Getting Started for Teachers
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Getting Started for Teachers

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This tutorial takes 15 to 30 minutes to complete.

Contents

Introduction

Welcome to Moomin Language School, the digital language learning service which helps young children learn foreign languages! This page will help you get started.

Moomin Language School consists of two main parts: the learning application and the playful lessons. Your students get individual daily practice with the learning application, and you can find the lesson plans and materials for organizing weekly playful lessons in our online tools (Webtool). There you can also manage your student groups and view your students' progress reports from the application. If you want, you can also give parents access to their child's progress report.

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If you haven't yet seen our promotional video, that will also tell you what Moomin Language School is in two minutes. You can watch that on our Youtube channel here.
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For more information regarding Moomin Language School, please check out our website.

User Credentials

We will create your user credentials after you have signed up for a trial. After this, you should receive an email with your login name and a link to creating your password.

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If you cannot find the message, please check your spam folder.

Create a Password

  1. Open the email titled “Welcome to Moomin Language School”. The email contains your login name and a link to creating your password.
  2. When you click the link, you will be directed to a web page and asked to accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
  3. To create a password, enter it twice and click “set password”.
Set password page
Set password page

Creating Student Accounts

Before you can start using the application, you need to create accounts for your students. To do this, you need to login to our "Webtool" which is our platform for setting up and managing the students, groups, teachers and organization.

  1. Go to this web address in your browser: https://tools.moominls.com
  2. Enter your login name and the password you set in the previous section.
The sign-in page of Webtool
The sign-in page of Webtool

Create Groups

  1. After logging in, choose ORGANIZATION from the menu at the top of the page.
  2. On the next page you can see all your current groups under Groups.
  3. To create groups, click on the Create group field (left side), enter the name of the group and press Enter on your keyboard.
Creating groups
Creating groups

Adjust the Starting Level

Moomin Language School has four starting levels so students with previous knowledge of the language can also learn with the service. The default level is Level 1 which doesn't assume any previous knowledge of the language.

  1. To change a group’s starting level, first navigate to the group.
  2. The level slider can be found under Advanced actions.
  3. Clicking on the question mark lets you review the level descriptions. These will help you choose the correct level for your students.
  4. Then use the slider to choose the group’s starting level.
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The level setting is group-specific. If you have students on different levels, group the students according to their level.
Setting the starting level
Setting the starting level

Add Students

  1. Go to ORGANIZATION in the top navigation bar, then go to Groups on the left side.
  2. Choose the group in which you want to add a new user. Click Students to see all the students in that group.
  3. Click on the + sign to create a new student in the group, or the stacked + signs next to it to create multiple students at the same time.
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    If you create multiple students at the same time, their name will be their login name. You can change this to the children's own names by clicking the pen icon and replacing the login name with each child's own name.
Adding students
Adding students

Providing Access to Parents

If you want to provide your students' parents with an access to our learning reports and/or mobile application, you have two option to choose from:

  • Credentials through the parent's email
  • Student account password

We recommend that you use the Credentials through the parent's email -method if you know the email addresses of the students' parents. However, if you don't know the parents' email addresses, you can use the latter method. Please see the detailed instructions for both cases below (tap on the arrow icon to open the section).

Credentials through the parent's email
Student account password

Add Teachers to Groups

  1. The teachers have been created by the Moomin Language School team and can be found in the No Group section.
  2. To add a teacher to a group, just drag and drop them to the right group.
Adding teachers to groups
Adding teachers to groups

Installing the Mobile App

Depending on the operating system of your device and your location, please see the respective app install instructions below.

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System requirements for the mobile application can be found here.

Google Play (Android devices)

You have three ways to install the mobile application:

  • On the device where you want the application to be installed, open Google Play and search for an app called "Moomin Language School".
  • On the device where you want the application to be installed, open this link.
  • On the device where you want the application to be installed, open the camera app or QR code scanner and scan the QR code below.
Moomin LS in Google Play
Moomin LS in Google Play

Apple App Store (iOS devices)

You have three ways to install the mobile application:

  • On the iPad or iPhone where you want the application to be installed, open App Store and search for an app called "Moomin Language School".
  • On the iPad or iPhone where you want the application to be installed, open this link.
  • On the iPad or iPhone where you want the application to be installed, open the Camera App and scan the QR code below.
Moomin LS in App Store
Moomin LS in App Store

Using the Mobile App

Once the installation is complete, you should be able to find the learning application on your device's list of installed applications. Everything should now be ready for you to start using Moomin Language School!

