Children who speak fewer than 50 words at the age of two are more likely to be behind their peers in their vocabulary, grammar and reading ability at 17. Identifying ‘late talkers’ early allows Early Years Professionals to offer language coaching to help speed up children’s development.
The project will develop SparkleVR - a mobile app and Virtual Reality speech, language and communication training programme.
The app can identify weak spots in knowledge and focus on those until the learner is achieving advanced levels across every topic. It continuously evaluates progress, intelligently identifying what to learn next as learners make their way up a nationwide leaderboard to score more points with recall speed and accuracy.
The programme also comes with VR goggles which can be used in sessions to check new knowledge in real life situations helping to embed knowledge into long term working memory. Sample assessments for children on their speech and language enable practitioners to understand how to tailor the training to each child with recommended strategies.
SparkleVR will not only show nursery managers the increase in individual practitioners’ knowledge over time but also the measurable impact on the children’s speech and language as a result.