Starting today, all Costa Rican families will enjoy free access to ABCmouse Aprende Inglés, a comprehensive digital English language learning program for children ages 3 – 11. Available on computers, tablets, and smartphones, ABCmouse Aprende Inglés was created by Age of Learning and is being offered at no cost throughout Costa Rica by the company’s philanthropic Age of Learning Foundation led by Chairman Doug Dohring. Aligned to international language learning standards, ABCmouse Aprende Inglés is designed specifically to help Spanish-speaking children learn to speak English fluently and confidently and support their important journey to becoming bilingual at an early age. Its engaging, game-based language learning activities makes learning English fun for kids.

In Costa Rica, the ABCmouse Aprende Inglés app is endorsed by the Ministry of Public Education as a valued complement to the English classes received by students in their schools.

Offering more than 4,000 English learning activities expertly designed to teach and practice the language, ABCmouse Aprende Inglés also helps children build confidence in understanding and speaking English as they independently progress along the Step-by-Step Learning Path. While the program is easy for children to use on their own, parents are encouraged to accompany their children in the English learning process and, at the same time, have fun and learn together.

“Everyone at Age of Learning is very excited to be offering ABCmouse Aprende Inglés to all families in Costa Rica at no cost—it’s the first time we’ve made  our English  language learning program available for free in Central America. We want to give Costa Rican children the life-changing  opportunity to become fluent in English from an early age, so they can expand their opportunities as they grow,” says Dr. Rebecca Palacios, a U.S. Hall of Fame teacher with more than 30 years of experience, an expert in dual-language learning, and the spokesperson for  ABCmouse Aprende Inglés.  “We are hoping to reach as many children and their families as possible throughout the country.”

Anyone in Costa Rica interested in taking advantage of this free offer can simply go to www.ABCmouseAprendeIngles.cr  to download the program or open the App  Store on their Android or iOS device, search for the ABCmouse Aprende Inglés app, and download it for free on their mobile devices.

According to Manuel Rojas, advisor to the academic office and coordinator of the Alliance for Bilingualism at MEP, it is extremely important that students have digital resources adaptable to the interests of the student body.

“With the recent approval of the Educational Policy for the Promotion of Languages, guidelines are included that enhance technology as a tool in the language learning process. Based on real content and fun activities with pedagogical intentions, the student population strengthens reading, speaking or listening inside or outside the classroom; with the purpose of expanding exposure to the language and strengthening the entire language learning process,” Rojas says.

Costa Rican families can also visit the program’s new Facebook and Instagram pages for additional information about the app, helpful tips, complementary language learning activities, and much more. On Facebook, go to ABCmouse Ingles Centroamerica.

The post Age of Learning Foundation Offers Families in Costa Rica Free Program to Help All Children Learn English first appeared on Age of Learning.

Our latest randomized control trial evaluated the effectiveness of our ABCmouse English program. This self-guided digital learning program was designed by our team of second language acquisition (SLA) researchers, applied linguists, teachers, curriculum specialists, and game developers at Age of Learning to help young learners develop English language skills.

Age of Learning researchers, led by the company’s Director of Efficacy Research and Evaluation Hee Jin Bang, designed the study and then partnered with OneLeap, a design and research consultancy in China, to conduct the study with 122 Chinese children (ages 5-6) and their parents in Hangzhou, China. The primary goal was to understand how effective ABCmouse English was in helping Chinese children develop English language skills.

Results of the trial—which were published in the peer-reviewed CALICO Journal, as well as in Age of Learning Research Briefs in English and Simplified Chinese—showed that beginner English language learners who used ABCmouse English for only ~15–20 minutes daily (an average of 30 hours over 6 months) improved their overall English language skills nearly threefold compared to children in a control group.

Use of ABCmouse English also led to statistically significant improvements across a range of specific language skills, such as vocabulary identification, listening for meaning, speech production, conversation, and pronunciation.

Parents of the children using ABCmouse English reported that their kids developed increased levels of confidence, interest, and motivation to learn English, which are all prerequisites for learning.  Additionally, they viewed the program as an effective—and cost-efficient—way to help kids get an early start in English language learning.

For the Age of Learning team behind ABCmouse English, this study also validates the research-based approach—specifically second language acquisition research—they adopted in creating the program.

