Duolingo for Schools: How it works and its impact on education

Duolingo for schools is one of the best ways your kids can improve their language while getting guidance from experienced teachers.

What’s even more exciting is that it offers an opportunity to have a unique and exciting learning experience as the process is more engaging than using the normal Duolingo.

It extends the concept and offers instructors a platform through which they can create classrooms, distribute lessons and monitor students’ achievement.

Since Duolingo for Schools is a tool that is subdivided into the learners’ game-like activities, it encourages students to practice and enhance their language proficiency.

But what more does Duolingo for schools offer?

What is Duolingo for Schools?

Duolingo for Schools comes in as a version of the popular language learning tool- Duolingo meant for school use.

Duolingo was developed to make the learning process fun and exciting, and it has a system that uses points and rewards to make learning more exciting.

They are extremely flexible and adaptable. And allow teachers to manage a wide number of aspects about language learning efficiently.

For example, using an easily navigated dashboard, assigning different exercises, monitoring their progress in real time, and setting up specific learning objectives.

The best part is that they assist whether on an individual or group basis to help the students develop.

At the same time, educators will be getting a report of the learning and progress of their students so that they know where they need to adjust.

Benefits and disadvantages of Duolingo for Schools

Duolingo for Schools makes language learning fun and easy in schools, as it yields positive impacts to students practicing and to teachers monitoring the progress.

It is effective not so much as an independent language learning program, but as an additional tool that complements the process of learning.

Benefits

• Engagement through gamification. Duolingo for Schools has features of a game because learners are awarded points as they level up and complete challenges.
• Personalized learning paths. Offers the capability of students to advance to the next level as they understand the specific lessons and attain different skills.
• Instant feedback and progress tracking. Teachers are provided with real time information about a particular student’s understanding of what is taught.
• Accessibility and flexibility. Duolingo for Schools is mobile and available for free. Therefore, it is flexible and cost-effective for schools.

Potential drawbacks

• Limited depth for advanced learners. Although Duolingo for Schools is good for teaching grammatical structures, it may not be effective for the advanced learners.
• Dependent on internet access. As with everything that depends on the internet and compatible devices, schools that use Duolingo often have internet access issues.
• Lack of interaction and conversational practice. Duolingo mainly focuses on self-study, and applications which minimizes face to face interactions.
• Difficulty in customizing for specific curriculums. Duolingo for Schools may not well fit in a certain curriculum, hence difficult to integrate fully in some language programs.
• Potential for over-reliance on gamification. Some students pay more attention to the points they earn than the content actually delivered.

The difference between Duolingo and Duolingo for Schools

Though Duolingo and Duolingo for Schools are designed for learners who want to acquire languages, the latter is designed for learning in schools.

The basic Duolingo application is targeted for learners who study independently and offers users a vast amount of conventional activities that focus on vocabulary, and grammar.

Teacher dashboard and classroom management

Duolingo for Schools embraces a teacher’s intuition, through which the teacher can set up classes and particular lessons and monitor the children’s progress in real time.

Such a feature is beneficial for the educators because in this way they can help students perform better.

It also makes them more responsible with their work which is not possible in a general Duolingo app.

Progress tracking and insights

Teachers using Duolingo for Schools edition will be able to see the overall class map and additionally get full access to information about strengths and weaknesses of specific students.

The standard app raises issues that the individual learner can get feedback from the app. But there are no reports from teachers on the performance.

Customizable assignments

Duolingo for Schools allows teachers to select particular lessons or skills for learners by either syllabi or individual requirements.

There is no way to choose the lessons in the standard app – Duolingo adheres to the sequence characteristic of each language.

No ads in classroom mode

Duolingo for Schools does not contain which might be a problem when trying to learn a particular topic.

The regular app, however, has ads. When users do not pay for the Duolingo Plus application.

How does Duolingo for School work?

Duolingo for Schools functions based on the fact that teachers are able to create virtual classrooms.

These virtual classrooms can be used for assigning specific lessons using your language of choice, tracking the progress or getting detailed information on each learner’s performance.

Using a separate tab for the teacher, the proficiency in the use of certain words and grammar, and the general progress of students, is shown to teachers.

Unlike the basic Duolingo app, Duolingo for Schools is free for teachers and learners and has no ads when used in class mode.

How to access Duolingo for Schools?

It is easy for teachers and the students to get to Duolingo for Schools. Teachers have to first begin forming a teacher account with Duolingo for Schools website.

After signing in, they can arrange their classroom, and monitor the student progress conveniently through the teacher’s interface.

By either going to the Duolingo website or using the app, teachers can find all the tools, as well as the data that is needed.

As for the students, they are required to sign in for the Duolingo for Schools program with the student account.

Students then use the class code from their teacher to get to the specific class that they are in.

Completed assignments allow students to attend classes, control their achievements, as well as use such learning features as games in Duolingo.

