Duolingo announced plans this week to replace contractors with AI and become an “AI-first” company — a move that journalist Brian Merchant pointed to as a
Edit: I take it back. I had some time after work and the app appears to be a collection of lectures from the founder who does not actually speak each language, but feels their teaching method is so unique that it overcomes this. Looking at the website there is no actual description of what makes their method different or better, just a lot of fluff and boasting about how it’s so great. I didn’t speak any of the languages to review content but I do have a background in music so I listened to the 12 minute music theory lesson 1 and it was just him gushing about how great his method is, 0 theory covered. Maybe it is revolutionary but this reeks of pseudoscience
The problem is that the introduction for each of the courses is simply a description of his teaching method. go to the second lesson, and you all find the meat of the course starting.
The problem is that the description of the teaching method, at least in the theory course, was completely devoid of any rationale for how it is different from any other method of teaching (same as the website)
I have no reason to believe his app and courses don’t provide instruction. My issue is with his grandiosity without substance. An educator of all people should recognize the need to substantiate their claims. This, coupled with the fact that the first thing I am hit with on his site being:
“ABSOLUTELY MAGICAL"
“PURE GENIUS”
“TRULY A MASTERPIECE”
“SERIOUSLY THE BEST LANGUAGE COURSES EVER”
“INSANELY CRAZY GOOD”
“LITERALLY CHANGED MY LIFE”
“BLOWN AWAY”
“A TOTAL GAME CHANGER”
“PHENOMENAL”
“WORLD-CLASS”
(None of which are attributed to anyone, of course) makes me really skeptical.
This is interesting, thanks
Edit: I take it back. I had some time after work and the app appears to be a collection of lectures from the founder who does not actually speak each language, but feels their teaching method is so unique that it overcomes this. Looking at the website there is no actual description of what makes their method different or better, just a lot of fluff and boasting about how it’s so great. I didn’t speak any of the languages to review content but I do have a background in music so I listened to the 12 minute music theory lesson 1 and it was just him gushing about how great his method is, 0 theory covered. Maybe it is revolutionary but this reeks of pseudoscience
The problem is that the introduction for each of the courses is simply a description of his teaching method. go to the second lesson, and you all find the meat of the course starting.
The problem is that the description of the teaching method, at least in the theory course, was completely devoid of any rationale for how it is different from any other method of teaching (same as the website)
I have no reason to believe his app and courses don’t provide instruction. My issue is with his grandiosity without substance. An educator of all people should recognize the need to substantiate their claims. This, coupled with the fact that the first thing I am hit with on his site being:
“ABSOLUTELY MAGICAL"
“PURE GENIUS”
“TRULY A MASTERPIECE”
“SERIOUSLY THE BEST LANGUAGE COURSES EVER”
“INSANELY CRAZY GOOD” “LITERALLY CHANGED MY LIFE”
“BLOWN AWAY”
“A TOTAL GAME CHANGER”
“PHENOMENAL”
“WORLD-CLASS”
(None of which are attributed to anyone, of course) makes me really skeptical.