The startups of the SEL Challenge!

SpeakingPal is an Israeli EdTech company focusing on spoken English. Our vision is to promote English as a main means for connecting people in the globalization age. We focus on the speaking skill, as it is the the leading and natural skill for connecting people.

The company has developed a video-based dialog simulator powered by speech recognition which provides a natural user experience of speaking with a person. The need to analyze the conversation is integrated with a unique speech recognition technology, with which the user receives real-time feedback and suggestions for improvement. The virtual experience is similar to having a conversation with a human practitioner, similar to a Zoom call. Learning by simulating a conversation with a person, recognizes the importance of social and emotional connection as part of communication and language. It builds confidence both in using the English and in conducting a .conversation in general

This approach and the unique technology at its core have won the company many international awards. The company’s clients include education ministries, educational organizations, commercial companies and private individuals.

For the Challenges’ pilots, social emotional content will be added to the product, to enable learning and practicing skills from this domain. Exercises in pairs and groups will connect between the virtual and the real world. In addition, a visual control panel will allow teachers to be updated on personal progress, lead the learning process, and provide human and personal attention when required.

To the website

milgo is a digital personal helper for teachers focused on improving the social emotional experience of their students. It guides them through 4 simple steps in weekly measurement & improvement cycles:
1. The teacher measures the students’ social-emotional experience using friendly surveys validated by experts.
2. milgo gives immediate feedback by sending a a full update to the teacher, including insights and personalized recommendations.
3. The teacher chooses recommendations and acts on them in class.
4. milgo analyzes the actual improvement and suggest a new improvement cycle.

Our improvement cycles are based on the Social Determination Theory, which shows how intrinsic motivation for learning among students is dependent on fulfilling four foundational psychological needs in the school environment: relatedness and emotional safety; self-efficacy for academic challenges; a sense of autonomy in the learning process; and a sense of meaning and relevance of the content to the learner’s life in & beyond school.

milgo helps teachers map the gaps in students’ needs, and suggests simple and effective pedagogical actions to bridge them.

The personal helper was developed by a partnership between the Sagol Center for Brain and Mind in Reichman University and Kayma. Towards the 2022-2023 academic year, the team would focus on developing content tailored for science teachers in Israeli middle schools.

Demo

Leminda is a AI-based platform for learning workspace, using AIto analyze complex academic texts and simplify texts so that less experienced readers can understand and be interested in the content.

This way, texts at different levels can be made accessible to students at different skill levels and gradually improve the level of English, reading strategies, awareness, self-management, and the  ability of students by setting objectives and raising the complexity of the text from week to week. Based on the student’s personal progress, Leminda automatically generate comprehension and practice questions.

This personalized adjustment creates a different, more effective learning experience of reading and listening in English and helps students improve their English level, develop reading strategies, and expand their vocabulary.

Aspects of social-emotional learning are addressed in several ways. Students can set themselves weekly goals, such as reading minutes, reading complexity, vocabulary level, and answering text-based questions, manage the learning process, and monitor achievement goals.

Additionally, students can have conversations, solve texts together, and share texts and questions. Teachers and students can receive feedback on their teamwork processes (e.g., based on each student’s activity monitoring).

Website

Classit is a groundbreaking, big data based personalized learning platform geared towards math and physics teaching and assessment.

The platform is composed of step-by-step learning modules that are automatically adapted to the student’s progress. It provides the student with immediate feedback, progress tracking, and personal goal setting. For the teacher, Classit provides an in-depth assessment of the class progress.

Classit is a true breakthrough in personal studies, since it combines emotional and metacognitive elements as an integral part of learning. In addition to referencing his mastery of the material, the student receives detailed feedback about his confidence, anxiety, recklessness, regulation, accuracy, and self-awareness.
The teacher can follow the individual development of each student in a broad and detailed way.

In 2018, the company was founded as part of the PIE Challenge, and it currently serves hundreds of schools across the country as well as pre-academic colleges. A number of successful pilots have been conducted in France, Belgium, and Brazil. Students and teachers who use Classit express great enthusiasm, and academic studies indicate that academic achievement and SEL skills have significantly improved.

