Move on to dialogue

Why this matters

Up to this step communication was one-way: the learner asked, the adult delivered. In the "Dialogues" mode the partner's turns appear in the feed: the adult types or dictates a message, the learner sees it as cards and hears it spoken, and answers with their own set of cards. Each participant has their own voice. This is a real conversation: there is a question, an answer and a turn of your own.

How to introduce

1. 1Turn on the "Dialogues" mode and check that the learner and the partner have different voices — that way the turns sound distinct.
2. 2Start with short questions that come with a ready choice: "do you want to go out?", "banana or apple?". You can attach quick replies to a question — the learner only needs to tap one.
3. 3Keep the first dialogues to two or three turns. The point is for the learner to grasp turn-taking, not for the conversation to be long.
4. 4Lengthen it gradually: first an answer to a question, then a follow-up, then a question from the learner themselves.
5. 5Try both formats: taking turns on one device, and two devices, where the partner is in another room and the learner gets a notification.

How to advance

Once a dialogue holds for several turns and the learner starts conversations themselves, the next step is to move beyond our screen: teaching the learner to use everyday messengers on their own and hold conversations with close people right there.

Common mistakes

• Jumping straight to long dialogues and open questions with no answer options.
• Answering for the learner instead of waiting for their turn.
• Asking questions the adult already knows the answer to and the learner has no interest in. A conversation starts where the learner has something to get or to tell.
• Forgetting about voices: if both participants share one voice, it is harder for the learner to tell whose turn it is.

Examples

• From their phone the adult asks: "do you want to go out?" — the learner taps the quick reply "yes".
• "Banana or apple?" — the learner answers with the "apple" card.
• The learner writes first from their room: "I want a cartoon" — and gets an answer.