What are the main goals of the Reach Every Reader project?

The project aims to address the persistent problem of low early literacy rates by supporting early readers, intervening before children fail in school, supporting educators and caregivers, and ensuring scalability and reach of their developed resources.

What kind of apps has Reach Every Reader developed?

They have released a suite of early literacy apps for pre-K children, including 'Animal Antics,' 'Small Wonders,' and 'Photo Play,' all designed to foster conversation and engagement between parents and children.

How are these apps designed to help children's literacy?

The apps are based on research showing the importance of sustained back-and-forth conversation, vocabulary growth, and parent-child interaction. They provide prompts and scenarios to encourage these skills in a fun and engaging way.

Are there concerns about 'screen time' with these educational apps?

While acknowledging concerns about screen time, the developers emphasize that the quality and content of the interaction, especially with parent involvement, are more critical than the screen itself. They are meant for quality engagement, not excessive use.

How does Reach Every Reader ensure their apps reach diverse families?

They utilize Harvard's communications channels and hope for reviews from respected media outlets like Common Sense Media. The use of the Harvard name aims to attract attention and trust, and the apps are designed to be as universal and accessible as possible.

Do children today have a natural comfort level with digital technologies like these apps?

Yes, many young children show a natural inclination and comfort with navigating apps and devices, sometimes even exceeding their parents' skills. However, the apps also guide parents to take a directing role when needed, fostering co-engagement.

What is the future plan for the Reach Every Reader apps and project?

While there are no immediate plans for more apps in the exact same vein, the project continues to develop other resources like screeners and interventions. Long-term sustainability of the Reach Every Reader initiative is still being decided, with a grant running for three more years.

Key Moments

Open Learning Talks | Reach Every Reader

MIT OpenCourseWare

Education3 min read58 min video

May 4, 2021|263 views|6

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Key Moments

TL;DR

MIT and Harvard launch research-backed Pre-K literacy apps for parents and children via smartphones.

Key Insights

Reach Every Reader is a collaboration between MIT and Harvard aiming to improve early literacy through research and technology.

The project developed a suite of Pre-K apps designed to foster literacy skills through parent-child interaction and play.

Apps like 'Animal Antics' and 'Small Wonders' encourage sustained conversation, vocabulary growth, and social-emotional learning.

Extensive testing with families validated the apps' effectiveness, showing increased conversational turns and syntactic complexity.

The project emphasizes that the quality of content and parent interaction, not just screen time, is crucial for educational apps.

Future plans include developing further educational tools for different age groups and learning contexts, focusing on translational research.

THE MISSION OF REACH EVERY READER

Reach Every Reader, a joint initiative between MIT's Integrated Learning Initiative and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, addresses the critical issue of early literacy in the United States. Recognizing that over half of fourth graders struggle with reading proficiency, the project aims to combat this systemic problem by combining diverse expertise, existing knowledge, and emerging technologies. Their ambitious goal is to significantly improve early literacy skills, understanding that foundations are laid long before formal schooling begins and that literacy is a gateway to opportunity and freedom.

A MULTIFACETED APPROACH TO LITERACY

The project employs a comprehensive strategy beyond just early readers. For preschool-aged children, they are developing Pre-K apps and exploring smart speaker technology for literacy support. In schools, they are creating an early screener for K-2 to predict and address potential struggles before they escalate. Furthermore, they are developing an intervention called 'More' for rich literacy support at home and school, and employing immersive simulations to train educators in effective literacy instruction and practice.

PRE-K APPS: DESIGN AND RESEARCH-BACKED DEVELOPMENT

The newly released Pre-K apps, such as 'Animal Antics' and 'Small Wonders,' are designed to support early literacy through engaging parent-child interactions. Informed by research from Harvard faculty like Meredith Rowe and Cathy Snow, the apps focus on encouraging sustained, back-and-forth conversations that promote vocabulary growth. They incorporate prompts and activities that are fun, accessible, and grounded in learning science, aiming to empower parents as their child's first teacher regardless of their own resources or confidence.

VALIDATION AND USER TESTING PROCESS

Rosa Guzman-Turco led the extensive validation study, involving approximately 80 families with three-year-olds in the Boston area. Researchers observed families using the apps in their homes over several weeks, assessing interaction patterns and measuring growth. The study revealed positive outcomes, including increased conversational turns, improved syntactic complexity in parent speech, and enhanced social-emotional skill-building. Parents reported that the prompts were helpful for initiating conversations on topics they might not have otherwise discussed with their children.

