How to make teaching Western Armenian fun with Gus on the Go
With the mobile technologies being gradually integrated into learning and the evolutionary development of smartphone, the market of educational mobile apps has been rapidly growing. Using educational apps in the classroom is one great way to spice up the students’ learning and help keep them engaged in class. They reinforce the material and allow students to experience of learning a language in another form.
Gus on the Go is an interactive app designed for preschoolers which teaches thematic vocabulary through interactive visual and auditory followed by reinforcing and scaffolding games. The list of vocabulary includes animals, food, transportation, clothes, numbers, colors, parts of the body and shapes. Using Gus on the Go in classroom setting will enable teachers to enrich the students’ thematic vocabulary developing their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. The colorful and interactive pictures can become a great substitute to flashcards when introducing the new thematic vocabulary.
SOME IMPORTANT TIPS:
- Make sure you know the structure and content of the App before you introduce it to your students or use it in the class. This way you will avoid students taking over your class and getting super excited about “just playing” with iPad or iPhone, or any mobile device you will be using.
- Since all the levels of the App will be locked once you download it, make sure you unlock all the language activities and games so that you can use it more efficiently and purposefully to meet the objectives of your current lesson.
- Please choose the city/town taking into account your students’ language proficiency level and the objectives of your current class.
- Note that the students will always be eager and interested in moving onto the games level (balloons, tapping the frog, etc.).
Now let us join Gus and learn Armenian visiting four cities and towns in Armenia - Gyumri, Sardarabad, Yerevan, and Tatev!