"Fonemi" a new approach to children's language awareness
To participate in society, it is important to invest from a young age in the development of basic skills such as reading, writing, and arithmetic. This way, young people will find better connections to the labor market later on. "But there is currently a lack of a coherent approach. Yet, this is necessary to prepare children well for functioning independently in society," says Linsey Hardyns from VIVES University.
The recent PISA results already show the steep decline in some of those basic skills. Dutch 15-year-olds score below the European norm for reading comprehension. With Fonemi, Bits of Love, a digital product studio with expertise in education, and VIVES University aim to provide an answer. The web app takes children on a playful learning journey to practice their language awareness.
Jessica Kellner, managing partner of Bits of Love: "Since it is a huge challenge for teachers to support children individually today, we have developed a web application that enables personalized learning. Preschoolers practice the four skills of phonemic awareness at their own level and in increasing difficulty. They learn to recognize and analyze sounds, practice synthesizing sounds, and manipulate sounds. Each child receives personal feedback on the exercises, and through a dashboard, the teacher can track the child's progress."
Local voice actors for the Dutch market
Fonemi was launched in Belgium in 2022. There, it immediately presented strong results. "First-grade teachers immediately notice a big difference in starting level among students who practiced with the web app. Moreover, our research shows that children who worked with Fonemi two to three times a month scored 10% better on phonemic awareness skills," continues Eva Monstrey from VIVES University.
This success is the result of a unique collaboration with Bits of Love as the strategic product partner and VIVES as the content partner. Both parties are now seizing the opportunity at IPON, the education fair taking place in Utrecht, to tap into the Dutch market with Fonemi. "We are launching a new version at the fair, in which we have improved the user experience and added some new functionalities, such as easier management for schools. To connect with Dutch youth, we have also chosen to work with local voice actors."
By expanding to the Netherlands, Bits of Love also joins the ranks of companies that want to create impact at an international level. "Our digital studio has extensive experience and expertise in educational games, and we want to share that knowledge with our partners abroad. We truly believe that with these innovative tools, we can help advance society," concludes Jessica Kellner.
