District Five Spanish teacher using app to help students learn new language

A Lexington-Richland School District Five Spanish teacher is giving her students a “heads up” on learning a new language.

Leaphart Elementary School teacher Paula Matthews has been using the popular app Heads Up! to help students sharpen their Spanish vocabulary. A lot like modern-day flash cards, the guessing game app asks players to create a “deck” of about 15 words or phrases. In Matthews’ class, students use it to review the names of colors and other basic Spanish words.

“They just love it,” said Matthews, who is seeking grants and other assistance to expand the learning tool in her classroom. “A Spanish word appears on the iPad. One student can’t see the word and has to guess what it is, based on the color or object the other student is holding. …Our students today are very tech savvy. So, this app allows them to use their love for technology, games and learning in a way that works in my classroom.”

Heads Up! started as a popular segment on Ellen DeGeneres’ long-running talk show. The game, in which DeGeneres tries to guess words or phrases her celebrity guests act out, was so popular that it led to an app, which was listed among Apple’s top paid apps in 2014.

Matthews said she enjoyed playing Heads Up! with friends, so she decided to use it in her classroom. “I was sitting there watching my friends interact with this game, and a light bulb went off…I said, ‘I can use this in the classroom. And not only can I use this as a learning tool, I can use this as an informative assessment.’”

In early March, students eagerly raise their hands, volunteering to be tested on Spanish vocabulary using the app. It’s just one of many tools, Matthews uses to keep her students engaged and excited about learning Spanish, school officials say.

Pictured: Leaphart Elementary School Teacher Paula Matthews. The Lexington-Richland School District Five teacher uses online software and apps like Heads Up! to keep students engaged and excited about learning Spanish

“She’s always looking for the best educational tools and ways to teach students…And because of that her lessons are fun, engaging…and, most of all, effective,” said Leaphart Elementary School Principal Kelly Brown. “She’s a former physical education teacher, so she incorporates physical activity. She’s taught second grade so she understands how important it is to sharpen skills that can be used cross-curricular. Music is used and alternative classroom design…Students are excited when they enter her classroom, and the Heads Up! app is just another example of how she goes the extra mile for her students.”

A classroom set of iPads would allow the students to use Heads Up! and other online educational tools more, Matthews said. In addition to writing a grant, she also has submitted a video to the Ellen DeGeneres show, thanking the talk show host for creating the app and contributing to education.

“There are so many different ways to say things in Spanish. So depending on the particular vocabulary that we have, I can’t always find things that hit the vocabulary that I’m teaching,” Matthews said. “This app has been great. It lets me give them a test in a way that’s less intimidating and a way that they can connect learning with enjoyment. I want my students to leave here excited about Spanish, and that’s exactly what’s happening each day in my classroom.”