ReadTheory Review

When learning a new language, our brains are constantly fighting with themselves, switching between thinking in two different ways. Sometimes, it is hungry for knowledge, tickled pink when it learns something new, and curious for more and more understanding. But often, it wants to revert back to the familiar, and will use every excuse under the book as to why it should go back to using its native language rather than try out the new one.

In the book, Thinking, Fast and Slow, psychologist Daniel Kahneman talks about our two brain systems, System 1 and System 2. System 1 is our subconscious thinking. It is based on intuition and instinct, and requires little deliberate effort. Easy examples of System 1 thinking are breathing and eating. We don’t have to consciously remember and think about how to take air into our lungs every time. System 1 is also the system we use for our native language. It is the language that has been with us since we heard our mother’s voice in the womb, so it feels comfortable. No matter how complex the vocabulary and grammar the language in our native language is, as we went through childhood, we mastered it, and is now automatic. System 2 is the opposite of this. It is our rational thought system, slow and deliberate. It is the kind of thinking we do when we solve a math word problem, read an article from The Atlantic, or figure out how to decorate our patio. It is also the type of system involved when we are learning a new language. System 2 is tremendously useful because it uses our human brain capacity to its fullest, but it is also mentally exhausting. Studies show that we cannot sustain System 2 thinking for long periods at a time and so our brains constantly want to switch over and default to System 1.

In the name of engagement over true learning, some language learning apps indulge our System 1 way of thinking just a little bit too much. For instance, Duolingo has its users translate words to their native language, and it has them select word blocks to create sentences rather than make them type the words in the new language on their own. Busuu also uses a lot of translation, and makes its users only type in one-word answers in the target language even at its highest levels. This makes the programs frictionless and fun, but maybe not the most useful for actually mastering the new language.

After watching a webinar from Kevin Jordan, I was intrigued by ReadTheory as a program that could potentially rev up our brains to use System 2 more and through practice, create reading outcomes in our new language that would move it closer to the automaticity of System 1.

I have been using ReadTheory for around four months. There is both a paid and free version and I used both at different times. For students, the only difference is that when they use the free version they see ads. Below are my thoughts on the program.

ReadTheory, a program where students read different passages and answer questions, is a full-brain workout! Practicing on ReadTheory was the first time that I felt that I had to use my System 2 brain to its fullest because I needed to synthesize everything I had learned as far and there was no way out. I had to read everything in my new language and answer in that language too. I also had to write complete sentences with no sentence frame, hint boxes, or writing sample to guide me. It was exciting to learn that I was at the third grade level in my new language, Japanese, but after the novelty of the program wore off, the fighting began. My brain desperately wanted to go back to easier programs, and I was constantly finding reasons why I didn’t or couldn’t practice. Even now, I cannot practice on my phone because whenever I open the site, I reflexively switch over to watching YouTube or reading a book (in English of course!) on Libby instead.

From November to early April, I have done 49 quizzes. Most of the passages are about everyday life, with some about historical figures and famous places. About half of the passages are relatively dry, but the point of them is to understand basic words and basic concepts. Reading these gives me an ego boost because it is great to read something and understand everything without having to look up a lot of words or worry about complex grammar structures. It was nice to see some fun articles, such as one on the blobfish, and some classic articles pulled from decades-old basal readers. There is only one small picture per passage, which is relevant because my System 1 brain would creep in and latch on to it, desperate for any kind of mental assistance.

On the student side, there are lots of ways in which the program is gamified to keep motivation up. I moved up levels and earned knowledge points, and I liked seeing how my Grade Level and Lexile level progressed. My progress is a bit inflated, because I scored rock bottom on the placement test. I didn’t understand a single question because I had never been exposed to the kind of academic vocabulary that shows up in the questions. I had no idea what words like “paragraph”, “infer”, or “author’s purpose” were in Japanese and so I was completely blind to what the questions were even though I had an idea of what the passage was about.

There is no built-in dictionary in ReadTheory, so if a student is an English learner and doesn’t know the words, they either have to look up an unknown word on a dictionary, use an extension like the one by Mango languages (usually not an option on school computers), or use the Google Translate camera feature. (I use the Rikaikun Chrome extension myself for Japanese and limit myself to five words per passage.) I dislike this one the most, because when students use it, it translates the whole passage, and by that point, they are back to System 1. Mr. Jordan suggests that students don’t translate any word at all, because they will learn naturally, but this might be unrealistic, especially when it comes to learning the words within the questions such as “except”, and the aforementioned “author’s purpose”. How would you learn what that is naturally?

Alongside the Lexile Level and Grade Level Progression reports are indicators of how well students performed on the metrics: Key Ideas and Details, Integration of Knowledge, and Craft and Structure. I wish that there were examples associated with each category so that the data here were more useful. (Even the Full Report unlocked in Premium does not include this.) Knowing the kinds of questions asked would also make it easier to tailor instruction or create mini-lessons to better help students with these areas.

On the teacher side, it is satisfying as a data lover to be able to log in and see all of the students’ progress. Now that I am an advisor, I like checking up on all of the classes that I advise. I saw particular growth with one of our level 2 classes. Students there moved up a grade level on average in the three months that they have been using the program. I saw one student complete more than 100 quizzes in a month; when she took the CASAS reading test, even though she was in level 2, she ended up testing at level 5! I was so proud of that entire classes’ CASAS scores that I went to speak to them personally to congratulate them.

ReadTheory is mentally taxing. It is an activity that requires a quiet room, and preferably a notebook alongside you to copy new vocabulary words. But as I posted many years ago in Reading the room, it is important for us as teachers to be able to change the energy of the room as needed. And in these times, as much as we need a fun, collaborative classroom, there are also moments where students simply need peace and quiet to truly turn on their System 2 brain and think.