Mathematics courses begin with concrete representations to build early concepts. This includes the use of both pictorial and numerical representations in early lessons, and activities that enable learners to manipulate and interact. Algorithms have given way to concept building as middle school and high school courses focus on procedural understanding. Lessons contain previously taught information and can be reviewed. Occasional performance questions ask learners to perform some tasks to solve the problem.
Teachers can use the Learning Upgrade to teach an entire class or individual lessons. A library of lessons, songs, and activities help introduce concepts, especially as learners practice with the program. Tools such as reviewing concepts, listening to spoken text, and accessing vocabulary may not always be available during the game, so encourage older learners to take notes and share them with the group. Recommending is helpful.
Because each student follows a learning path and children move on as concepts are mastered, educators can use it to measure readiness and differentiate instruction. The teacher menu allows educators to track their progress. Basic data such as time spent in and out of class, scores and levels can be sorted within the program or exported to a CSV file.
Clear instructions, interactive activities, and immediate feedback make this a solid program for most learners. Traditional strategies are used to redirect and fix errors. For example, in some reading comprehension sections, if a student makes a mistake, the learner is asked to “read this part together.” The program then reads the section of the passage containing the answer. When it comes to math, skills are clearly demonstrated and ample practice is provided to ensure retention. Each course concentrates on 60 lessons. Higher level thinking and problem-solving strategies have been left out to ensure that the basics are covered.
However, traditional strategies have traditional pitfalls. Learning Upgrade does not solve the variable prior knowledge challenge in matching vocabulary words with pictures. Some images, like figs, may be difficult for some learners to identify. It also does not solve the problem of learners answering questions without reading the text first. Within seconds of entering the passage, the learner can click Next and guess the question. Also, promises to meet the needs of learners with disabilities are exaggerated. Lessons for ADHD learners are no different in content or delivery than lessons for learners with autism, learners with no learning differences, or learners who speak a language other than English as their first language. . The songs and animations that introduce the lessons are a little clunky, and the animations feel a little dated.
Website: https://www.learningupgrade.com/
User’s overall consensus about the app
student involvement
The songs and voices are accompanied by somewhat outdated graphics. Not all children love singing. Interactive questions are engaging and give immediate feedback.
Curriculum and instruction
Tested and traditional strategies are used to present the curriculum. However, the tasks are limited to recall, comprehension, and application, and do not encourage higher-level thinking.
customer support
Best practices are employed to present the material, but customization is lacking. Create a more accessible curriculum with options for alternate languages, access to review material during practice, or read-aloud final assignments.
