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by Leonard Williams

An innovative new GED preparation software program tackles one of the most difficult subjects to learn in a packaged program: writing. The approach focuses on real-world applications and true-to-life virtual students.

The GED Academy passGED Study Program recently introduced a new course on Writing Fundamentals, geared to help GED students master one of the big stumbling blocks on the GED test: the writing exam. The GED Academy is part of a new breed of educational software. Through their innovative passGED study program, The GED Academy brings a virtual classroom to life on students’ computer screens—a classroom peopled with fellow students who struggle with real-life problems.

“Teaching writing is difficult because writing has so many subjective aspects,” says Michael Ormsby, president of The GED Academy. Writing is one of the most daunting teaching tasks because students can’t choose an answer and then turn to the back of a book to see if it’s right. The answers are more complicated than two plus two equals four. For an educational software program, teaching writing is a challenge.

“We teach the basic building blocks of language—spelling, grammar, punctuation,” says Ormsby, “but those are just small pieces. It’s putting it all together that’s the real challenge.” In fact, the virtual students in the passGED classroom echo this idea. What’s the point of learning spelling? What’s the point of learning sentence structure?

The writing course focuses on ways that writing is valuable in students’ lives. How do you write a good cover letter and resume? What if you need to write a scholarship application? “Part of the course,” says Ormsby, “is learning how to learn. Through the virtual students, we can examine students’ thought process. Students can see other students learning and connecting learning to their lives.” The program’s users watch as virtual students develop their ideas into finished pieces. The program takes pains to examine intangible qualities of writing like voice and rhythm.

Although it describes the basics of a five-paragraph essay, the program is quick to point out that the format for writing anything depends on its purpose. “Form follows function,” Leonard Williams, the virtual instructor, tells his students. The program focuses on real-life writing applications like letters, e-mails, and blogs instead of teaching essay structures. “If students don’t have a real purpose for writing,” Ormsby says, “they aren’t motivated to write or to improve their writing.”

For more information about the GED exam, test preparation, and the passGED study program, visit: http://www.passGED.com