By: Brian Swanberg

In Part I, I discussed the importance of reading comprehension for independent learning, and how (a lack of) reading comprehension can cause problems for students. In Part II, I talked about the benefits and drawbacks of tutoring.

Since there are some issues with tutoring programs and their incentives, we could focus on the root of the problem: cognitive load. Some businesses try to address this problem by developing products that reduce the working memory of text — I call these products working memory reduction programs. These products may work by simplifying paragraphs, swapping vocabulary, adding audio, or adapting the way information is presented to users.

This approach, at first glance, makes a lot of sense. Adjusting the composition and presentation in different matters will help decrease working memory [4], which should in turn help increase comprehension [6]. For example, when the content is shorter, the working memory is less [o13; o8]. When the sentence structure or vocabulary is more complex, the working memory is higher [o13]. Providing the chance to induce multiple learning styles at once should help improve reading comprehension as well [o6; 4].

Some of the popular working memory reduction programs include Newsela and Snap & Read Universal. Different online working memory reduction products serve different purposes and perform some key concepts better than others.

Working memory reduction products are great******. They solve the core, underlying problem to help aid in comprehending new ideas.

However, there is one key, important problem that these products miss: there are few ways for the user to get external validation.

To restate this idea, the core issue is that there is little interaction on the user end — there are few ways to check on the user end of their own understanding of the information. This problem creates a reliance or trust on the user to get the information right, and without a tutor or teacher there with them, the problem isn’t resolved. Because the user struggling with reading comprehension likely lacks confidence in their own work and experiences study-related anxiety and increased stress, simply providing revised information may not be good enough to build confidence and address these symptoms.

Those users need feedback, encouragement, and external validation to help build their passion for reading and learning.

Read Part IV to see the synthesis of the problem and what reworded is trying to accomplish.

** One minor critique of some working memory reduction programs is that some programs swap vocabulary. Having precise vocabulary is really important in some fields (example: genetics) for understanding and growth.

Note: sources are cited in the Further Reading article