ReadToMe® – a Multi-sensory AI Software Enabling English Reading Comprehension of Text Books

ReadToMe® was initially implemented in a school in Colombo. This early effort was sponsored by a very successful and prominent Sri Lankan entrepreneur. ReadToMe® is an English Reading Comprehension software. It is easy to use in class. The software can be installed on almost any device and integrated for use with existing IT infrastructure. The user interface has been designed for teacher friendliness. ReadToMe® is trained to read prescribed English textbooks during normal class hours. In addition, it is ‘localised’. For the Colombo school, the software reads textbooks using a South Asian voice and provides translation of words to Sinhalese and Tamil.

Research indicates, language is learnt best when learners are exposed to the language in a multi-sensory environment. Teachers also observe high level of student engagement when using this method of reading. This in turn, leads to higher retention and learning outcomes.

ReadToMe® deployment in the Colombo school was a success. This school caters to children from low income backgrounds. Most of these students do not receive literacy or education support at home. Their academic learning goals have to be achieved in school. These students were able to demonstrate English reading and comprehension improvement. It was evident that the technology-enabled method of English reading could benefit children across the entire country.

RightToRead- an Educational Technology Initiative for Improving English Reading and Comprehension

RightToRead is an educational technology initiative that aims to enable English literacy globally with the help of multi-sensory reading and comprehension AI software – ReadToMe®. 

The initiative was ‘born’ in 2013 in India with an initial proof-of-concept deployment in 100 government or public schools. This multi stakeholder effort is now poised to reach more than 100,000 schools and benefit 20 million students! Along the way, EnglishHelper (the company powers the initiative with ReadToMe®), engaged with many partners including American India Foundation (AIF) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). In India, EnglishHelper and Schoolnet (a major India educational technology company) have a strategic relationship to promote RightToRead. In Sri Lanka, the program is being driven by EnglishHelper and Brandix. The aim is to reach every school in the country.

Empowering Students with English Reading Comprehension – Sri Lanka Diary

In February 2019, RightToRead was expanded to cover 50 schools spread across the island country. These schools have helped to provide many insights that will inform the larger scale roll out across Sri Lanka.

Teachers from grades 3-8 find ReadToMe® enabled English classes are much easier to deliver to students. The teachers have quickly achieved familiarity with the software’s tools such as picture dictionary, word-meanings and word translations. Teachers have observed that students are more engaged in class. Some schools located in rural areas have reported higher attendance as the program has created much excitement for students. 

The stage is now set for the next phase of growth. It is expected RightToRead will reach over 400 schools in 2019. The goal is to cover 10,000 schools in 2020!

To know how to use ReadToMe® picture dictionary tool please click https://youtu.be/eAM0e4Emr1k 

For more information about RightToRead projects, please connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Youtube.

Click here for our innovative Spoken English program – EnglishBolo™, a joint Initiative of EnglishHelper and Schoolnet. To know more about EnglishBolo™ connect with us on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.