Scenario:
If you are a classroom teacher wondering how frequently and for how long you should use Speak Agent, read on!
Dosage Guidelines:
Large-scale impact research has shown that the more assigned activities are completed by students, the better the results. Completion of assigned activities is the #1 most important factor in students’ academic success. In order to achieve a mean gain of 10.3 percentile points in standardized math scores and 17 points on the ACCESS for ELs scale score, the recommended dosage is 10 or more activities per academic quarter.
So how does this translate into time on task? We generally recommend that four hours per month will be sufficient to achieve the recommended dosage. That said, all time is not equal. How you spend instructional time with Speak Agent will vary based on your scheduling and the age group that you are teaching. Speak Agent provides a great deal of flexibility with how to achieve the dosage. We generally recommended usage at least 2-3 times per week in smaller doses and not trying to pack it all in one day—especially for primary grades. Frequent, shorter bursts of usage has been shown to be more effective than a condensed approach.
Here is a fictional example of a dosage plan for a week:
Activity Length
A typical Speak Agent lesson contains anywhere from 5 to 10 activity modules, depending on the age range and the complexity of the content. Each activity is a digital game or exercise (or occasionally a short video) that requires listening, speaking, reading, writing, and/or interacting with content that is aligned to the current unit in your curriculum. Each lesson provides a mix of short-form and long-form activities.
- Short-form activities can be done in as little as 5 to 10 minutes or less. These are typically used for independent practice and engagement at the beginning of a new unit or lesson in your curriculum.
- Long-form activities take 10 minutes up to a full class period. They generally require higher cognition, integration of skills and knowledge, teacher moderation, and/or collaboration. These are sequenced toward the middle or end of a lesson. In the event a student cannot finish a long-form activity within the allotted time, don’t worry! Long-form activities are auto-saved and can be continued later by the student.
Speak Agent provides activity guides inside each lesson that walk you through how to use each type of activity effectively.
Mission accomplished!