ADDRESSING SCREEN TIME AND DIGITAL EQUITY

The project acknowledges parental concerns about screen time, emphasizing that the educational value lies in the quality of content and the context of use—specifically, parent interaction. The apps are designed to be engaging and beneficial during designated learning times, not as a replacement for other healthy childhood activities. Efforts are also underway to ensure these research-backed tools reach a diverse population, mitigating potential inequities by offering them through accessible platforms like app stores and considering cultural and linguistic universality in their design.

THE 'SMALL WONDERS' AND 'PHOTO PLAY' APPS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

The 'Small Wonders' app, developed with GBH, offers themed games and activities focused on everyday experiences like food, faces, outdoors, and home, with built-in prompts to encourage conversation. The 'Photo Play' app allows users to import personal photos and engage in creative decorating and storytelling. While these apps are the initial public releases, Reach Every Reader is developing other tools, including school screeners and adult-learning modules. The project aims to translate research into practice, potentially influencing other institutions to develop similar digital learning products for broader societal impact.

Mentioned in This Episode

●Software & Apps

●Companies

●Organizations

●People Referenced

Tips for Using Reach Every Reader Apps

Practical takeaways from this episode

Do This

Engage in sustained back-and-forth conversations with your child using the app prompts.

Use the apps as a tool to encourage vocabulary growth and discuss past/future events.

Focus on the quality and content of the interaction, not just screen time.

Explore the different scenarios and activities offered in each app.

Adapt the app's interactive concepts to real-world situations outside of the app.

Avoid This

Don't view the apps as a replacement for outdoor activities or other healthy child development practices.

Don't be discouraged by initial discomfort; parents and children often gain comfort over time.

Don't expect a one-size-fits-all approach; families may find certain apps or features more suitable.

Don't worry about a 'right' or 'wrong' way to use the apps; focus on engagement and interaction.

Common Questions

Reach Every Reader is a collaboration between MIT and Harvard aiming to improve early literacy by combining existing knowledge with technology. They develop resources like apps, screeners, and interventions for children, educators, and caregivers.

Topics

Technology & Innovation Health & Longevity Learning & Education Early Literacy Parent-child Interaction Educational Apps Language Development Digital Learning Research Translation Child Development Mindset & Self-Improvement

Mentioned in this video

Software & Apps

Animal Antics

An early literacy app designed to encourage sustained back-and-forth conversation between parents and children through interactive scenarios.

Small Wonders

An early literacy app divided into four areas (food, faces, outdoors, home) with various games and activities designed for parent-child interaction.

Photo Play

An app that uses a family's own photos for activities like decorating, adding speech bubbles, and discussing past or future events.

Apple App Store

Platform where the Reach Every Reader apps are available.

edx

An online learning platform that originated from a Harvard-MIT partnership and serves as an example of successful academic-institutional collaboration.

Google Play Store

Platform where the Reach Every Reader apps are available.

Organizations

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

Provided a substantial grant to fund the Reach Every Reader project, with a focus on personalized learning and reaching many children.

Reach Every Reader

A collaboration between MIT Integrated Learning Initiative and Harvard Graduate School of Education aiming to improve early literacy.

Harvard Graduate School of Education

A key collaborating institution on the Reach Every Reader project, involved in developing interventions and apps.

Florida State University

Partner institution involved in developing an early literacy screener.

X Prize

An initiative known for offering large prizes to tackle societal problems, mentioned as an alternative approach to addressing literacy challenges.

MIT Integrated Learning Initiative

A collaborating institution on the Reach Every Reader project.

Common Sense Media

An organization respected by parents for reviewing media and apps, which the Reach Every Reader team hopes will review their products.

GBH

Public television station in Boston that partnered in the development of the Small Wonders app.

People

Jimmy Kim

Colleague leading the development of the 'MORE' intervention for literacy support.

Katherine Snow

Colleague at Harvard Graduate School of Education whose research informed the app development.

Eric Klopfer

Professor and director of the Scheller Teacher Education Program and the Education Arcade at MIT, moderates the discussion.

Liz City

Executive Director of Reach Every Reader and Senior Lecturer on Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education, provides an overview of the project.

Rosa Guzman-Turco

Doctoral candidate at Harvard Graduate School of Education, instrumental in developing and testing the pre-K apps, focusing on family feedback.

Joe Blatt

Faculty colleague at Harvard Graduate School of Education and Director of the Technology Innovation and Education Program, involved in developing children's media and the Reach Every Reader apps.

Frederick Douglass

Cited for his quote, 'Literacy is freedom,' highlighting the importance of literacy.

Meredith Rowe

Colleague at Harvard Graduate School of Education whose research informed the app development.

Ali Kelly

Colleague at Harvard Graduate School of Education whose research informed the app development.

Paolo Chelli

Expert on bilingualism and learning in different language communities, collaborated on making app situations universal.

Companies

FableVision Studios

Production partner that collaborated on the development of the Animal Antics app.