We also believe that because of lack of viable alternatives in the past, students with reading difficulties have often developed very creative work-arounds which, while admirable as acts of courage and creativity, are often not very helpful. In fact these behaviors and attitudes usually block progress. We feel that Proportional Reading can immediately end these obsessive and compulsive behaviors by showing a much more productive approach. Self-esteem and empowerment soar immediately.
Thirdly, we feel that Proportional Reading can provide, usually for the first time, the experience of reading well, and practice in good reading skills. In this way Proportional Reading acts both as a teacher of transferrable skills and as an ongoing approach of choice for reading.
Specifically, we feel two things. First, almost all students can read, understand and respond to material if text is read out loud as it is presented on the screen. Furthermore, this process greatly helps students correlate voice and text. The key lies in tweaking this process for the individual student.
Second, we feel most students can instantly start to successfully read silently. We feel that a big problem has been caused in the past by asking students to read by multiple word fixations. This approach is impossible for 15-20% of all students. However, we feel these same students can instantly read very well by reading text as a visual simulation of speech. This is to say that words are presented on the screen one word at a time, the longer the word, the longer it stays on the screen, and there is a pause between sentences. This presentation is the same way words are presented in speech (hence the name Proportional Reading).
When text is presented in a visual simulation of speech, the computer can provide instant simultaneous solution for 20 major reading problems. These solutions are so good and so effective, that reading by this approach not only works for poor and average readers, but reading becomes more fun for good and excellent readers as well. All students in a school can benefit.
1) Text is entered into a computer. Text can be scanned in; or downloaded from CD ROM, modem, diskette, bulletin board, on-line service, the Internet or hard disk drive; or typed in.
2) Text is prepared for reading. After text is entered, a program is activated which automatically Proportionalizes, or prepares the text for reading. Before text is Proportionalized, students can optionally add pauses in text so that during playback linear text is optionally changed into interactive questions and answers, without any retyping or reformatting of text into formal questions.
3) Text is read. Choose to read text either silently or out loud. If you are going to read silently, choose your speed and format and start. There are fourteen speeds to choose from. Speed can be easily switched at any time.
The first format is called Standard Pause, or normal presentation. Additional pauses added by teacher or student are not recognized in the Standard Pause format. This is the normal way text is played, as text usually does not have additional pauses added. This is the fastest way to play each speed. This format is the normal choice for video taping.
The second format is called Extra Pause. In this format students receive more pause time at the end of sentences and on longer words than in the Standard Pause format. Many people read better with extra time between sentences and on longer words. In addition, if the student or teacher has added additional pauses to the text, the text will automatically pause at these pauses for a substantial period of time and then continue. This creates interactive questions and answers out of linear text which has had pause signals added. This format is also used for video taping.
The third format is called Interactive Pause. In this format pause is for as long as the student wants before getting the answers or moving on. The text will stop at the end of sentences and questions until the student prompts the program to continue. This is the ideal format for playing questions and answers, math problems, riddles, closure exercises, vocabulary questions, spelling exercises and decoding practice. None of the on-line playback controls work in this mode because it stops so often. Also, as this format continually stops for indefinite time, it is not used for video taping, since it can not be set up for automatic play and record.
Alternatively, you can go to the Macro Menu and pull down the name of an individual macro, which will then start to execute. You will see a number of macros listed at the beginning of the macro list all of which begin with the letter "a" and another character(s) and a right parentheses. This is the sign of Proportional Reading Programs. There are approximately one-hundred programs in the set, all of which work together. To start any Proportional Reading program you can just select it off the list and it will start to run.
If you forget the keystroke for a particular program, you can just pull down Macro from the menu and look at the different macro names. The keystroke for each program is listed to the right of its name.
A Quick-Reference list of Command Descriptions, Macro Names and Macro Keystrokes is also provided with this manual as well as a set of Quick Start Sheets. The Quick Start Sheets will get you up and running almost immediately. Keep the Command List and the Quick Start Sheets near your keyboard for easy reference.
All the PR programs are organized in a simple structure of five groups. The different speed and format choices are listed first. They all start with the letter "a" followed by a number (01-14) and right parentheses, for example a01). Next come your program choices for what you can do while reading. This group of programs all start with the characters aa). Then come the programs for preparing text after downloading. These programs all start with the character combination ab). Next come the programs for Proportionalizing downloaded text in preparation for reading. These programs all start with the characters ac). Finally come a group of special programs for combining human voice and text. These programs start with ad). When you wish to activate a command, just think of which of the five alphabetical groups you should go to, then do so.
Keystroke commands also have a simple logic and organization. All keystroke commands consist of two parts, a choice of control keys made with the left hand, and a single character choice usually made with the right hand. The control keys are always one or more of four keys: Shift, Control, Option and Command. Most programs only require two control keys, not three. For example, all speed choices are made with just two control keys in the left hand and a single character stroke done by the right hand. Three control keys are used for changing text, or automatically typing out marked passages, or automatically recording notes to the end of a note file.
In describing keystrokes involving several keys, the character + is often used. This character should be read as "and simultaneously press". Thus, the keystroke Shift+Command+p means press the Shift and Command and p keys simultaneously. The + character itself is never used in a keystroke with other keys. However, + is sometimes referred to by itself. Here it refers to the + key on the number pad.
The Command key is the key immediately to the left of the space bar. The Option key is located just to the left of the Command key and labeled "option". The Control key is the key to the left of the Option key and labeled "ctrl". This is the bottom left key on the keyboard.