Brazilian Whisper Phone revolutionizes text reading in the classroom

Back in elementary school, when teachers asked you to read foreign language texts aloud, did you get butterflies in your stomach? And, even more so, that blockade that, no matter how expert he was, didn't let out a single word? If your answer is positive, don't worry because your drama is not isolated!

Most children are embarrassed to read aloud, especially if the reading involves foreign languages. This difficulty, obviously, did not go unnoticed by Lucienne de Castro Gomes, an English teacher at the Belo Horizonte municipal network. Observing this problem among her students, the teacher began to research.

In the midst of her investigations, she discovered the whisper phone, something like "whisper phone”. Widely used in the United States, the device allows the student to read aloud, but only hears his own voice. Thus, he does not feel intimidated and is able to analyze his qualities and where he should improve.

The cost, however, was far from reality for the acquisition – US$ 100 per unit. That's when the teacher's proactivity and creativity came into play, once again. Lucienne created a much cheaper contraption made from PVC pipe. With R$65.00, she managed to make 15 instruments that became a fever in the classroom!

The mechanism with a 10cm base is simple but has incredible functionality. Even if the student speaks very softly, he can hear you quite clearly. This way, you will identify pronunciation errors, concentrate better on tasks and, best of all, listen to your own voice alone!

This is possible thanks to the acoustic insulation potential of PVC. Lucienne's invention was so successful that it was not limited to Municipal School José Madureira Horta, educational unit where it is crowded. Other schools in the region were able to replicate the Minas Gerais whisper phone, also in Portuguese language classes.

Learn how to make the PVC Whisper Phone:

Want to have one like it in your classroom? See how to make your own!

You will need:

• 10 cm of 1.5'' PVC pipe
• 2 knees of 40 mm
• 15 cm of colored sticker to decorate the earphone

How to make:

• Cut the PVC pipe with a hacksaw and fit the knees, no glue required. To make it more attractive, use a colored sticker to cover the tube. Done, simple as that!