Leap to Know is excited about piloting the first phase of our tablet-based program at Brooklyn Primary School.

Each Grade-1 class represents at least 10 different home languages – ranging from Sepedi and Zulu to Indonesian. Would the Leap to Know intervention impact significantly on Grade-1 learners who do not speak English at home?

Millions of South African children start schooling in English. Many of these children do not speak English at home. They often need additional assistance in improving their listening skills, conceptual vocabulary and academic confidence. A tablet-based educational app guiding learners without the help of an adult could be a useful tool in the classroom. It could keep learners busy in a constructive way while the teacher concentrates on individual learners. An app like this could furthermore supply learners with a treasure of stories and creative activities, such as free drawing. It could also assist in revising and entrenching curriculum-based knowledge.

However, parents and teachers need proof that it works.

The Leap to Know app is CAPS-aligned (i.e. following the South African curriculum). It covers early numeracy and literacy, as well as all major school readiness skills. The learner progresses through stories and activities in a linear way. Each story gives relevance to the activities and ensures engagement. Learners continue at their own pace and decide for themselves when it is time to move on or when to revise an activity.

So far, both teacher and learner feedback have been positive. Now we need empirical proof. This is why we have developed another app: a base-line and end-line assessment game. The Leap to Know assessment game can be configured to assess a variety of skills. It then gathers data to indicate the improvement of specific skills. In addition, each pilot study supplies us with a host of information which we use to improve the Leap to Know app. We will keep you posted!