October 11, 2023 – Expanding on its gamified teaching methods Mobile learning platform Duolingo announced it is expanding to new subjects: Music and Math. Company leaders debut the new experiences at Duocon, the largest free global event at the intersection of language, learning, and technology.
“Duocon is about celebrating our millions of dedicated learners worldwide,” says Luis von Ahn, co-founder and CEO. “We are focused on building the best education possible and making it universally available. With our expansion into Music and our updates to Math, we’re one step closer to that goal.”
Expanding beyond language
In a headline talk, Severin Hacker, co-founder and CTO, delves into the company’s expansion into Math and Music, subjects that transcend cultures and people, just like language. He details updates to the Math course, which will include more advanced real-world math skills, including calculating tips and hourly wage, to sharpen adult learners’ mental math. And Engineering Director Vanessa Jameson offers a look under the hood of Duolingo’s brand-new Music course. Jameson shares how the company approached music education while maintaining Duolingo’s signature, gamified interface.
Teaching better
English is the number one language learned on Duolingo because English proficiency often opens doors to better job or education opportunities. To help these learners advance towards their goals, Duolingo announces a new Immersive Learning Experience for Advanced English, a curriculum designed for English learners at more advanced levels of language proficiency.
Bozena Pajak, VP of Learning and Curriculum, also walks audiences through the Duolingo Method, Duolingo’s proven teaching principles that guide content creation, lesson design, and course development. Learning experts unveil new features designed to improve learning outcomes in some of our biggest courses, including:
- DuoRadio, dynamic, podcast-style audio lessons in select language courses.
- A game-changing tool for learning the unique writing systems of Japanese and Mandarin, some of the fastest-growing languages on the app.
More fun than ever
Duolingo’s global community of more than 74 million monthly active learners complete 9 billion exercises a week. Product experts at Duolingo reveal upcoming features and content designed to make learning on the new multi-subject app even more delightful, such as:
- Adventures, a new mini-game where learners play as Duolingo characters and put their language skills to the test in interactive scenarios.
- A new season of The Duolingo French Podcast, hosted by Oscar-winning actress Ariana DeBose, tells the untold story of 1920s dance icon Josephine Baker—who was also a spy for the French Resistance.
For more information on the talks and product announcements, tune in at duolingo.com/duocon.
