Learning Language Grammar with Interactive Exercises in the Classroom and Beyond

We describe how the principles of gamification, rich learning material, and personalized experience were used to design WordBricks, a software tool intended to assist learning natural language grammar, which is a challenging task for learners. We briefly discuss the distinctive features of successful educational software instruments with a large user base, and argue that the possibility of independent, personalized out-of-class interaction with an educational tool is nearly essential for success. In addition to these elements, our application implements a visual grammar formalism that turns solving grammar exercises into a puzzle game-like experience, attractive for the learners. The results of our ongoing classroom experiments show that the users of WordBricks score better on grammar tests thus proving the feasibility of our approach. Subsequent experiments with the Irish language also demonstrated that the students enjoyed playing with the application, which is important for learners with low levels of motivation and lack of modern multimedia teaching materials.