Overview | More Information – Features | Tutor Training | UN SDG 4
Overview
Our revolutionary Citizen Literacy Learner web app* is free to use, does not require user registration, has no adverts, no in-app purchases and takes no personal information. Featuring a voice driven interface suitable for low literacy learners with two virtual teachers that provide instruction and instant personalised feedback. It keeps track of each learner’s progress anonymously to provide feedback. Importantly, the design avoids looking like a children’s learning resource – a strongly demotivating factor for older learners. There is multimedia interactivity and gameplay, together with voice and handwriting recognition. Enabling some of the first online independent learning opportunities for low literacy learners. From a standing start, by the end of lesson 2, learners are beginning to read and write simple sentences.
Click this link to open the free Learner App.
* A web app is a website that behaves much like an app on smartphones and still works on all other platforms. We have future plans to convert our web app into a Progressive Web App.
More Information – Features
The web app requires no app store account and can instantly be accessed via a web link / QR code. So, it is highly accessible to our target learners and their tutors and can be used at a small or large scale to support local and national literacy initiatives. From a standing start, by the end of lesson 2, learners are beginning to read and write simple sentences.
The app supports the face-to-face lessons of the programme, and is one of the first to offer independent learning opportunities for adult literacy learners to accelerate learner progress. Being a completely free and open app means that it is capable of being used on its own in a wide variety of setting other than with the Citizen Literacy programme. For instance, in the UK it is being used in refugee ESL / ESOL programmes, in existing adult literacy classes, in dyslexia support, and stroke reading recovery, please see our case studies on our Resources page
The app can be used in classroom settings to show learners what activities they need to practice on before the next class, and if there is access to a smart board / Interactive screen the app can also be used to support activities with learners. These features are all available as standard in the free and open app. In addition, if the tutor has a subscription to the Tutor Hub service this unlocks a range of extra features in the app for the learners and tutors. Such as the ability for tutors to send voice messages to learners and personalise the app activities for learners, as well as authoring and administration tools for tutors. For more information please see the Tutor Hub pages.
NB this is not a teach-yourself-to-read app. It supports and accelerates our face-to-face programme by providing a powerful and supportive open learning environment for learners to practice in as much as they like between tutor-led sessions. Importantly, the learner web app is designed to run well on smartphones (an all other platforms) – for maximum access by adult literacy learners.
NB despite being designed to support our tutor-led programme the app is being used in a wide variety of other areas and applications that we originally never dreamed of! We are very pleased about this – to see some examples and case studies please visit our Case Studies on the Resources page of our website. I you would like to make a donation to keep the app free please visit our Donations page – thanks!
Tutor Training
Many of our resources can also be used to support tutor training, there is a general shortage of training resources for tutors to teach adult literacy, especially in the use of phonics. For tutors who are new to the use of phonics methods then working their way through the app also serves as a practical phonics training resource and at the same time informs them of the structure and content of the Citizen Literacy programme. When combined with our Tutor Handbooks, our Tutor Hub service, our online free Tutor Resources and the free ‘POST-16 PHONICS APPROACHES: TOOLKIT’, this is a powerful and growing collection of CPD resources. For more information please visit our Supporting Tutors page.
UN SDG 4
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 4 Quality Education
“Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning
opportunities for all.”
The Citizen Literacy programme and its free learner web app is our contribution to meeting this goal and its target of achieving universal literacy