Duolingo is a rather effective and engaging way to individualize learning of a new language. I use the program often with my students, and encourage them to use the program outside of class time. I like to give the last 15-20 minutes of my block class to a short exit slip and computer-based learning (I give student option of Duolingo, Quizlet, Lexia PowerUp, and Imagine Learning). This allows me to spend this "quiet" time meeting with individual students to support in any way I can, checking for understanding of lessons, or working with small reading circles.
Strengths:
User Friendly - students with minimal experience with technology are able to navigate rather easily
Placement Test - Places you somewhat appropriately in the program (people with some of the language do not need to start with basics)
Castle Checkpoints - Allow you to "test out" of skills that you already know (saves time)
Create A Class - Allows you to track student progress
Weaknesses:
DOES NOT explicitly teach grammar, pronunciation, specific language learning strategies
Mispelled Words - marked as incorrect and ....
After a few errors you are unable to continue without paying for a subscription
Below are videos to help you get started and learn a bit more : )
Duolingo Quick Start Guide
Create A Class on Duolingo:
How To Join A Class on Duolingo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VguaifNm4Q
I have heard other teachers of emergent bilinguals talk about this tool. How do you get around having to pay for it?
ReplyDeleteIt is free for everyone. It is most commonly used as a phone app. Although there is no explicit instruction, it is rather effective.
DeleteIn the beginning of my down time during quarantine. I downloaded duo-lingo to brush on my high school french and ended up doing it for two hours one day. I really like the feature where you listen/read to the stories and there are little check for understanding questions. Really Cool!
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