Blog #1 - Duolingo - Complimenting beginner language classes


Duolingo - Complimenting Beginner Language Classes

https://www.duolingo.com/

As a language teacher I'm always tuned-in to how people are learning languages. I love to hear what's hot, what's working, and what the pros and cons are. People outside of my teacher/ teaching circles often mention Duolingo. If they are travelling to Mexico, they gamify their trip prep using Duolingo Spanish. If they are taking a beginner Italian class at Dalhousie University, they fill in the the gaps and get their practice playing Duolingo on the bus. As I, myself did some travelling in recent years, I also spent time waiting for flights and falling asleep at hotels playing a few rounds.

Now as a language-teaching expert, I know how to deconstruct and evaluate the effectiveness of a language lesson. I have to admit, Duolingo was great. The gamification of language learning provides high levels of motivation. It is simple to use and doesn't clutter your experience with passwords, payments, or cluttered interfaces. It uses a language learning concept known as 'Audiolingualism'. This basically drills your language skills to exhaustion and builds your framework of the language purely by repetition and rolling revision.

In terms of this being an effective tool to learn communication, I would give it low marks. But to build a foundation and solid familiarity with listening, reading, writing, and even speaking, I give it high points. Having this foundation will make the actual communicative aspect of learning another language much easier. It will also lead to a more accurate and confident grasp of the language when it is time to put the language into action.

For my lower language classes, I try and get them hooked on Duolingo and to compete while using it with their friends. I notice the grades and speed of learning increases when they do. It's not part of the curriculum, but it sure is a great compliment to it.

Pick a language and try it out,





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blog #7 Backchannel Chat - Live access chat

Image
According to Techopedia , a backchannel is  the use of networked computer and instant messaging software in a learning or team-based work environment to provide private or one-to-one communication between the student/listener and the teacher/speaker. The backchannel tool is very useful in my field of work -- teaching English as a second language to international university students in Canada.  The classes I deliver, help plan, and run occasional technology workshops with commonly focus around using technology as a collaborative and communicative tool. At Dalhousie, my current school, as with most university classrooms across Canada, we are equipped with projectors and a desktop in every classroom. Considering the above then, you might see how useful backchannel network can be. Basically, what a good backchannel app can do is provide quick, hassle-free, access for students to post text on a common page. This page is projected on the board in the center of the class...
Read more

Blog #2 - Simple Graph Maker & Piktochart

Image
Being an English for Academic Purposes instructor at Dalhousie, I often am required to include in my lessons statistical analysis, statistical data collection, statistical imaging, and finally statistical summarizing. If approached in the wrong way, such topics can really bore and frustrate students. Some common pitfalls include dealing with complex statistical imaging tools, attempting to graph data without the aid of tools, software incompatibility, complicated program sign-up applications, and getting mired in moot. After trudging through app after app after app, I finally found a really simple graphing tool that students can learn how to use quickly and also one that students can produce and save images of to show the class on the smartboard. It is easy to sign-up, doesn't require any payment, is very user friendly, produces quick results, and doesn't try and corner you into any 'gold' programs. So in terms of quick set-up and easy-to-learn matters, I give it hig...
Read more