: “She eats good all day long.” Coach: SHE EATS Reader: “grass” Coat h: GRASS. PLEASE CONTINUE. Support comprehension: The coach is designed to emph‘asize comprehension (and ignore minor mistakes, such as repeated words. However, the word “very” is important to the meaning of the sentence, so the coach asks the reader to reread it. The coach rereads the sentence to help the reader comprehend it: Text: At night she is very tired. Reader: “At night . . . at night she is tired.” Coach: READ THIS WORD AGAIN. [flashes "very"] Reader: “&d?” Coat h: VERY. AT NIGHT SHE IS VERY TIRED. Maintain flow: When the reader gets stuck, the coach jumps in, enabling the reader to complete the sentence: Text: Then she slowly comes home. Reader: “Then she then she s . . . s . . . ” Coat h: SLOWLY Reader: “slowly comes home.”