Fit Brains Learn Better

Fast ForWord to Literacy Advanced

Fast ForWord to Literacy Advanced software is a series of computer-delivered, neuroscience based exercises for adolescents and adults who are struggling with reading and need to develop the cognitive skills necessary to become better readers. Studies have shown that these exercises can produce rapid reading gains of 1 to 2 years in as little as 4 - 12 weeks.

Combined with data-driven educational content it adapts to a student’s skill level so adolescent students are continually challenged rather than being frustrated by tasks that are too difficult or bored with tasks that are too easy.

Using graphics, characters, and themes that are appealing to today’s adolescent, this product provides advanced grammatical structures, places increased demand on listening for comprehension tasks and advances student vocabulary, including terms from math and science.

Product features support students in achieving rapid success, often without any additional intervention. Some of these include introductory trials with visual-help, a vocabulary tool that allows for pre-learning words and concepts.

Teachers work with participants who are struggling with reading and need to develop the cognitive and language skills necessary to become better readers. Fast ForWord to Literacy consists of six exercises, which provide practice with basic speech sounds as well as the essential skills for learning to read.

Fast ForWord to Literacy Advanced is the second product in the Fast ForWord product sequence for the secondary and adult segment. It is taken a after the Fast ForWord to Literacy product and prior to Fast ForWord to Reading Series.

Learning MAPS

Fast ForWord is a life-changing intervention that produces a lasting effect on learning by developing and strengthening the essential cognitive skills.

Learning MapExamples in Fast ForWord to Literacy Advanced software include:

  • Builds memory skills through exercises that task both working and long-term memory.
  • Improves a student's concentration and ability to focus their attention and ignore distractions through highly demanding sustained attention tasks.
  • Develops auditory, visual and linguistic processing of orally presented words, sentences and stories for meaning and comprehension
  • Develops sequencing skills through exercises that require utilization of word order to comprehend complex statements, to understand multi-step instructions and then respond following a specified sequence of actions.
  • Builds learning capacity

The Exercises

The Fast ForWord to Literacy Advanced product consists of five exercises: one sound exercise and four word exercises. The exercises work together to help develop the understanding of basic speech sounds as well as the fundamental cognitive skills essential for learning and reading.

The sound exercise presents tonal sweeps using different frequencies, different sequences of multiple sounds, and different time durations.

The following sound exercise is described in this chapter:

  • Sky Rider

The word exercises present words, either in isolation or within sentences, with various levels of linguistic complexity. In some instances, the speech sounds have been digitally altered using patented methods (including selective intensity increases) to provide enhanced learning opportunities. The participant also works on graphemes, the letters that represent phonemes, and on visual tracking to strengthen left-to-right reading patterns.

The following four word exercises are described in this chapter:

  • Laser Match
  • Meteor Ball
  • Lunar Leap
  • Galaxy Theater

Each of the exercises in the Fast ForWord to Literacy Advanced product begins with an introduction that explains how to work on that exercise. The Fast ForWord to Literacy Advanced product also provides these introductions in Spanish, for an individual participant or a group of participants.

Sky Rider helps improve the ability to distinguish differences between sounds, the ability to accurately identify three or more sounds in a series (advanced listening accuracy), and the ability to recognize and remember the order in which a series of sounds is presented (auditory sequencing.
Sky Rider
Laser Match helps improve the ability to recognize words, the ability to identify multi-syllabic words, the ability to recognize the relationship between letters and sounds, and the ability to understand letter patterns (word analysis).
Laser Match
Meteor Ball helps improve the ability to recognize words, the ability to identify multi-syllabic words, the ability to recognize the relationship between letters and sounds, and the ability to understand letter patterns (word analysis).
Meteor Ball
Lunar Leap helps improve the ability to recognize words, the ability to identify multi-syllabic words, the ability to recognize the relationship between letters and sounds, and the ability to understand letter patterns (word analysis).
Lunar Leap
Galaxy Theatre helps improve the ability to understand successive sentences and derive meaning from a story (listening comprehension). It helps improve the ability to listen to spoken directions of increasing length and complexity, to comprehend the directions, and to hold them in memory long enough to plan and carry out the required action (following directions).
Galaxy Theatre

Scope and Sequence

The Scope and Sequence attached explains the tasks involved, the language and reading skills targeted and the cognitive skills developed. Such as Working memory and visual symbol-sound associations from long term memory Focused attention, Auditory processing, Sequencing ability.

Features

  • Stellar StoriesAge targeted and motivating animations that provide
  • practice with phonemic awareness, decoding, and word
  • recognition
  • Advanced practice in decoding
  • Sequential and inferential comprehension questions
  • Advanced grammatical structures
  • Visual tracking levels of success and progress
  • Highly demanding sustained attention tasks
  • Ability to sequence multi-step instructions
  • Language building skills

Patented Features

The Fast ForWord Family of Products allow teachers to take advantage of the F.A.S.T. Power Learning Formula and accelerate the student’s learning.

