More Readable Text Formats, Reading Personalized for the Individual Very subtle changes in text format can create meaningful changes in comprehension for readers (Dr. Susanne Nobles of ReadWorks at the Adobe for Education Summit). A novel 2021 reading study evaluated 250 K-8th grade students using text formats featuring varied character spacing and/or width. Great…
Readability Formats Yield Significant Results for K-8 Students Early Results Are In! At the Adobe for Education conference, educator Dr. Susanne Nobles (ReadWorks) presented initial results from the K-8 Readability research study launched last fall. Susanne, together with cognitive scientist Dr. Shannon Sheppard (Chapman University), type designer, professor WSR and researcher Dr.…
“Readability Research: An Interdisciplinary Approach” is now available on arXiv! “Readability Research: An Interdisciplinary Approach” is now available on arXiv, an archival preprint service. Twenty-eight different authors — from around the world and across many disciplines — collaborated to author a 60+ page intro to Readability research toward the goal of accelerating best practices…
Extensive Reading Demands Managed through Personalized Text Formats Improvement In Math and History Classes Claire had always been a very hard worker and a strong achiever. As a child, she was an enthusiastic reader and regularly read for pleasure. But when she encountered the extensive reading demands of an Advanced Placement history class in…
Personalized Reading is the Future While the Jetsons foretold large screens, electronic reading, and virtual meetings, they completely missed the promise of personalized text formats for better reading experiences. In a recent discussion with the California Department of Education, Barbara Murchison, Director Educator Excellence of Equity Division didn’t miss the importance of better…
Personalizing Reading: One Size Doesn’t Fit All In America, only one-third of students read proficiently, and 54% of adults read below the sixth-grade level. Research shows individual reading perception is a key barrier: One text format does not fit all, especially when working across digital devices. At the 2021 SXSW EDU conference, Adobe’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence,…
New Readability Research Panel at the Adobe for Education Summit Virtual and Free in 2021! Join the Wednesday session to learn more about the latest readability research. Small changes to text formats can maximize an individual’s ability to read quickly and accurately, and comprehend more. Digital reading allows the shift from what is best…
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From the ProLiteracy Blog A recent blog on the ProLiteracy website highlights the topic of readability and an upcoming session at the ProLiteracy Conference in September. ProLiteracy’s Laura McLaughlin notes that, “Literacy instructors know how important fluency is to a student’s overall ability to read and comprehend text. By gaining fluency, a new reader…
Students Correct Their 3rd-Grade Teacher Personalized Reading Formats Can Help! Readability Matters heard from a 3rd-grade teacher this week. She was recently reading to her class; students interrupted her to point out that she had mistakenly read “picture” rather than “partner.” As this teacher explains, the basic shape of these two words is very…