Alright, I understand – yet another piece on AI and education. But with the current buzz around AI tools, and the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) hosting a conference on the topic, it’s obvious that AI isn’t going anywhere. What’s more, Microsoft has recently made its Reading Coach preview accessible to all, broadening its reach beyond the initial Microsoft Teams for Education users since late 2021. This presents an ideal opportunity to delve into what this tool has to offer.
Students Can Level Up Their Reading With Reading Coach
Personalised Practice: Reading Coach analyses a student’s reading and provides targeted support in the form of ‘tricky words or words to revise’.
Tailored to a variety of learners: Reading Coach provides leveled passages from ReadWorks to match student abilities, along with tools like Immersive Reader (for listening support) and picture dictionaries to make learning accessible for everyone.
AI-Generated Stories: Want to make reading an adventure? With Reading Coach, students get to be the authors! They can choose the heroes, the setting, and even the difficulty level of their own AI-generated stories.
Focus on Fluency: Reading Coach provides a safe space for students to practice reading aloud and get immediate feedback. With daily 10-minute reading sessions, there’s plenty of time to focus on fluency and build strong language skills.
Important Notes: Reading Coach is a fantastic tool to boost reading confidence and skills – once the decoding basics are in place. Make sure you have a Microsoft email handy, and a microphone for students to get the most out of the read-aloud features.
Why It Matters: Benefits for Students, Parents & Teachers
1. Boosts confidence for struggling readers.
2. Fosters independence with a user-friendly tool that students can use on thier own.
3. Encourages parent involvement in reading progress.
4. Empowers teachers, students, and parents with personalised practice and data insights.
The Reading Coach preview is accessible through a web browser (https://coach.microsoft.com/). Give it a go and see how you and the young readers in your life get on.