  • Frequency and Intensity Brain plasticity research demonstrates that completing a set of learning tasks in a frequent, intense timeframe accelerates learning.
  • Adaptivity Interactive exercises automatically adapt to individual skill levels and responses.
  • Simultaneous Development Exercises develop major cognitive and reading skills simultaneously to ensure enduring improvements in learning.
  • Timely Motivation Tiered rewards designed to maximize motivation.

Product Protocols

There is a choice of protocols that can be followed, in school or at home. Each day’s participation time can be divided into multiple sessions.

30 Minute 40 Minute 50 Minute 75 Minute 90 Minute
Three 10 minute exercises Four 10 minute exercises Three 10 minute exercises Five 15 minute exercises Five 15minute exercises
5 days/week 5 days/week 5 days/week 5 days/week 5 days/week
12 to 16 Weeks 9 to 13 Weeks 6 to 10 Weeks 5 to 8 Weeks 4 to 7 Weeks

IMPORTANCE OF PROTOCOL

Neuroscience research confirms the importance of frequency and intensity of activity to build and strengthen cognitive skills. Therefore, adherence to Fast ForWord product protocol is essential to delivering good results.

A consistent daily routine that allows for intense repetition will maximize the benefits of the exercises. The participant may take breaks between exercises, but not while an exercise is open.

The students are motivated through the use of points charts, immediate feedback, extensive progress reports and the teacher’s involvement.

Recommended Product Sequence

Fast ForWord to Literacy is the second product in the Fast ForWord product sequence for secondary schools. It builds fundamental cognitive skills of memory, attention, processing and sequencing (Learning MAPs) in the context of key language and reading skills, including listening accuracy, phonological awareness and language structures. After completing this product a student can move the Fast ForWord reading series.

Product sequence

Fast ForWord Progress Tracker

Progress tracker graphFast ForWord Progress Tracker, allows teachers to monitor each student’s progress individually. Teachers can view progress charts (like the one displayed) detailed error reports that highlight priority areas as well as skills based summaries. Also teachers can see if the student in complying with the programme. We show exactly what work a student does, for how long, on what day and what is their points/participation.

We provide these and other online data-analysis product that displays longitudinal performance reports for a comprehensive participant progress review. Fast ForWord Progress Tracker also shows:

  • Reports that track group and participant progress over time
  • Flags that indicate when a participant may need intervention, and messages that suggest classroom activities to help improve a participant’s performance
  • Administrative reports that compare performance for participant groups based on specific demographics
  • Progress reports that can be automatically printed or emailed to principals, teachers, parents, and others on a weekly or daily basis

Reading Progress Indicator

To help better evaluate student gains, Reading Progress Indicator allows teachers rapidly measure the effects of the Fast ForWord® family of reading intervention products.

Reading Progress Indicator is a valid reading assessment that is easy and economical to administer throughout the school year. In addition, Reading Progress Indicator is correlated to internationally recognize normed assessments, including the Woodcock-Johnson® Tests of Reading Achievement, to accurately reflect student progress.

It provides teachers with a clear picture of reading progress in terms of grade equivalents and percentile scores.

Gain the ability to: QUICKLY ASSESS FOUR KEY SKILL AREAS:

  • phonemic awareness
  • decoding
  • vocabulary
  • comprehension

Training

We provide full training to education professionals. This will cover full product knowledge including analysis tools, background on reading and learning skill development and continual professional updates. The courses are held in our centres, at your school and on-line. See www.nnnnmn.com for more details.

Product Availability

We provide Fast ForWord Products for use in schools, clinics and at home use. All use of the Fast ForWord Family of Products must be supervised by a Certified Provider. Please contact us directly or one of our providers listed here: (waiting on url)

Research

The Fast ForWord family of products have been validated in over 100 research projects and the science behind the products have been reviewed in over 6,000 peer review papers. Please see out research section for further information and if you would like a copy of our research book please email us on research @ neuronlearning.com

Product & Technical Support

We provide learning aides including product manuals, intervention activities, training courses, and if you need help, we provide the following resources: phone support, email support, online training and on-site or at our centres depending on your requirements.

Minimum Specifications

Fast ForWord Gateway Edition runs on Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP Home, Windows XP Professional, and Macintosh OSX 10.2, 10.3, and 10.4. A complete specifications list can be found on the web at www.scilearn.com/techspec.

Price and Conditions

The price of the products and related services will vary depending on the provider, the products used, the protocol followed and the services provided. Please contact us with your requirements via email to consult @ neuronlearning.com


Neuroscience Designed, Curriculum Aligned.

Based on more than 30 years of neuroscience research, Scientific Learning’s Fast ForWord family of reading intervention products uses patented technology to target the cognitive skills required to master language and reading. These foundational skills are widely recognized as the keys to all learning. Each product’s interactive exercises integrate proprietary software and Internet technology to create an optimal learning environment that adapts to the level of each student. Products are continuously updated to reflect improvements in learning methods and technical changes.

Further Information

We endeavour to keep our website up to date and provide useful relevant and accurate information. If you have a question or would like further information or an information pack by mail please contact us by phone (UK 0207 100 9293 / Ireland 021 455 4449) or by email consult @ neuronlearning.com