Mango Languages’ flagship software application, Mango Conversations, is grounded in research in communicative language teaching that gets students speaking quickly — in fact, an independent study showed that in under 8 hours of studying with Mango, learners can improve their oral proficiency scores by an ACTFL* sublevel (e.g., Novice Low to Novice Mid).

Our approach to teaching grammar leverages the brain’s ability to recognize patterns and create rules from complex input, like the things we hear or see in a new language. That’s why, in any given Mango lesson, students see plenty of different examples demonstrating how to use vocabulary and grammatical structures in meaningful contexts. We use an inductive approach to language learning, which helps learners discover the structure of the language they are learning and solidify their knowledge through carefully-paced review and spaced repetition.

In addition to supporting pattern-based learning, we recognize that decades of research on second language learning have demonstrated the importance of drawing learners’ attention to language structure, especially when it comes to concepts that are tricky or easy to miss. For this reason, students get small doses of strategically placed grammatical information (or “feedback”) to help them with challenging content as they proceed through a lesson.

Every feature of the Mango software aligns with best practices from research in Second Language Acquisition and Learning Science. This software is paired with proficiency-focused activities in the Mango Curriculum that align with ACTFL’s World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (WRSLL)** and state-level standards across the country.