I’ve mentioned before that I consider myself to be a lifelong learner. Through my commitment to lifelong learning, I’ve enjoyed finding new ideas to think about and new skills to pick up. One type of lifelong learning I’ve pursued over the years is language learning. I studied French in middle school and high school, and as an adult, I’ve studied Korean.
My studies of the Korean language over the years have been based in several instructional models: immerson, classroom, and self-paced virtual learning. The third model, self-paced virtual learning, is the model I’m currently using. As I noted when I wrote about my experiences with lifelong learning, these days I’m using Duolingo, which is an app that offers several different language learning opportunities.
About Duolingo
I pointed out before that I first learned about Duolingo through a Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) News story I received as part of an alumni newsletter. The company was started by CMU alums and was named iPhone App of the Year in 2013. As of July of this year, it was offering courses in 40 languages and had become a public company worth, according to Reuters, $6.5 billion.
Duolingo uses an illustrated owl, named Duo, as its logo, and it supplements Duo with a cast of illustrated characters. According to the Duolingo website, “Duo has many sides to his personality, which are reflected in his many positions. He's helpful, motivating, organized, dependable, dedicated, persistent, and supportive. He's also emotive and sometimes slightly awkward.” As for the supplemental characters, according to the company, they reflect the “wonderful, quirky, multicultural world around us.” Among others, they include a woman wearing a hijab, a goth girl with purple hair, and a man in a turban.
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Many faces of Duo (Duolingo/Duolingo Press Kit) |
According to the Duolingo website, the app uses a game-based methodology for teaching languages. The company notes it provides what it calls “bite-sized lessons [that] feel more like a game than a textbook” and claims it does so because “learning is easier when you’re having fun.” This fun, game-based pedagogy reflects and is reflected by the cute, animated illustrations used throughout the app.
For those who want more in-depth, detailed explanations about the concepts being taught, supplemental information is provided. However, the primary focus is on what Duolingo refers to as “implicit learning.” This means learners discover language patterns on their own as they complete the games.
The company also states it bases its lessons in real-life situations, focusing on vocabulary and grammar that will be useful in everyday life. It notes it provides centered around the four skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. To personalize the lessons, Duolingo uses machine learning algorithms to customize the difficulty level for each student.
In addition to this practical approach, Duolingo notes it purposefully includes what it calls “standout content” to keep learners on their toes. One example the company gives of this kind of content is the sentence, “Your bear drinks beer.” According to the company, this kind of content “pushes learners to think carefully about the language they’re learning.
Duolingo’s Effectiveness
You might wonder how effective Duolingo is at teaching languages. The company includes information about its efficacy on its website, where it provides links to several research studies that reached favorable conclusions about it. I confess I haven’t conducted an exhaustive literature review on the subject—there may be studies out there that contradict the ones highlighted on the Duolingo website.
Two areas of learning that can be measured are listening and reading. When it comes to these areas, one study found that Duolingo users reached the same proficiency by the end of its beginner-level section as students who had completed four semesters of college level language instruction. Another study found that Duolingo users reached the same proficiency by the middle of its intermediate-level section as students who had completed five semesters of college level language instruction.
Another area of language learning that can be measured is speaking, and Duolingo highlights one study that investigated its efficacy in this area. According to this study, users who completed the beginner-level section of their Duolingo language learning course had achieved what’s known as “A2-level speaking skills.” This means they could “produce complete sentences, remember words quickly, and speak comfortably about everyday topics at a conversational pace.”
Personal Reflections
When it comes to what Duolingo calls “standout content,” I’ve noticed this kind of sentence in my own learning with the app. I’ve wondered how practical it is to know how to read the sentence “The raccoon dog cannot teach the fox,” or the question, “Does the radio explode?”. Honestly, I can’t say I find these types of sentences any easier or more fun to learn than the content that deals with more everyday matters, such as “The small, sweet apple is expensive.” In fact, I think I do better with the more common vocabulary, such as “small,” “sweet,” “apple,” or “expensive” than with the more unusual vocabulary, such as “raccoon dog” or “fox” or “explode.”
Another aspect to Duolingo that I’ve noted is that even though the website states the app provides lessons centered around the four skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking, I have yet to encounter any speaking-focused lessons. Perhaps this skill is introduced at a higher level than I’ve achieved so far. Or, perhaps it’s included if you download the app rather than use the web version as I’ve been doing. I’m not sure.
One more feature that strikes me about Duolingo is its repetitiveness. After completing a level and moving on to the next, I’m frequently prompted to go back and review previous levels. The farther I move ahead in levels, the more previous levels there are to review. This at times has felt constraining. After completing a level, I’m eager to move ahead, but often I’m instead stuck reviewing the alphabet, which I knew by heart before even starting any of the lessons. While I understand that repetition and review are useful strategies for gaining fluency, at times I find it frustrating.
Despite these concerns, overall, I’d have to say my experience with Duolingo has been positive. I like that it’s free to use and that I can log on to the website as many times as I’d like to practice on my own schedule. I also like that it’s easy to track my progress over time, as each completed level ramains shown as I move forward into new content. Finally, the animated Duo and accompanying cast of characters are generous with their compliments, giving me a frequent “good job,” “well done,” or “congrats” as I move through the lessons. If you’re interested in learning a language, I encourage you to give Duolingo a try!