Website

Capish is a web-based learning environment developed in collaboration between Hilma and the Jerusalem Post.
With Capish, students develop in-depth reading skills and a comprehensive understanding of English texts while learning content based on their preferences and learning levels.

Based on the annual vocabulary requirements by the Ministry of Education, the platform offers a database of English texts at different levels of difficulty and covering different areas of interest. By using Capish, the student can gain an in-depth understanding of the vocabulary while reflecting on their progress.
Capish also promotes intrapersonal and interpersonal SEL skills. Internally – identifying and validating feelings and increasing self-awareness, and interpersonally – acquiring tools for group learning that promote interpersonal communication. A teacher can also receive centralized data sheets to track a student’s performance and review his reflections on his learning experience.

Through Capish, students can quickly comprehend the ‘bottom line’ simply and easily.

Website

Singit is an innovative, empowering, and personalized learning experience that gives users the bility to learn the world’s language – English.

Singit is approved and recommended by the Ministry of Education and is at the forefront of pedagogical innovation in Israel. English studied are carried out through a dedicated and interactive application, and teachers have a personalized management system that allows them to create lessons, share tasks, filter content, and more.

With the most comprehensive song catalog, Singit is a unique platform that builds and strengthens English skills through the most beloved songs. Through Singit, private users and teachers can make learning English a practical and comprehensive adventure.

Singit allows the teacher to build a curriculum that is based on the student’s preferences – the songs he likes to hear on the one hand and the English skills he needs to improve on the other. The cross between his personal preferences and his English challenges allows flexibility and improving the students achievement.  The varied songs allow for a discourse on emotions, seeing the other and more.

Singit builds users’ self-confidence and gives teachers time to empower students in a learning process based on their favorite music.

Singit provides a learning experience that does not feel like studies, an experience that is suitable for all ages, customized for users, and most importantly – brings the world to them.

Website

“Integrated tools” is a solution for personalized social-emotional learning in the field of science for 7th graders, developed by pedagogy and technology experts from the “Mimshak” and “Da-Li” companies, two old and successful Ed-tech companies and digital content providers for the Ministry of Education.
In “Integrated tools”, teachers are provided with tools to integrate SEL skills into teaching and learning, and students are imparted with these skills to develop both professionally and emotionally.

The solution offers SEL-promoting teaching-learning sequences intended for continuous use throughout the year and containing study materials in science according to the plan of the Ministry of Education, along with enrichment materials that connect the study material to real life and practical applications. The sequences are spread over several weeks and focus on a central topic (for example, the particle model, the cell, and energy). The sequence is built from building blocks that include individual work, classroom learning, group work, and SEL tools that integrate soft skills into the learning process.

As students participate in defining the goals and performing active learning, they strengthen the “muscles” of self and social awareness and aim for personal growth. As part of the solution, teachers are provided with data-driven recommendations and tools to manage teaching-learning sequences optimally, thereby intervening and personalizing learning for each student.

DaLi Website

Mimshak Website 

Eureka World has been developing the EurekaWorld metaverse since 2014. In Israel, the company operates study and educational programs in about 150 schools. More than 30,000 students have connected to Eureka World and hundreds of teachers have been trained for training and learning in Metaverse. The company focuses on cooperative learning based on creating and solving problems and integrating role-playing games into the curriculum.

“Survive and Sustainabilty” is a multiplayer 3D missions game that combines emotional & social skills with learning research and problem solving in the field of sciences. The game is played in Eureka World- an educational metaverse for creation, socialize and learning.

The goal of the teams in the game is to create a new, sustainable culture in an underwater environment. The game is flexible in the range of solutions offered by the students and positions the teacher as the “Game Master”.

 The ability to survive and face the challenges posed by the underwater environment alongside building a thriving and evolving sustainable culture over time simulate scientific challenges – behavior of gases and liquids, energy sources, biodiversity, electricity generation and more. Dealing with these challenges requires the group to conduct research and learning, divide roles and learn to trust group members in performing tasks.

The social process that the group undergoes within itself and in contrast to the other groups in the challenge constitutes the field of action and intervention for the teacher to provide tools and guidance to the social and emotional world of the participants. The variety of different skills required for survival in the game, constitutes the space for customizing the ability of each participant.

Website