Overview

Membean is used in schools across the globe, so we have a number of schools using the program successfully with students for whom English is not a first language. This article will share details about using Membean with this student population. 

Using Membean requires some reading proficiency. Students will need to be able to read in English at a 5th grade reading level or higher in order access the content successfully. 

Features to Support Diverse Students

Here are some features that help students who are learning English:

  • Simple Language: All word definitions are in complete sentences, and all word pages use simple language to teach the word.
  • Audio Enabled: All words are auto-pronounced. Students can also listen to definitions and context paragraphs read aloud. Many word roots have short podcasts that employ simple language to teach roots.
  • Visually Rich: Since multilingual learners can struggle with reading, Membean employs rich visuals in the form of videos and images to help with the learning process.
  • Special Preferences: A teacher can easily allow more time on assessments and training, a slower pace of new words, and easier question types to ensure students are building competence and confidence. 
  • Easier Word List: Many of our ESL students benefit from being placed on the Lower-Middle word list. This list features words that are commonly found in academic situations, like discussion, compare, and evidence. Lacking knowledge of such words typically blocks students from partaking in various lessons or activities in the curriculum. 

Extra Help Setting

When creating classes, you'll have the option to mark the whole class as Extra Help. You can also turn on the Extra Help setting for individual students. This setting impacts the trainer directly and changes several settings in the students' preferences. It provides more reinforcement for words and decreases the number of challenging question types the student will see. Students still see progressively difficult multiple choice questions and some fill-in-the-blank questions, but they’ll receive fewer of the latter. 

When you enable Extra Help for either a class or individual, the following settings are also adjusted:

  • Extended time is set to 1.5, giving students additional time on questions and quizzes. 
  • IKT (I Know This) is disabled, preventing students from skipping words. 

If you do not want one of these settings enabled, you can disable them after saving the Extra Help setting.