When teaching your students a foreign language, how often do you emphasize practicing outside the classroom? Probably pretty often! It makes sense, even to non-educators, that the single hour of in-class instruction is not enough. It also seems reasonable to think “the more the better” when it comes to practicing a new language. While quantity matters, so does the quality of what is being practiced.
Experts seem to agree that incorporating everyday activities such as reading a book or practicing weather terms in the language you are learning can be helpful to cement vocabulary and understanding. They also agree that daily practice is key – some think there is a number of minutes each day that is appropriate and others feel that it varies. What many agree on is that using technology can really level up students’ daily practice.
A recent study published by Science Daily showed significant improvement by those using a language app.
Among the report’s findings, 59% of participants improved oral proficiency by at least one sublevel on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages proficiency scale. The proportion of learners who improved rose even higher among those who spent more time using the app. For those who studied at least six hours, 69% increased at least one sublevel, improving to 75% for those who studied for at least 15 hours.
For language educators, it then becomes a research project to find out what app will best fit not only the language you teach but the curriculum that will support the lesson for that particular week. This can be like finding a needle in a haystack for educators – taking up time and effort to match your curriculum to the app.
We developed KidsLipi with the intention to solve this pain point for language educators. With KidsLipi, you can create personalized supplemental learning that exactly matches the curriculum you are teaching in class. It’s like developing an app specifically for your students, but without all the backend steps.
The customized, confidence-boosting games and activities provide additional practice to your students. Knowing that it’s aligned with what they are learning in class saves time and gives the continuity that you need for a solid lesson plan.
In addition to matching your in-class curriculum, the KidsLipi app is easy to access for students. They can study at home or on the go using a phone or a tablet. The interface and navigation have been designed with simplicity in mind, so students aren’t struggling with the app and can get straight to practicing.
Some language learning apps are more difficult to use when first learning a new language. Because KidsLipi allows you to create practice that is the precise material you are teaching in class, it provides exactly what your students need at the right time.
Educators and students alike tend to focus on “how many hours are enough?” but the more important question is what’s the caliber of the material your students are practicing? Combining fun, engaging practice with curriculum that aligns to what’s being taught in class, your students have a very high probability of not only enjoying the practice but retaining more of what they’ve been studying.