1. What's Languagelab's ENGLISH MADE EASY @ HOME? Languagelab has been leveraging technology in classrooms - with animations, videos and a mobile app - and now, with English Made Easy @ home, the difference is simply that all these are shifted to a home setting. Students enjoy the same level of access to content as before, except now in the safety of their homes. There will be some reduction in face-to-face interactions between teachers and students for sure, but it's minimised through effective use of video technology.
2. How are CLASSES CONDUCTED? All HBL sessions are supported by rapid, online quizzes that are automatically marked. During discussions, screens with annotations, slides with pointers, videos for demonstrations have all been used. So students would have several rounds of Q & A already before being assigned homework inside the textbook mailed to each of them.
3. How are QUESTIONS MARKED during and after online classes? Since tests are automatically marked and classes would have answers discussed, the questions left for marking are those inside the textbooks. Answers to these will be given through video conferencing, after checking that students have completed them. Alternatively, parents may send a screenshot of their children's work, before getting them returned 2-3 days later.
4. How easy and secure is using VIDEO TECH at home? We have implemented Zoom, an easy solution for video conferencing and given students a 5-min early log in before each class. Multiple layers of security have also been implemented - waiting rooms, password-only access and entry through registrations. These ensure that video tech continues to be easy and secure to use for everyone.
5. How are achievements MAINTAINED OR EVEN EXCEEDED for English Made Easy @ home? Besides leveraging on videos and animations to teach and apps for rapid tests, extra lessons are conducted weekly, as long as HBL lasts, to support students' learning at home. These extra lessons will focus on exam-heavy topics and mock exams will be given to assess students' current standards.
Other FAQs
1. Why 350 CHAPTERS? It is because English has many areas of knowledge and skills not to mention strategies and grammar exceptions. Languagelab has mapped the entire range of English competencies from kindergarten to Cambridge 'O' Level including, but not limited to, reading strategies, speed reading to phonemic awareness, phonetics to creative writing to make it easy for learner of any age.
2. How does Languagelab's SYSTEM work? Students watch an animated video to learn key ideas in one area of knowledge or skill such as speed reading or characterisation with teacher's guidance. Next, they are quizzed using Languagelab app to test their new knowledge. Then, teachers issue targetedworksheets to correct language weaknesses.
3. What's Languagelab's system BUILT with? It is built with 3 parts - 350 chapters, Languagelab app & published textbooks. The chapters are presented in rich, hi-definition, multimedia content to learners of all ages, followed by rapid-fire tests. Supported by the app, students can relearn and revise anytime. Finally, textbooks provide targeted worksheets for each learner; to correct weaknesses, simply do more practice papers from those chapters.
4. Why can't reading ALONE help to improve English? Reading is a passive exercise. We can learn some grammar and vocabulary in this way but since English has a whole range of language skills and strategies, we need to master these too. It's like learning most skill-based knowledge; we need BOTH theory (vocabulary and grammar) and practical skills (literacy skills and strategies).
5. What's the DIFFERENCE between Languagelab and OTHER systems? Languagelab has systemised and standardised English for every key idea. Each is animated with moving visuals and sounds as most are are primarily visual and auditory learners. They are then gamified to make them interesting for ALL ages. Children, both young and old, prefergamified quizzes as a quick test of ability. Other systems are either passive (animations or learning videos) or gamified (e-learning) with English grammar and vocabulary; we increase the depth (350 topics) and breadth (animations, gamification and quizzes) for learning.
6. How do I START? Register your child for a quick, 10-min online assessment to get a benchmarkscore, based on 12,000 students, to highlight language strengths and weaknesses. With this, your child can be streamed to the most suitable class.
7. Do I need EXTRA RESOURCES for my child? There is no need to. All Languagelab students get access to the full suite of our resources - videos, animations, textbooks, worksheets, past year papers and online quizzes - as part of the monthly fee.
