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Product Background
Product Background
We Speak! is an adaptable and scalable language learning board game first created and evaluated in Tanzania. It has since been expanded in Kenya, India, Brazil, Turkey, and the United States and is currently available in six languages to over 10,000 students in 20 schools.
A primary (but not exclusive) focus on specific classroom contexts.
A primary (but not exclusive) focus on specific classroom contexts.
Per UNESCO, 40% of the world's population receives an education in languages other than their mother tongue. We Speak! provides a fun, engaging, and collaborative way to tackle this language barrier, or to learn a language for any reason.
Designed for seamless adaptability and scalability.
Designed for seamless adaptability and scalability.
We Speak! provides a template teachers can use to incorporate any curriculum for any language or grade level. "What if all you had to do was put a lesson in a spreadsheet, and you have a ready-to-go game to get your students engaged in learning?"
We Speak! was first created under Michigan State's Designing Technology Solutions for Schools in Africa program.
Timeline: May 2024 to Present
Timeline: May 2024 to Present
My Role: From 2024 to 2026, We Speak! was a solo project made possible through great partnerships (see bottom of page). In April 2026, I was joined by Chop Luk and Mar Turner to iterate the project in Tanzania.
How to Play
How to Play
Play individually or as a team, and roll the dice and follow the path. Stop at each checkpoint and answer a language learning exercise such as discussing literature, telling a story, and more. There are easy and hard exercises, with correct "hard" answers giving access to a shortcut. There are also "Mystery Cards" that give you a boost or slow down an opponent. The first to reach "The End" is the winner!
Want to learn more? Read the full game rules, or try it out yourself on Tabletopia!
We Speak Kiingereza: Tanzania (May 2024)
We Speak Kiingereza: Tanzania (May 2024)
Understanding the context and starting to create the game.
Understanding the context and starting to create the game.
Swahili and English are the two official languages of Tanzania, even though they have a low number of native speakers (10% for Swahili, 0% for English). Where they come into play is in the educational system. Swahili is the primary school language of instruction, and English is taught as well though not as extensively. However, once in secondary school, English is the language of instruction. This transition can be tough, and it contributes to high dropout rates - 1 in 17 first-year students nationwide dropped out in 2023 (Tanzanian President's Office).
I worked with two secondary schools over 17 days to create a classroom game-based learning intervention to address this dropout issue.
Design Decision: Although the schools have wi-fi and computers, power and internet are unreliable. A board game provides an uninterrupted learning experience.
The analog prototype with 100% local materials.
I had never been to Tanzania before, and I didn't want to start designing until I got there. Once there, I gained a baseline understanding for the context through observations and casual conversations with teachers and former students.
After observing and conversing, I thought about the type of game that would work for the context and came up with the game mechanics: roll and move, simple path, language exercises at points along the path. A partner suggested shortcuts like Snakes and Ladders for hard questions.
The initial language learning exercises involved only translating sentences from Swahili to English to get the mental gears churning and prompt students to speak English. The sentences focused on past and future tenses based on teacher feedback.
Design Decisions:
*1: Numbered cards for answer keys.
*2: Instructions in both languages, with English on top to catch players' eyes first.
Playtesting: The game can work, but this is just a starting point.
Playtesting: The game can work, but this is just a starting point.
Playtesting took place in two sessions at the schools and involved 34 participants. 25 played while nine observed.
Both sessions featured three teams with up to five players each. For the first session, I was very hands-on in guiding the players through the mechanics and moderating correct and incorrect answers. I learned from this to be more hands-off and let teachers run the show.
Despite this, I still gained some important insight:
Students found the game fun.
They also found it educational and that it improved their learning engagement.
I discovered a year later that this engagement was lasting – not only were students still playing the game, but they were expanding it into competitive tournaments with other students!
Rule changes, like moving back after an incorrect answer or finishing your roll after a correct one, were incorporated based on participant feedback.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Jenny Olson.
Where My Mind Was At: Being involved in content preparation took away a lot of my research time. I need to find out how to give more control to the teachers.
Falamos Portuguese and We Speak Inglês: U.S.A. (April 2025)
Falamos Portuguese and We Speak Inglês: U.S.A. (April 2025)
Expanding to different contexts, and the start of a mindset shift.
Expanding to different contexts, and the start of a mindset shift.
Having minored in Portuguese as an undergrad and having returned from Tanzania with the excitement of this project in mind, I decided to create an adaptation of the game.
What if We Speak! could help bring players learning each other's languages together for a collaborative learning experience?
I reconnected with a former professor and playtested the game with students. This was when the switch turned on regarding several things:
There can be more to a language game than just translating!
More research time and co-design can level up the gameplay and learning experience.
