The ARETE App is based on an established and evidence based Learning Management System for teaching competent English literacy skills. It is a tiered process covering 7 levels of difficulty, beginning at basic sound symbol association and progressing through a developmental learning hierarchy to ultimately reach a competency in reading and spelling complex multisyllabic English words in isolation and in context. To reach this aim the App utilises and teaches auditory, visual, oral kinaesthetic and linguistic methods to break into and understand the ‘code of the English language reading and spelling structure, whilst incorporating a framework to understand the influences on and integration of foreign language features into English e.g. Greek, Latin and French in particular. The ARETE App is aimed at a primary school population, who are in the age group of circa 9 to 12 years. The features employed throughout the App are:
1. Augmented Reality (AR) phoneme (speech sound) icons, with voiceovers to facilitate memory and association. These are supported by detailed vowel and consonant interactive charts that incorporate short videos and AR features.
2. AR representation of complex reading and spelling rules to facilitate comprehension, memory and retention.
3. AR Flashcards of complex prefixes and suffixes in English, which visually summarise and integrate an explanation of their component parts.
4. Gamification is introduced at intervals to support teaching of complex concepts, thereby camouflaging the necessary requirement for ‘drill’ and ‘over-learning of essential concepts.
5. 12 quizzes are introduced at strategic points to ascertain that the student has learned the essential concepts at each developmental milestone and to provide ongoing feedback and opportunities for revision.
6. Rewards are introduced in a two-tiered approach, individual star rewards at the end of each module, which accumulate to pieces of the galactic jigsaw. At the end of each level or planet a trophy is won along with a stamp on the passport to open up movement to the next stage / planet.
7. Known reading and spelling rules are enhanced and expanded and novel rules are retrofitted into English to explain the many anomalies the English language contains.
8. Once items are taught they are then made available in the Library (revision centre) for quick and easy access throughout the App
9. At key learning milestones bespoke short stories are provided, specifically written to integrate what has been taught to that juncture in the programme. Complex vocabulary is purposely integrated to enhance vocabulary enrichment and they are supported with clickable vocabulary definitions.
10. For all reading tasks, State of the Art child friendly voice recognition software is utilised to assess the students reading accuracy on each word presented (SLB)
11. There are interactive reading and spelling exercises throughout to support the learning of each concept taught
12. Lower case print is used throughout and when AR is utilised the letters do not rotate in order to reduce letter reversal confusion, which is prevalent with this cohort.
13. Colour coding is utilised throughout as a recognised method to enhance comprehension and retention of teaching concepts.
14. A specific font has been chosen to minimise visual confusion.
15. All content is in keeping with general school curriculum and normal developmental hierarchies.
16. Innovative visualisation strategies are introduced to enhance spelling skills and reinforce retention over time.
17. Teachers dashboard to monitor student progress throughout the App
18. Provides implicit Teacher /Parent guidance, so formal lengthy training is not required to use / teach the App.
19. Linear progress through the App with 15 minute sessions (approximately).
20. The App has been developed following guidelines from UX experts.