Glossary

Book Builder allows you to add three coaches to each page. You have a choice of adding one of the animated coaches and typing a script to be read by text-to-speech or creating your own agent by uploading any image and scripting and recording human voice. 

The create-your-own agent allows the author to include a picture of an object or person that is relevant for that child making the coaching more powerful. In addition, the ability to record human voice rather than using computer voices creates a natural model of good prosody that is not possible when using computer voices alone. The picture below is the area where you can name and create your own agent.

Explicit teaching is an attempt to teach a concept by breaking it down into small parts, highlighting critical features, explaining specific details, modeling thinking and demonstrating processes. Explicit teaching is often done in a structured and logical way. Writing social stories is an example of explicit teaching.

A tool traditionally used to support vocabulary development.

The book builder glossary allows  you to add images and sounds to enhance learning by offering multiple means of representation.

The Book Builder glossary is only limited by your imagination. You might consider using it to provide additional background information, translations, etc. 

To author prompts for the student response area, scroll down the authoring page below the boxes for authoring coaches.

A scaffold is a temporary support that is used when a building is being constructed. Scaffolding is slowly removed as the buildings inner structure is extensive enough to support itself. The term scaffolding has a similar meaning when applied to instruction referring to the temporary supports a teacher constructs to help a student build understanding. The teacher slowly removes the scaffolds as the student builds skills and knowledge that allows him/her to work indpendently

One example of scaffolding is an adult that runs alongside and guides a child as he/she learns to ride a bicycle. The adult begins by holding the back of the seat and one side of the handlebar. Next, the child takes responsibility for the handlebar and the adult continues to hold the seat. Finally, the adult slowly lets go of the seat as the child is able to balance and ride independently.

Social deprivation often exists in institutional environments where there are high child to caregiver ratios. In such settings, children are provided with minimal care and opportunities for tactile and social stimulation with adults or other children. This practice was common in orphanages in Romania (where the ratio of children to caregivers is said to have averaged 22:1), particularly during the regime of Nicolae Ceauşescu (see glossary entry for more information). Recently, Romania has made efforts to move toward foster care in an effort to gain entry into the European Union.

The ability to reading social cues and to react appropriately is a group of skills called social skills. Social skills are the skills that help people to communicate and respond appropriately in social situations. Some social skills are universal and others vary by culture. 

Socialization: "a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior, and social skills appropriate to his or her social position."

Citation: socialization. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/socialization

Socially-rich environments ares environment where social interaction between children and/or adults are frequent and common. Most children are immersed in socially-rich experiences from birth with parents, siblings and other caregivers. Socially-rich environments and experiences help children build social skills. However, some children appear to have neurological or other organic barriers to developing social skills even when immersed in socially-rich environments.