A guide to word prediction

Posted by Craig Mill on the 18th November, 2019

“The technology has made such a difference to allow David to take ownership of his own learning and also there have been noticeable improvements in his reading and writing - we can’t begin to tell you the difference having the software and laptop has made”

The above quote is from the mother of a dyslexic pupil. ‘David’ is in P6, he is a keen reader but experiences difficulties with writing and was falling behind his peers.

After introducing him to a word prediction program and providing basic training to David, his teacher and parents, his writing improved significantly.

What is word prediction?

But what is word prediction and how can it help to support learners with writing difficulties? What features and tools do word prediction programs offer and which one is best?

To answer these questions this new illustrated guide covers the following;

• An overview of word prediction
• Choosing a word prediction program
• Features of word prediction programs, including comparisons
• Word prediction case studies 
• A range of devices, including iOS, Windows, Chromebook and Mac
• Free and built-in word prediction tools
• Word prediction and research 

Finding and choosing word prediction programs

Finding the right word prediction program to meet David’s needs involved a ‘needs assessment’ - discussion with a CALL member of staff, involvement with teachers, parents and other professionals – a process of enquiry and trialling various software programs and strategies; what specific learning tasks are essential to the pupil’s achievement, what tools are currently being used to support the student – in a nutshell,

what do you want the technology to do and how can it help?

“What do you want the technology to do” and “how can it help” is the focus of this new publication from CALL Scotland: A guide to word prediction.

The guide outlines the various features and tools found in modern word prediction programs and apps and will hopefully help you make an informed decision before purchasing.

As a parent or a teacher,  you may not have the luxury of trialling different software programs - which one works, which one doesn’t, and which is best suited to my child?

I hope this guide goes some way to help.  

You can download the word prediction guide from the CALL Scotland downloads section.