An LMS for Tutors and Language Schools
What is an LMS?
An LMS (Learning Management System) is a system for managing the learning process. In a sense, it is a hub where a teacher can post learning materials, create homework and tests, and schedule lessons.
In other words, this tool gives students access to learning materials and all the other important information they need for the learning process. It simplifies communication between the teacher and students and removes the need to share information through messengers and other extra channels.
Who can use an LMS?
- tutors who run their own teaching practice;
- educational institutions of different types (schools, universities, extracurricular education centers);
- companies, for corporate training (staff training, onboarding new employees);
- companies that sell information products, that is, paid courses.
In this article we focus on how language schools and tutors use an LMS.
Examples of LMSs that suit a language school or tutor
The main features an LMS provides
An LMS makes it easier for school administrators and teachers to manage the learning process on the one hand, and makes it easier for students to access information on the other.
An LMS gives each participant in the learning process a personal account, or profile: the teacher (there may also be a separate account for the administrator, or the teacher’s account may include administrative functions) and each student have their own personal accounts.
In their personal account, the teacher and administrator can
- work with the student database (assign students to groups or one-to-one lessons);
- interact with all the students and groups they work with;
- set students’ lesson schedules and plan course lesson dates in advance, which the LMS syncs with students’ planners;
- monitor how often lessons take place with each student;
- assign homework to students;
- track students’ progress, which shows whether or not they are improving;
- monitor completion of the homework and tests assigned to students;
- give students feedback;
- create learning materials in a digital format (develop individual lessons or whole courses).
In their personal account, the student can
- see their course planner, with schedules and lesson dates;
- access the learning materials the teacher has assigned;
- receive homework from the teacher;
- see their progress, performance and lesson attendance.
What makes the TalkEn.Cloud platform different
Unlike typical LMSs, which let you create learning materials (that is, they have a lesson or course builder), the TalkEn.Cloud platform has a library of ready-to-use learning materials. This not only simplifies managing the learning process at your center but also fully solves the questions of choosing materials, planning teachers’ lessons and standardizing your learning services.
- A library of interactive textbooks
The TalkEn.Cloud platform has a whole library of 50 interactive digital English textbooks for school-age students and adults (levels pre-A1 to C1). You will find textbooks both for general English and for a separate speaking course.
Each textbook includes not only a Student’s Book (interactive material for the student) but also a Teacher’s Guide (detailed lesson plans for teachers with step-by-step methodological instructions, extra materials and ready-made activities on gamified external resources).
- A system of automated tests
An important feature of the TalkEn.Cloud platform is its English placement test. This tool makes it easy to determine which learning material will be comfortable for a student and give them the most progress. The Placement Test and the whole textbook library are built on the “Age+Level” principle, meaning the learning material is chosen based not only on the student’s level of English but also on their age group. For example, level A1 is covered by completely different textbooks for different age groups.
In addition, each interactive textbook comes with a system of progress tests for analyzing how well students have learned the material.
- A library of interactive worksheets (Ready-to-use worksheets)
Besides the library of interactive textbooks, the platform has a free tool: interactive worksheets. Using filters (age group, level, topics), you can find the vocabulary or grammar your students need and use the tool as extra practice for a particular topic. A special feature of Ready-to-use worksheets is the so-called “Hot Topics”: exercises about current events students talk about outside class (for example, the Oscars results, what gifts to buy for Valentine’s Day, or a trending TV series).