What strategy involves a teacher whispering a word in a student’s ear while they read?

The strategy where a teacher whispers a word in a student’s ear while they read is known as Neurological Impress. This approach is designed to improve a student’s fluency and comprehension by allowing them to hear the correct pronunciation and rhythm of words in real-time. The teacher's whispering serves as an effective modeling technique, providing auditory support that can guide the student to decode and understand the text more easily.

This method achieves several important outcomes. It reinforces the connection between the spoken and written word, enhances auditory processing skills, and gives the student immediate feedback in a low-pressure situation. As the teacher whispers, the student is encouraged to follow along, promoting a shared reading experience that can boost confidence and engagement in the material.

While other strategies such as modeling, echo reading, and whisper reading also support reading development, they differ significantly in their execution and focus. Modeling often involves demonstrating reading fluency without direct interaction, echo reading relies on the student repeating phrases after the teacher, and whisper reading typically involves the student reading aloud softly without the direct auditory support provided in Neurological Impress. Hence, Neurological Impress is uniquely effective for providing immediate individualized support during reading.