Seeing children develop their love for reading and writing skills is one of the greatest rewards of being a teacher. Louise Halvander knows this well, having been passionate about the task for over 20 years. With digital tools like Kattalo, she constantly finds new ways to meet each student's needs.
At Kattalo, we are curious about how the app is used in classrooms. In our interview series, we let teachers themselves tell their stories and share their experiences. Join us as Louise gives concrete tips on fun lesson plans!
An Engaging Teacher with Mathematics on the Schedule
Louise Halvander, better known as Professor Uggla, is a teacher in Skänninge outside Mjölby. With 20 years of experience, she is passionate about arousing students' curiosity and desire to learn.
"My driving force is to create proud students. I want them to feel the joy of developing and that we do it together. The key is engagement - both my own and the students'," says Louise.
Alongside classroom teaching, Louise runs development projects around mathematics education. On the Instagram account @professoruggla_rikmatematik, she showcases creative ways of working with the learning material "Rich Mathematics".
"I want to make learning visible for both students and parents. Instagram is a fun way to share our everyday life and inspire other teachers."
Kattalo Awakens the Desire to Write and Read
Louise first took notice of Kattalo last fall. She immediately felt that the digital reading and writing platform would fit perfectly into her preschool class.
"I was hooked on the well-thought-out approach with a focus on language sounds and my colleague Malin was immediately on board. After a few weeks with the app, us teachers were convinced - Kattalo is revolutionizing our teaching!"
The enthusiasm quickly spread to the 28 six-year-olds:
"We introduced Kattalo as a new friend to Professor Uggla, the class mascot. The children were immediately curious and eager to log in and explore the alphabet in a new way," says Louise.
The Teacher's Best Tricks - How to Maximize the Benefits
So how do you actually create rewarding lessons with Kattalo? Here are Louise's three favorite tricks:
Divide into smaller groups initially; when the students are up and running, whole class works very well. At times, we run groups with fewer students to take an extra look at the student's work and encourage them to sound out loud and describe what they are doing. Sometimes we let one group work in Kattalo while the teacher has a review with another, making it more efficient for everyone.
Use the results formatively. With tools for follow-up, Louise sees exactly what each student needs to practice more. Maybe someone should take a step back and repeat a certain element a little more?
Connect to activities "offline"; it is important for the student that they encounter the knowledge in several different ways by reinforcing and repeating. Louise often lets Kattalo be a starting point for conversations and exercises in the whole class. "Do you remember the picture you wrote about in the app? Now let's do the same thing together on the board!"
Aha Moments and Self-Written Stories
Louise clearly notices how Kattalo supports the students' language development, not least the important connection between letters and sounds. The students are in a phase where so much is happening in their reading and writing development and Kattalo is an important part of that development.
"It's amazing to walk around and hear all the little aha moments when they sound out different words. You can really see how the penny drops!"
But the most fun is when the children, on their own initiative, move on to writing their own works:
"One boy was so inspired that he started producing long stories. When Kattalo is not on the schedule, he continues on paper. There are words everywhere!" Louise laughs.
The Key to Motivating Learning
So what is the secret behind the positive effects? For Louise, it's spelled individualization:
"With Kattalo, everyone gets to work at their own level at the same time. It's like having one-on-one teaching with 28 students at once!"
The clear progress also entices the children to want to learn more, Louise says. Perhaps most of all when they encourage and cheer each other on:
"Sometimes we put students next to each other to create ripples. 'Wow, can you read that whole sentence?' It creates a lovely dynamic and a desire to develop!"
Quick Tips for Those Who Want to Try
Eager to get started with Kattalo in your classroom? Here's how to kick-start according to Louise:
Plan well in advance with IT support. Adding the class and preparing tablets is smooth but it can take a week for IT to send out the app.
Make sure to have the students' login close at hand. QR codes are convenient!
Feel free to use the app in smaller groups initially, so everyone gets more help.
With the right setup and attitude, Kattalo can become a powerful complement to other teaching, Louise believes. Her advice is to see it as a fun challenge:
"If I can get 28 six-year-olds going on Kattalo, anyone can! It's about being creative, engaged, and modifying as needed, but above all, letting the students lead the way. Then it becomes joyful learning for real!"
Are you also curious about how Kattalo can help your students become proud readers and writers? Try the app (and the teacher portal) for free for 60 days - we promise lots of writing and reading joy!