Mobile app icon
Mobile app icon

Sign-in

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When you first open the Moomin Language School application, you will be asked to grant it permission to use the camera, microphone and media on your device.
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The first sign-in might take longer than usual since our application needs to load the newest learning content over the Internet.
  1. Open the application, enter your login name and the password you created, and click Sign in.
  2. If you have forgotten your password, click Forgot your password? to reset it.
Welcome page of the mobile app
Welcome page of the mobile app

Opening the Daily Study Unit

Once you have logged in, you will see the groups in which you are as a teacher (you can add yourself to groups as a teacher in the Webtool). If you only have one group, you will automatically be shown that group's students.

  1. Click a group's icon to see all the students in that group.
  2. To begin learning, choose a student and click their icon. You will be directed to their week view.
  3. The student is directed to the latest available daily exercise (Daily Study Unit).
  4. If the student has playtime left once they have completed the daily exercise, they can do previous exercises or any of the additional exercises at the bottom of the screen.
The group menu in the application
The group menu in the application
The student menu in the group "Moomins"
The student menu in the group "Moomins"
Student's week view
Student's week view
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We don't want students to play too much, which is why only one daily exercise becomes available each day. The exercises need to be done in order, so the exercises after the day’s exercise will have a lock on them. If the student is behind their group, another exercise will become available once the previous exercise is done, until they reach the rest of their group or until their playtime runs out. If a new exercise doesn’t become available, it means that the student has done all the available exercises for the day - they will have to wait until the next day for new exercises.

Set the Playtime

The application includes a playtime to ensure that the students don't play for too long. Once the student's playtime is up, they cannot do any more exercises in the application that day.

  1. In the group menu, select the group of students that you want the playtime to be set.
  2. To change the playtime, go to the Settings (the cog in the top right corner) and click "Set play time".
  3. The default time is 5 minutes. You can also choose 10 or 15 minutes, or turn the limit off completely with the “Unlimited” option. Note that the time limit should not be turned off except under special circumstances.
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Setting the playtime affects all student accounts in the group! If you want some students to have more playtime, you can e.g. divide your students into two different groups (in the Webtool).

Playful Lessons

To find the playful lesson plans, go to LESSONS in the top navigation bar in the Webtool. Some lessons have both in-person and online versions. Before the actual lesson instructions, there is a Preparation section. This section lists all the materials needed for that specific playful lesson. Most of the materials are commonly found in kindergartens, such as toys, crayons and paper. Any materials specific to Moomin Language School are included as printable PDFs.

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In the preparation section you can also find a description of the week's vocabulary and pedagogical content. This is not a “to do” list for the teacher, just an overview so the teacher knows what kinds of things the children start to practice each week. Children are not expected to master these topics in a week.

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The lesson itself is divided into three parts:

  1. Circle time
  2. The Circle Time section has instructions for activities at the beginning of the playful lesson to welcome and include each child into the group. At the beginning of each activity, there is a list of all the materials needed in that specific activity. Instructions for each activity are found under the Instructions header.

  3. Theme
  4. The Theme section includes instructions for activities that deal with the week’s theme in a versatile way. Like in the instructions for the circle time activities, instructions for these theme activities include a materials list, instructions for the activity, and other useful information.

  5. Goodbye
  6. The Goodbye section includes instructions for the ending of the playful lesson. The ending is always the same: there is first a Goodbye rhyme, and then children are given stickers or stamps as a reward for their participation.

Individual games include the estimated duration, list of materials, and step-by-step instructions. The instructions are very detailed to support teachers who are not yet be confident in their teaching skills. If you are an experienced teacher, you can make modifications based on you experience and knowledge of the children in your group – you know best what works for your child group.

Songs, rhymes and stories include recordings. This way teachers don’t need to sing themselves or read out loud if they don’t feel comfortable doing so.

Many games also include recordings of words and phrases that teachers might need in the game. This is to support teachers in using English during the sessions.

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Many games have a tips section. These include tips and suggestions on how to modify the games and activities if needed, and what to keep in mind during the games.

Each game includes a pedagogy explanation. These explanations tell the teacher what kinds of language skills and other skills children learn with each game. They also explain how certain kinds of games support children’s learning.

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Playful lessons can be organized in two different ways: 1. You can organize one full playful lesson once a week (approx. 30-45 minutes depending on the group), where you go through the whole lesson from Circle Time to Theme and Goodbye. 2. You can divide the playful lesson into several smaller entities throughout the week by choosing 1-2 activities at a time. You can use the different sections as a suggestion (circle time activities in the morning, goodbye activities at the end of the day), but you are not required to do so.

What Next?

Well done, you! That's all for our quick start guide. If you want to become a true Moomin Language School wizard, we recommend that you check out our Teacher Training videos once you have the time.

You can find supporting materials for running Moomin Language School here.

Did we miss something or do you have a question to ask? Our support team is happy to help! You can find their contact information here.

Would you like to stay up to date with the latest news and articles on early language development? In that case, please subscribe to our newsletter on our website. You can also follow us on our social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

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