Giving Help and Praise in a Reading Tutor with Imperfect Listening – Because Automated Speech Recognition Means Never Being Able to Say You’re Certain

Abstract

Human tutors make use of a wide range of input and output modalities, such as speech, vision, gaze, and gesture. Computer tutors are typically limited to keyboard and mouse input. Project LISTEN?s Reading Tutor uses speech recognition technology to listen to children read aloud and help them. Why should a computer tutor listen? A computer tutor that listens can give help and praise naturally and unobtrusively. We address the following questions: When and how should a computer tutor that listens help students? When and how should it praise students? We examine how the advantages and disadvantages of speech recognition technology helped shape the design and implementation of the Reading Tutor. Despite its limitations, this technology enables the Reading Tutor to provide patient, unobtrusive, and natural assistance for reading aloud.