How do teachers create a classroom?

Establishing a virtual classroom environment in Duolingo for Schools is easy, which fulfills a teacher’s ability to establish a great learning environment for students.

This feature is available for use on websites and applications. And it allows the teachers to track their assignments and progress at the same time.

1. Sign in on Duolingo for Schools with your teacher login.
2. From the dashboard, tap on “Create Classroom”.
3. Choose your classroom name and the language through which you will be teaching.
4. For the purpose of this assessment, Duolingo shall produce a special classroom code.
5. Share the code to the students so they can get into the class.

How do you assign students in Duolingo for Schools?

After creating a classroom, the teacher gets a special code for the classroom which they can then share with students.

To enter the class, there is a code needed during the sign-up for the student account to be accepted as a member of the class.

After students have joined the group, teachers can monitor the performance as well as the tasks given to learners.

It has the feature of easy lists management of students and guarantees all students are linked to the proper class.

What can teachers see on Duolingo for Schools?

Teachers who integrate Duolingo for Schools in teaching are provided with a detailed overview of each student for apprise on their progress.

Teachers can set goals for the events, lesson accomplishment, knowledge check, accuracy rate, and even the mistakes made.

They can also see statistics related to the entire class, they can follow streaks, as well as the overall performance of students all through time.

By computing such numbers, it becomes easy for teachers to spot areas that may need reinforcements of lessons or areas in which most students demonstrated mastery.

What can students see?

Each student also has their own specific perspective for Duolingo for Schools with which the student can follow their progress.

They can view their finished lessons, points, streaks, and even their skill level. The platform also exhibits areas that need enhancement in detail showing which lesson or skill may need extra practice.

It allows students to check their answers and study corrections to some questions, in order to pay special attention to them.

The application includes such elements as achievements, badges, support for unlimited hearts, which inspire students in their further studies.

Do Schools accept Duolingo?

Duolingo for Schools is still getting more embraced by higher institutions as an additional aid in language learning.

It is praised for its communicative and interactive approach; however, most schools continue to use the accredited tests for language certificates. For example, according to ABP Live, many universities in the United States usually require foreign students to demonstrate English proficiency. One way of proving that you can understand English and communicate effectively is by passing the Duolingo English Test.

What grade levels is Duolingo for Schools suitable for?

Duolingo for Schools is ideal for kids in their early grade up to college going kids.

They are not limited to teaching children in the 3rd grade to 12th grade and are fun to help the learners develop language abilities in a friendly and fun way.

Certain reports and research prove that the concept of the games, which Duolingo uses as a learning process, increases student engagement, whether at basic or higher education level.

Nevertheless, it is not applied for credits-based languages tests and diagnostics in academically oriented universities.

Besides studying, what problems might kids face at school?

Apart from academic demands, childhood can be enriched by various troubles in school, such as social problems, including bullying, pressure, and friendlessness.

Depression, excessive worrying, or stress resulting from school work, or other factors also affect student health.

Moreover, distractions from gadgets, improper content, poor performance, and several other factors, including time management skills, prevent kids from concentrating on their studies.

It may be complex for students to manage these issues and attempt to achieve their school responsibilities.

Tip for parents: Utilizing parental controls appropriately

Therefore, parents have a central role in protecting their children and ensuring they are productive at school.

Thankfully, apps such as FlashGet Kids allow parents to regulate their children’s online activities and protect them from unnecessary distractions on their devices.

FlashGet Kids has various useful features to keep your child focused on the right things, including:

Keyword detection

Once you set specific keywords, the app tracks them while the kid is online, and you get notified every time they interact with it. This feature is useful in helping find out if your kid is getting bullied or is getting distracted by inappropriate content online.

Real-time notifications

This feature shares with you every notification on your child’s phone. This way, you’ll know what your kid is doing at the moment.

App time limits

FlashGet Kids also allows you to set limits on the use of specific apps on your child’s phone. If you notice your kid spends so much time on social media apps and neglects school work, you may limit the use of these social media apps. For example, you may limit the use of TikTok to only one hour a day.

All these features and many more of the FlashGet Kids enable you to solve the problems your kid may be having at school. For example, keyword detection lets you spot if your kid is getting bullied and then you advise the kid to report the matter. The time limits feature helps you keep the kid focused on important things.

These tools stop access to dangerous material and in the process, offer a more secure environment for kids while they learn through education platforms.

Final thoughts

Duolingo for schools is a free platform designed to help tutors create an engaging and efficient language-learning environment for students.

It comes with various features that enable the teaching and learning experience to be enjoyable and personalized. For example, it has progress tracking and curriculum alignment features, enabling the teachers to monitor the progress of their students.

However, parents cannot ignore the emerging issues that children experience at school that might drop their learning level.

Thanks to FlashGet Kids, parents can control the time their children spend on the phone and Internet. Thus providing them with appropriate support and encouragement at school.