Teachers know the power of hearing a student read aloud for the first time—or the tenth time, with just a little more fluency than before. They also know how difficult it can be to create a focused, confident learning environment in a classroom filled with distractions. WhisperPhone® was designed to make that easier.
Invented by a parent, refined by educators, and used in classrooms across the country, WhisperPhone® is a voice-feedback tool that allows students to hear themselves clearly while reading, spelling, or practicing speech. It’s simple, effective, and teacher-approved. Here's how real educators are using WhisperPhone® to quietly build reading confidence—one whisper at a time.
A Tool Inspired by the Classroom
WhisperPhone® began with a moment of listening. During a parent-teacher conference, Steve Swain learned that his son’s teacher was using a makeshift “phone” to help students sound out words. His son liked the tool—but wished he didn’t have to hold it.
That small comment sparked the creation of the first WhisperPhone® SOLO, a hands-free device that amplified a child’s voice just enough to create a closed feedback loop. Since then, every new model has been shaped by conversations with teachers, speech-language pathologists, and parents across the country.
5 Real-World Ways Teachers Use WhisperPhone:
Today, teachers use WhisperPhone® in a wide range of classroom activities. Here are five powerful ways it’s being integrated into daily instruction:
1. Improve Fluency
By helping learners hear their own speech more clearly, promoting, reading fluency and building confidence. WhisperPhone® naturally slows reading pace and improves rhythm, which supports better phrasing and comprehension over time.
2. Support Spelling Tests
Sounding out a word quietly before writing it down reinforces the connection between sounds and letters. Teachers use WhisperPhone® during spelling tests or word-building games to help students think through each part of a word without disturbing their classmates.
3. Reinforce Phonics Instruction
Whether you’re using a structured literacy curriculum or working through individual sound patterns, WhisperPhone® helps students isolate and repeat specific sounds. It’s a great fit for blending, segmenting, and word families especially in classroom settings.
4. Boost Reading Comprehension
Subvocalizing into WhisperPhone® keeps students engaged with the text while allowing them to focus more deeply. They hear themselves process the words, which increases their ability to understand and recall what they’ve read. Better fluency promotes greater comprehension.
5. Encourage Self-Correction and Focus
WhisperPhone® is often used during “learning aloud” time. By providing auditory feedback and reducing background noise, it allows students to catch their own mistakes and remain focused, even in a busy classroom.
What Educators Are Saying
Deanine Mann, M.S., CCC-SLP, uses WhisperPhone® Duet in early childhood special education. She shared one powerful story:
“One of my most exciting experiences using the Duet occurred with a student who has selective mutism. This child would talk at home but not at school. During one of our language activities, I used the Duet with him, and he actually used short sentences with me in the middle of the classroom. It seemed to me that his communication pressure was reduced just by knowing that no one else could hear him.”
These quiet breakthroughs happen every day. Teachers consistently report that students are more focused, more confident, and more willing to participate when using WhisperPhone®.
Try It in Your Classroom
If you're looking for a low-cost, high-impact way to support phonemic awareness, reading fluency, and quiet confidence in your classroom, WhisperPhone® is an excellent place to start.
From individual models like the Solo to partner-based tools like the Duet and Select there’s a WhisperPhone® for every setting—and every student.
Browse models, classroom sets, and instructional tools at whisperphone.com/products.
Let your students hear themselves succeed.