As digital learning tools become increasingly prevalent, platforms that enhance active engagement are at the forefront. Actively Learn stands out as a leading adaptive learning solution harnessing the power of technology to personalize education. This article will explore Actively Learn‘s features, benefits and considerations for teachers.
What is Actively Learn?
Actively Learn is a web-based reading platform that enhances comprehension and retention for students in grades 3-12. Teachers can assign digital versions of textbooks and other materials through an easy-to-use dashboard. As students read, the platform unobtrusively tracks their progress, time spent and interactions to surface the most relevant questions, definitions and multimedia. This adaptive approach ensures students receive timely support to build understanding.
Actively Learn Key Features
Digital Texts
Actively Learn supports digital textbooks and other reference materials to enhance learning beyond traditional print. Educators easily upload entire class sets or individual readings from any device. This allows assigning relevant chapters, sections or pages for whole-group or differentiated instruction. Students can access organized, highlighted, and annotated content anywhere via the web or app. Digital texts also integrate seamlessly with the platform’s other adaptive features for an engaging experience.
Embedded Questions
Teachers author formative multiple-choice, short answer, true/false and other style questions that unobtrusively check understanding throughout readings. Questions appear at natural stopping points based on learning objectives. Students receive immediate feedback while teachers gain insight into misconceptions. Educators can also leverage pre-made question banks or have questions auto-generated based on text difficulty and student performance.
Adaptive Technology
Sophisticated machine learning algorithms personalize the experience for each learner. The system analyses performance patterns as students respond to questions to determine the most impactful guidance. Those grasping concepts advance independently while others receive targeted scaffolds like definitions, examples and multimedia. Teachers maintain control to manually determine needs and group students accordingly. This ensures all find success through individualized support.
Reports
Comprehensive reports equip teachers with real-time data to shape instruction. Insights include time spent, concepts mastered, engagement levels, question response patterns and more. Educators identify strengths, pinpoint gaps and prioritize reteaching areas for small groups. Students also access performance snapshots to track their progress. Detailed reporting fuels responsive teaching practices and learning accountability.
Mobile Access
The Actively Learn mobile app allows students to read assigned texts and practice anywhere, anytime, via any connected device. This flexibility maintains continuity of learning across environments. Educators also appreciate the convenience of remote oversight and communication through any web browser.
Integrations
Actively Learn integrates with Google authentication, SSO systems and all major LMS platforms. This provides single sign-on convenience while preserving existing workflows, rosters and gradebook syncing. Tight integrations also facilitate assignment creation and distribution across the classroom experience, both in-person and online.
Benefits for Teachers
Actively Learn streamlines preparation and assessment. Teachers can assign readings, questions and activities with a few clicks. Its adaptive capabilities free up time otherwise spent differentiating manually. Detailed reports provide real-time data to inform small group instruction, reteaching and extensions. Teachers also appreciate its clean, intuitive dashboard for individual and class-wide progress oversight.
Benefits for Students
Students find Actively Learn more engaging than passive reading alone. Embedded questions, definitions and multimedia keep them accountable and reinforce understanding. Its adaptive nature ensures students receive timely context to master challenging concepts. Struggling readers benefit from features like text highlighting and speech-to-text functions. Overall, Actively Learn personalizes the experience to promote active learning.
Pricing and Platform Considerations
Actively Learn offers flexible subscription plans for teachers and schools. Individual pricing starts at $8/student/year or $80/teacher/year for basic access. Volume discounts are available. Platform requirements include a recent browser and internet access. Actively Learn works across devices, but an internet connection is required for full functionality. Some multimedia, like videos, require sufficient bandwidth. The platform also functions best with digital copies of textbooks versus scanning print materials.
While quite robust, Actively Learn is not a complete LMS, and some integrations still need to be improved. Its questions and reports also focus more on formative assessment versus high-stakes testing. Technical glitches could disrupt lessons until resolved. Finally, some content, like publisher workbooks, may need to be compatible in digital form. Actively Learn delivers significant benefits when conditions allow for its adaptive capabilities.
Enhancing Comprehension with Formative Assessment
Actively Learn uses formative assessment to monitor student understanding through low-stakes embedded questions. Teachers can assign multiple choice, short answer, true/false and other style questions at natural stopping points within texts. As students respond, they receive feedback to address misconceptions before moving forward. This active engagement during reading reinforces key ideas without disruption. Later, teachers gain actionable insights from detailed reports on which concepts require reteaching based on class and individual performance data. By strengthening comprehension incrementally, this approach prepares students for success on high-stakes exams with confidence.
Tailoring Instruction Through Adaptive Technology
The platform leverages adaptive learning technology to personalize each student’s experience. Sophisticated machine learning algorithms analyze real-time response patterns to surface the most relevant support resources. For example, students grasping concepts swiftly receive abbreviated question sets and can progress independently. Meanwhile, peers needing additional scaffolds receive targeted definitions, multimedia and sample questions to build mastery. Teachers can manually determine which sections deserve extra time or group students for remediation. This ensures every child receives precisely what they need to grow as an individual learner.
Facilitating Inquiry and Critical Thinking Skills
Actively Learn supports higher-order, open-ended questioning to promote skills beyond rote memorization. Educators can curate question banks emphasizing analysis, evaluation, and synthesis aligned to learning objectives. For instance, discussion prompts encourage students to comment respectfully on peers’ diverse perspectives. As moderators, teachers facilitate civil discourse around complex topics and monitor the exchange of ideas. Additionally, project-based assignments integrate research, collaboration and multimedia to develop communication, creativity and problem-solving aptitudes.
Supporting Diverse Learners
The platform considers all students through inclusive design. Struggling readers benefit from text highlighting and speech-to-text conversion, making content verbally accessible. Advanced students remain engaged through challenge questions and leadership opportunities like peer tutoring. ELL and special needs learners receive individualized pacing, visual supports and translation services as needed. Overall, Actively Learn meets students where they are through its adaptive approach and accessibility features to ensure all can thrive.
Integrating with the Classroom Experience
While its full potential is unlocked in online implementations, Actively Learn still enhances blended pedagogy. For example, teachers may assign sections for homework and reference performance insights to guide class discussions. Students access content, questions and notes seamlessly across devices, whether learning in-person or remotely. This maintains continuity of instruction during hybrid or flipped models. Actively Learn’s flexibility supports diverse teaching styles.
Conclusion
Actively Learn transforms passive reading into an engaging, personalized experience when used strategically. Its adaptive features empower teachers with real-time insights to shape responsive instruction for all learners. Students stay accountable and motivated through embedded questions, definitions and multimedia. While technical considerations remain, Actively Learn enriches learning when conditions allow harnessing its full adaptive potential. Its benefits have cemented its status as a leading digital learning platform in schools nationwide.
