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Duolingo for Schools: A Simple Duolingo Classroom Guide for Teachers

Duolingo for Schools: A Simple Duolingo Classroom Guide for Teachers

Duolingo is one of the best free resources out there for learning a language as well as the most popular language-learning platform, and now, teachers can take advantage of Duolingo for Schools to help teach their students!

Duolingo for Schools allows teachers to create classrooms, assign grammar and vocab homework using Duolingo material, and check whether their students have completed assignments.

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Can You Use Duolingo as a Teacher? Can Duolingo Be Used in Schools?

Yes, you can use Duolingo as a teacher and Duoling CAN be used in Schools! Below we’ll go over exactly how to use Duolingo in School using their separate platform made especially for that purpose.

Now you can bring the world’s number one language learning app straight to your students.

This Simple Duolingo for Schools Guide will walk through each step of using Duolingo for teachers!

Step One: Head to the Schools.Duolingo.com Platform

Duolingo for Schools

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Step 2: Log In Using Your Duolingo Account (The Teacher’s Duolingo Account)

If you haven’t created a Duolingo account already, you would create one now. Since I already have a Duolingo account, I use that to log in.

There is no need to create a separate account or a new account to use Duolingo for Schools. So the teacher’s Duolingo account can be their personal Duolingo account.

create duolingo account

Step 3: Once You are Logged in, Create a Duolingo Classroom

In order to create a Duolingo language classroom, you need to click on the orange button and start filling out the information as you go.

duolingo for schools classrooms
The Teacher Dashboard in Duolingo for Schools

The first thing it asks for is the name of the classroom. For example, I named mine “Spanish 101” because it would be a beginner Spanish class.

You can name yours whatever you would like and you can change it later if you change your mind!

Then choose the language that your students are studying and the language that they speak.

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create a Duolingo classroom

You can choose any language that is available to learn on Duolingo as the language that your students are studying.

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However, Duolingo for Schools is only available at the moment for students that speak English, Portuguese, French, Chinese, Italian, Russian, or German.

Languages available on Duolingo for Schools

Next, you decide how you would like to invite your students to the Duolingo classroom. You can either share a classroom link with them or create accounts for them.

I recommend using the “Share classroom link” option as it is much less time-consuming.

Invite students to duolingo classroom

If you choose that option, you will get a link that you can share with your students as well as a classroom code that they can use to join your Duolingo classroom.

invite students with a link to duolingo classroom
Invite Students using a classroom code or link

If you choose the account option, you will be adding each student into the classroom manually, which would take a lot of time depending on how many students you teach.

type in student's names

The last step is to download the PDF that has setup instructions for the students. This PDF includes an invitation link to the classroom and instructions on how to join the Duolingo classroom from an Android or iOS device.

PDF with setup instructions to join duolingo class

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Step 4: Help Your Students Join the Duolingo Classroom

If your students are using computers for Duolingo, joining the Duolingo classroom is very straightforward. They will just click on the link that you sent them from the PDF that you were given.

Here is what that section of the PDF looks like:

UPDATE: This class is now full (500 students is apparently the max!) you can join my new Spanish 102 class here: www.duolingo.com/classroom/zzjxfc.

link to join duolingo classroom

However, if your students are using their phones, the steps are slightly more complicated.

First, they should log into their Duolingo profile on the mobile app using their personal Duolingo login information. From there, click on the tab that has a girl’s head symbol on it. That is your profile tab.

Next, your students should click on the account Settings symbol in the top right corner.

Duolingo profile

From there, they can scroll down and find the button that says “Progress Sharing.”

Progress Sharing on Duolingo settings

The last step for them to join the classroom is to type in the Classroom Code that was given in the PDF. After that, they are officially in your Duolingo Class!

RELATED:  9 Reasons to Use Italki to Learn a Language

UPDATE: This first class is full, you can use this code: ZZJXFC to get into my new class Spanish 102.

Classroom Code in Progress Sharing

Step 5: Check Which Students Have Joined the Duolingo Classroom

After you have created your classroom, you will be able to see which students have followed the link and joined your classroom.

I followed my own link as the teacher and joined the classroom to test out how it worked, so you can see that I am the only student listed.

students in Duolingo for teachers classroom

Step 6: Create Duolingo Assignments

After you have made sure all your students have made it to your classroom, you can start creating assignments for them to complete.

create duolingo assignments for students
Duolingo for Schools Assignment List & Assignment Progress

There are two types of assignments that you can create for your students. The first one is to collect experience points (or XP) and the second one is to level up a skill.

create assignment for students

For the “Collect Points” assignment, you can choose how many XP you want your students to earn. It shows you how many minutes of work is equal to that amount of XP.

After that, you set the dates that the students will start their assignment and when they need to have it finished. It will then show the number of days left for them to complete that assignment.

Collect Points assignment for students

For the “Level up a Skill” assignment, you can choose a skill that you want your class to complete. This means that they would earn the next “crown” or level that is available for that skill.

A super cool feature that Duolingo for Schools has here is the ability to see which lessons your students have already completed.

Since I have already earned all of the crowns in the first 4 skills available, and I am the only student at the moment, it shows that 100% of the class has already completed those specific Duolingo skills.

You can use this to make sure you aren’t assigning skills that are too easy or that the students have already finished.

If you have students that are at varying levels of ability, I would recommend the XP assignment instead.

Assign lessons to students in Duolingo for Schools

After you’ve created an assignment, you can see what you have assigned, as well as whether the student has completed it on time, late, or not at all.

Class assignments in Duolingo for schools

Your students will also be informed through the email that they used to sign up for Duolingo that they have an assignment due!

email from Duolingo about assignments

Step 7: Familiarize Yourself with the Duolingo for Schools Menu

At the top of the menu, you can go back and check on your student’s progress and which assignments they are completing in the Students Tab. The second tab is for creating assignments, which we just learned how to do.

Duolingo for Schools menu

The next few tabs are more optional but include a Curriculum tab, Class Activities tab, and Classroom Settings tab.

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The Curriculum is split into Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced skills.

You can choose to follow these, which include vocabulary lists, example sentences, sample lessons, and an option to assign that skill as homework.

Duolingo for Schools Spanish Curriculum

The next tab is for using Duolingo during class with your students. You can choose the skill that you want to practice together as a class and it will launch it on your screen.

It won’t show up on your student’s own accounts, though, only on yours. This is meant to be shown on a projector or screen where everyone can see it and you can move through the lesson together.

Class Activities in Duolingo for Schools

The last tab is “Classroom Settings” where you can change the name of your classroom, the Duolingo language course that you are teaching, and the language that your students speak.

You can also download the Setup Instructions again if you need it.

Classroom Settings for Duolingo for Schools

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Read More About Duolingo:

guide to duolingo for schools for teachers