While some learners prefer this, particularly those who had grown accustomed to the longstanding tree approach, it wasn’t uncommon for new learners to feel a bit lost. Sometimes these two things were at odds with each other and it wasn’t always clear when to move forward and when to move back. Duolingo encouraged learners to both progress through the course AND earn crowns. The old crown system meant you could up the difficulty by simply staying put - maxing out every single crown in a skill. However, while the tree was semi-guided, in the sense that you unlocked new skills as you progressed, there were always question marks surrounding if and when to move forward. The old tree was a reasonable way of presenting Duolingo’s courses, and each skill was appropriately labeled and organised. In a recent interview, CEO Luis von Ahn outlined two key objectives for the new learning path. This means that we may receive a commission for any sign-ups or purchases made, but at no extra cost to you. There’s actually a lot I like about the new learning path, so hopefully I can strike the right balance! On the flip side, this isn’t going to be a toxic rant, either. I’ve tried my best to represent your concerns as best as I can. I know a lot of you reading this completely despise the new learning path. Please know that I’ve tried really hard to be as balanced as possible.

In this article, I’ll give you my honest opinion. In theory, it should provide a superior learning experience.īut does it? Or is the new learning path really as bad as the community would have you believe? On paper, it addresses a number of issues I’d long had with the tree. In fact, when I first heard about the new learning path, I was actually pretty optimistic. That said, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing (for me at least). It has always been an inherent part of my Duolingo experience.īut with the introduction of the new learning path, I, like everyone else, have been forced to adapt. The language tree was all I’d ever known. It’s a big change - one of the biggest in Duolingo’s 10-year history - and will definitely take some getting used to.įor my part, I’ve been using Duolingo every day for over 6 years. Simply flick through Reddit, app store reviews and social media and you’ll find swathes of dissatisfied Duolingo users begging for Duolingo to bring back the original format. It’s fair to say that Duolingo’s new learning path has caused a bit of a stir in the Duolingo community.

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