Learning app Duolingo sets its sights on the language of numbers

The developers behind popular language education app Duolingo are setting their sights on maths education. According to an interview with the BBC, founder and chief executive Luis von Ahn sees his company's approach to gamifying education as a way of getting children off distracting social media apps such as TikTok and …

[Zippy´s Sausage Factory]

I used to be a Duolingo premium subscriber until they killed Tinycards, so I stopped. I still use Duolingo, but I'm not confident their approach will work well in mathematics teaching at all. I think this app probably will go the same way as Tinycards in a year or so...

[Adam Trickett]

I agree that removing the integrated Tinycards was a retrograde step.

I still use Duolingo, but I wouldn't pay for it, it's not that good.

The adverts are laughably absurd, can't imagine how they ever work...! I'm learning French and I get loads of adds to Learn English from French - because their ad server is so lame as it sees a French IP address....! Deux plus deux égale four?

[FrogsAndChips]

Ads...

I used to not really care about the ads in Duolingo, until it started serving me *the* *same* *bloody* *30s video* *after* *each* *single* *lesson*. Then I set AdGuard as the DNS on my phone...

[Insert sadsack pun here]

"I'm learning French and I get loads of adds to Learn English from French - because their ad server is so lame as it sees a French IP address"

TBF they're right that you'd probably do really well if you did some of their English lessons.

[EricB123]

Mais oui!

[werdsmith]

I've found that I have to use my own unique approach to learning, and one size does not fit all. Once I find it, I go up a gear.

Of course, schools cannot tailor courses to individuals, they have to use an approach that works well for the most people.

The problem with maths education in the UK is that it's not cool. A student can feel peer pressure to be apathetic or hostile to learning,

And the highest achievers learn most outside the school gates.

[RegGuy1]

Teach brexiters maths

It could teach the brexiters maths. So you start with £100, and then, due to a passing pandemic, you reduce it by 20%. Then, the year after it's gone you raise it back by 20% again, how much have you got? No, no, you don't have the fastest increase in wages -- by a Tory government -- because of HGV shortages and brexit, you only have £96, in other words a fall in wages, not a rise. Of course if you get your news from the Torygraph or other similar ignorant sources of news you'll be told otherwise. But then if you think that capital punishment is a valid legal option, what else can I say?

[Just in case you can't work it out: 80% of £100 is £80. 20% more of £80 is 80*1.2 = £96]