28.03.2019

Auditory reading project is introduced at Beacon

This month, 2nd graders (Y2) have started the WRP (Whisper Reading Phone) project, in which students use a “telephone”, made with a PVC pipe, in order to listen to themselves reading stories. The practice was started by the Y2 English teacher, aiming at assisting students to develop their English language fluency.

Known as an industrialized “telephone” in American schools, the method was first used in Brazil in a handcraft manner at a school in Pampulha, in the state of Belo Horizonte, and cost only R$ 30 to produce 20 devices, while in the United States, their cost per unit reaches US$ 100.

The technique allows a student´s voice to be captured, amplified and returned exclusively to him/herself. Therefore, it is possible for students to perform  oral reading all at the same time, without the noise interfering in the learning process and concentration of other students.

This time on the “phone” helps students foster self-knowledge and independence. The experience of using a new tool for reading in their routine can lead to surprises, but also allows new discoveries even with well-known stories.