Human Connection

Frequently Asked Questions: This optional section addresses the most common questions that interested parents and educators have when looking for the information on this page.

• Should students learn to read and write via a computer program alone?
  • No. There are many benefits to using a computer program for learning to read and write, but programs that try to replace human interaction entirely go against many findings that show how critical social interaction is for language learning and literacy instruction.
• Does Pictures Are For Babies require a tutor?
  • Yes. Pictures Are For Babies is a literacy software that automates the scheduling and lesson planning but leaves instruction and interaction to a human tutor. This approach takes advantage of the relative strengths of both humans and computers to provide the most effective learning experience.
• Does a tutor need special training to use Pictures Are For Babies?
  • No. The tutor only needs to be a fluent reader and willing to follow a simple protocol. The software handles all the instructional planning, so no prior experience or expertise in literacy instruction is required.

Pictures Are For Babies makes a conscious choice to pair each student with a tutor rather than relying on automated scoring. The decision is grounded in decades of research showing that human interaction plays a critical role in learning, especially for beginners. A tutor doesn’t just verify answers. They provide encouragement, clarify confusion, and model how skilled readers think. The presence of a human turns literacy into a social act, not just a technical skill.

Unlike traditional programs, Pictures Are For Babies handles all the instructional planning. This makes it possible for any literate adult to become an effective tutor, whether it's a parent, volunteer, older sibling, or classroom aide. A student can be paired with multiple tutors, allowing for more flexibility and the ability to close gaps in support by relying on volunteers or school staff.

The tutor system is designed to be simple and effective. While some amount of training is required, it requires no technical expertise, no knowledge of linguistic terminology, and no training in literacy instruction. Those are all handled by the scheduling system and by a simple protocol that any fluent reader can follow.

Some offerings in the space have tried to automate the tutor's role. While computers and voice recognition might make it possible to verify the answers to decoding and spelling tasks, no known system can verify answers to more complex tasks involving reading comprehension or writing. No computer system, no matter how advanced, can replace the social and emotional support that a caring tutor provides.

In addition to the pedagogical benefits, the tutor system makes it much easier to develop the program and to offer it at a more affordable price. More time is spent on creating high-quality exercises and none on chasing after technological trends that are unlikely to yield meaningful utility beyond the most basic tasks.