Text-to-speech Software
Overview
Transforming written text into audio supports learning by activating different parts of a learner's brain for comprehension. Providing tools so learners can choose to listen to a text supports individual strengths and needs. Using text-to-speech programs may also help promote learner autonomy for older students.
Example: Use This Strategy in the Classroom
Watch how text-to-speech software helps students who struggle with reading. By using this audio support, these students are able to show that they comprehend complex reading material.
Design It into Your Product
Videos are chosen as examples of strategies in action. These choices are not endorsements of the products or evidence of use of research to develop the feature.
Learn how developers of Read&Write for Google used text-to-speech software in combination with other features to provide multisensory support for reading and understanding a text. Providing the ability to highlight words for an audio pronunciation with an accompanying visual activates verbal and visual Working Memory. Highlighting the spoken word in a different color from the yellow highlighted sentence strengthens Visual Processing skills through tracking.
Additional Resources
Additional examples, research, and professional development. These resources are possible representations of this strategy, not endorsements.
Factors Supported by this Strategy
More Multisensory Supports Strategies
Audiobooks allow students to hear fluent reading and to experience books that may be above their reading skills.
Communication boards are displays of graphics (e.g., pictures, symbols, illustrations) and/or words where learners can gesture or point to the displays to extend their expressive language potential.
Dictation, also referred to as speech-to-text, an assistive communication technology that translates voice dictation to digital text, provides students with transcription difficulties the opportunity to participate in the writing process by allowing them to use their voice to generate and record ideas.
Dictionaries and thesauruses can serve as resources for students to expand their Vocabulary knowledge, as they provide easy access to definitions and similar words to help students remember words and meanings more readily.
Adding gestures and motions to complement learning activates more cognitive processes for recall and understanding, particularly within content area instruction.
Short breaks that include mindfulness quiet the brain to allow for improved thinking and emotional regulation.
Brain breaks that include movement allow learners to refresh their thinking and focus on learning new information.
Connecting information to music and dance can support Short-term and Long-term Memory by engaging auditory processes, Emotions, and physical activity.
Using earplugs or headphones can increase focus and comfort.
Visual supports, like text magnification, colored overlays, and text manipulation, help students focus and properly track as they read.
Research has shown that students write longer pieces with stronger quality when they use word processing software.
Word sorts are multisensory activities that help learners identify patterns and group words based on different categories while promoting Vocabulary development.
