How language apps operate for the user to learn effectively

Learning a new language through a smartphone application is a recent reality that has already shown its effectiveness. But how do language apps operate so that the user really learns?

With the evolution of technology, numerous resources started to fit in the palm of your hand, on the smartphone. Whether to carry out a banking operation, communicate with other people or learn a new language, the equipment has assumed an increasingly important role in the user's life. But have you ever stopped to analyze how language apps operate for learning to be effective?

The concept of learning evolution

Learning something through an application would have been very difficult to imagine 30 years ago. Since then, technology has changed, and with it the forms of learning. However, a concept remains fundamental in all types of education: the progressive evolution. Basically, it is about presenting a new element as the student masters the previous one.

For some language apps, this fundamental concept. The application Babbel, for example, which offers courses in English and other thirteen languages, uses the technique of evolution and levels according to the advances made by the user. Thus, a phrase or term only appears on the screen when the student has mastered the previous items.

babbel language appThe Babbel platform offers courses in 14 languages, including English and Spanish

This progressive evolution of the applications can be compared with the school start period, when children are taught to read. That is, as the vocabulary is learned it increases, progressing in a gradual and organic. Take this concept seriously, which ensures the success of language applications.

Training the ear

One of the biggest difficulties that people have when learning a language to practice the listen. After all, if you are studying French in Brazil, you will hardly have the opportunity to hear people talking in this language on a daily basis. Traditional schools also encounter barriers in this regard, especially those in which the student does the lesson only in person.

babbel language appBabbel's app has Artificial Intelligence to correct the student's pronunciation

Various applications provide audio as to the pronunciation of complete words and phrases in the study language. For the most advanced apps, the inserted technology allows the user to record an audio speaking the phrase and, in real time, have the correction through Artificial Intelligence which compares the original sound with the student's interpretation.

Gamification in education

Gamification It is an English term that has become popular in recent years for proposing the insertion of game concepts in education. In this way, resources that are common in games are used, such as missions and challenges, punctuation, ranking system, awards and recognition before the community, as methods to encourage the student to continue learning.

GamificationGamification brings the universe of games to education, with rewards for reaching study goals

But gamification is not something fancy: there is a direct relationship between the elements of a game and the psychological triggers that people have. This does not mean that all people will react in the same way, but it is possible to keep students' attention more easily from proposals that make them feel like they are playing a game.

It is not surprising that language apps have started to apply gamification to their learning systems. as if the user plays while studying. Thus, he is able to perceive his own evolution and be rewarded for the effort in several ways, making him always remain motivated to continue.

But does it really work?

There is a lot of study involved in building an application. If the application in question is intended to teach a language to the user, these studies are even more complex. After all, it is necessary to take into account a number of factors, from the student's natural evolution, through visual and auditory stimuli, to using modern educational resources such as gamification.

Many people wonder if this type of application makes a difference and are even able to fix the content in the mind of the user. Like any autonomous learning system, I need the user to have a certain dedication when it comes to studying. Still, the way the applications are developed makes the student feel encouraged to continue in the teaching process. Marketing analyst Bruna Marzarotto uses the Babbel application to study Italian and points out some benefits: the possibility of studying anywhere, the resources present in the application and the review system are items that I consider essential for learning and that I would not have in a conventional school. And she adds: I started with zero knowledge in Italian and I am beginning to understand programs in the language without so much difficulty.

The Babbel app can be found on the App Store and Google Play.