“Based on the latest research, we designed ABCmouse English to include activities and experiences that engage young learners in familiar contexts, tasks that enable learners to construct knowledge through trial and error, and developmentally appropriate implicit and explicit corrective feedback delivered at the right time,” says head of efficacy research Hee Jin Bang. “We were very pleased to see evidence from this study supporting our belief that a research-informed digital tool can be highly effective in building English language skills of young foreign language speakers, and we are additionally optimistic that these findings can inform other education technology developers seeking to create effective learning resources.”

The post New Research: ABCmouse English Shown to Be Highly Effective in Helping Young Chinese Children Learn English first appeared on Age of Learning.

Dr. Mackey’s research into second language learning appears in all of the top scholarly journals in her field, as well as in edited collections with Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, and other leading publishers. In addition to authoring more than 100 journal articles, chapters, and reports, Dr. Mackey has published 16 books—three of which focus on children’s language learning. One of her best-known works, co-authored with Professor Kendall King, is The Bilingual Edge: Why, When and How to Teach Your Child a Second Language (HarperCollins), which has been translated into multiple foreign languages and will soon appear in Chinese.

“Age of Learning’s focus on using empirical findings in education research to drive children’s language learning outcomes at scale is very exciting,” said Professor Mackey. “I am very pleased with this opportunity to join Age of Learning’s Curriculum Board and support the company’s work in developing effective educational programs for children around the world.”

Professor Mackey has taught linguistics around the world, consulted for major language learning companies, and reviewed international baccalaureate and language programs. With her colleague, Susan M. Gass, she is a past winner of the Modern Language Association‘s Kenneth W. Mildenburger prize, awarded for outstanding scholarly books in the fields of language, culture, literacy, and literature that address the teaching of languages other than English. Professor Mackey carried out her graduate work at the University of Sydney and Cambridge University, where she earned her Ph.D. and M. Phil., respectively.

“Age of Learning’s Curriculum Board is central to our curriculum and product development process, ensuring the latest research and understanding of educational best practices guide our work to create the most effective learning experiences for children,” said Age of Learning founder and Executive Chairman Doug Dohring. “We are very pleased to welcome Professor Mackey and her leading expertise in language learning to our team as we continue to enhance and expand our ABCmouse English language learning programs.”

Professor Mackey joins several other leading experts in early childhood education, child development, and language learning who guide the development of Age of Learning’s educational programs.

The post We Welcome Renowned Language Learning Expert Alison Mackey to Our Curriculum Board first appeared on Age of Learning.

ABCmouse for Schools offers two solutions: ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy, a comprehensive supplemental curriculum that builds a strong foundation for academic success across subject areas required for 3rd grade readiness; and ABCmouse English Language Learning Academy, which can be used by teachers as a core program or as a rich supplemental resource to provide a developmentally appropriate English language immersion experience.

ABCmouse for Schools complements these curriculum offerings with student management, professional development, curriculum alignment, and progress reporting tools. Uniquely, these products also offer home access versions that are designed specifically to engage children in learning outside of the classroom while strengthening the school-home connection that has been proven to improve student outcomes.

We spent more than a year developing this new suite of tools and resources for educators, based on feedback from teachers around the country and globally along with guidance from our Curriculum Board and Advisors. Curriculum Board member Dr. Rebecca Palacios offered her perspective on the new offering: “ABCmouse for Schools helps to equalize access and improve the fidelity of implementation of a proven high-quality early learning resource. What schools and teachers will get is a powerful yet easy-to-use solution that strengthens the important school-home connection while reinforcing classroom learning to improve children’s academic skills.”

ABCmouse Early Learning Academy provides young learners, their families, and teachers with a comprehensive supplemental curriculum based on widely accepted education standards and early learning practices. Designed to prepare students for 3rd grade, the curriculum includes 830 lessons in 10 levels, with more than 8,500 standards-based learning activities such as books, songs, puzzles, and games that cover all major subjects: reading and language arts, math, science, social studies, health, art, and music.

ABCmouse English Language Learning Academy teaches English in a natural way, beginning with listening and speaking activities that help children to quickly develop vocabulary and conversational skills. Once students have learned to speak and understand simple English, they progress to reading and writing. They will also develop independent learning skills and gain confidence in their own ability to understand and speak English, building a foundation that will help students to be successful throughout their education.

For more information, please visit our new Global Schools website: ABCmouseForSchools.com.

If you are attending ISTE 2016 in Denver, CO from June 27 to 29, 2016, please visit us at booth #2519 to see a live demonstration.

The post Age of Learning Launches ABCmouse for Schools, a Scalable Solution for School Districts and School Groups in the U.S. and Globally first appeared on Age of Learning.