Fast ForWord

Fast ForWord is a computer program the company Scientific Learning. The program aims to poor readers in grades 2-7 help to better learn how to read. Through language games it will help the students to distinguish sounds better and to transfer sounds into letters.

The program was developed with the collaboration of scientists Dr. Michael Merzenich and Dr. Bill Jenkins of the University of California, San Francisco, and Dr. Paula Tallal and Dr. Steven Miller of Rutgers University. The program is used in American schools to encourage risk group of poor readers. It is used there by more than 120,000 students. There is an English and a German version of the program. It is available in the U.S., UK, Ireland and Germany.

Scientific debate

In the book The Brain That Changes Itself individual success stories are discussed. On the other hand, were able to demonstrate any benefit of the program, two scientific studies.

512 students in grades 3-6, the program was made ​​available. When the students These were poor readers who attended schools in economically deprived school districts ( ghettos ).

Rose and Krueger describe the program as ineffective. The pupils of the Fast ForWord group read no better or worse than students in the control group

Study by Borman et al.

415 students from Baltimore got the program provided. It was students from the risk group of poor readers. 141 went to the second class, 274 in the seventh grade.