Ann Attridge

CEO - Klik2learn
1575372606 V2 Photo CFP 42

Ann Attridge

CEO - Klik2learn

Biography

Ann Attridge, CEO and founder of Klik2learn. M.A Hons, M.Litt, M.Ed. Recipient of a Royal Society of Edinburgh Enterprise Fellowship. Developer of first fully digital accredited, certified course for English language learners.
Researcher in Applied Linguistics, Chartered Teacher and teacher trainer. Regular presentations over the last ten years at conferences, competitions and professional events.

Co-Author: Cathy Glover

A ground- breaking new course for pre-beginners which addresses the challenge of teaching adults to read and write using their mobile phones. Learners will grasp English phonemes, the alphabet, numbers, handwriting skills and basic digital literacy. Visual creativity, imaginative pedagogy, iconography, combine with games and adaptive learning to enable learners to enter the workplace and progress their learning.

‘Journey 2 Basic Skills’ has been developed in response to market demand for a product to fill the gap in the English Language Market for adults who have no prior knowledge of English. The only method of reaching this cohort globally and at scale is through mobile phones. It was essential that the learner experience should be as intuitive as possible with little reliance on familiarity with digital formats. The demographic includes not only non-native speakers but adult native speakers whose low literacy levels present a barrier to job opportunities and social integration.

The first challenge was to present learning initially without text and audio. Decisions had to be made at an early stage about the sequencing of audio and written formats and the connections between phonemes, letters and spelling. The selection of appropriate topics for learning in this context was relatively straightforward compared to the need to balance the consolidation of learning with motivation.
To address this challenge, we based the overall design concept on a world journey where the learner earns coins to buy essential items for their suitcase before earning a ticket to the first destination. Within that concept, we developed highly interactive activities and regular games with adaptive learning to encourage progress at different levels.

A crucial component of our motivation strategy was the creation of a fictional family whose lives mirror the adult learners we are reaching. Hence the appearance of Stan and Pam. We created a range of characters and animals who play their part in the learning journey but who also make it fun. They provide a rich source of light-hearted additional reading and listening material in graphic format. Learners are rewarded with further episodes based on their progress through the course and can access the content separately from the top menu bar.