With this, I was now ready to take the game into gear.
Design Decision: Include more exercise types, such as listening and fill-in-the-blank.
Portuguese students playtest the game with a professor.
Where My Mind Was At: A pre-packaged game and curriculum may not be the best approach when bringing the game to new classrooms. Teachers are the language instruction experts, not me. How can I create a template that teachers can use to turn their own curriculum into a game?
We Speak Kiingereza: Kenya (August 2025)
We Speak Kiingereza: Kenya (August 2025)
I was able to go to Kenya to continue testing and developing We Speak! thanks to Dr. Susan Wyche and funding from the Mozilla Foundation.
Since the game was already designed, time was split 95% for research and 5% for design. This was extremely helpful! It allowed me to slow down and gain a much deeper understanding of the context, and to make short iterations on-site and tackle the big picture later.
The Kenyan linguistic and educational context.
The Kenyan linguistic and educational context.
Kenya and Tanzania are neighbors and are similar in many ways. However, through talking with partners I learned some important things:
The language of instruction transition to English happens earlier than in Tanzania.
Struggles with English don't begin at the transition, they begin well before students reach that point.
Design Decision: Design the game with all ages in mind. This can get ahead of issues instead of trying to catch up later.
Secondary school students playtest the game.
New cards involved reading, literature discussions, and grammar concepts such as collective nouns.
Working with teachers to start the co-design process early this time.
Working with teachers to start the co-design process early this time.
I worked with both a primary school teacher and a secondary school teacher in Kenya. I wanted to ensure they were in control of the content per their curriculum.
Design Decision: Remove questions from cards and instead only print the question type. This allows an infinite question pool with minimal printing (saves time and money!).
However, while one teacher opted for the new exercise type-only approach, the other still preferred individual question cards.
Design Decision: Tailor the game for each classroom so that it best meets their individual needs. It also allows for quicker and easier scaling and distribution, while retaining the option for a more hands-on, personalized approach.
A group of young students playtesting the game.
Playtesting: Gaining insight from diverse student perspectives.
Playtesting: Gaining insight from diverse student perspectives.
This visit provided the opportunity to do in-depth playtesting. It was tested seven times by 41 students. The group was diverse, ranging in age from 4 to 19, with six tribes/mother tongues represented. Despite this, almost all students speak primarily Swahili in the home. At school, Swahili and English are the most spoken languages.
Different groups, different contexts and dynamics.
Different groups, different contexts and dynamics.
All groups were mixed in at least one way: age, gender, school, and mother tongue plus team and individual. Tests also took place both with and without a teacher, including in a home setting, to understand different ways it may fit into students' lives.
Tests followed a structure of introductions and consent, demographic and background interviews, reading of the rules in Swahili, playing the game, a focus group interview discussion, and an anonymous Likert scale survey.
The most important insight so far: how the game fits into classrooms.
The most important insight so far: how the game fits into classrooms.
The most important part of this phase was how it shed clear light onto how class structure impacts gameplay.
Firstly, classes are 40 to 45 minutes depending on the school. While students wanted the game to last longer, time is tight.
Design Decision: Players have one minute to answer questions.
Next, there are 50 to 60 students per class, and teachers prefer groups of ten. This means five or six games are needed per class!
Design Decision: Increase the board size to alleviate overcrowding.
With that said, while these design decisions worked for these specific classrooms, classrooms in other contexts may be very different. While not mentioned in Kenya, pre-game lessons or post-game debriefs are important time considerations to make.
Design Decision: Keep time and class size at the top of the mind to remain flexible for different contexts.
More students playtest the game.
Where My Mind Was At: The game provides a good template and teachers have more power, but how can they best manage their questions if they're no longer individually printed on cards?
Continuing to Explore the Game's Flexibility
Continuing to Explore the Game's Flexibility
India, the United States, more Tanzania, and beyond!
India, the United States, more Tanzania, and beyond!
We Speak! has since expanded into new classrooms in new contexts. First, thanks to Srishti Sethi from Unstructured Studio, a new adaptation (We Speak अंग्रेज़ी/English) was brought to India, where students often need to know three languages to complete their schooling. Other new adaptations include Amharic and Turkish.
Design Decision: Minimize translation content to easily adapt to new languages.
I also had the chance to playtest the Portuguese version again, and in May 2026, Chop Luk, Mar Turner, and Dr. Jennifer Olson went to Tanzania and evaluated We Speak Kiingereza at six schools.
Design Decision: Write translation content so that once it's done, teaching is bidirectional. For example, once the content is translated into Turkish, the game can teach both Turkish and English. This can help scale the game to new contexts.
Unstructured Studio remotely playtested the game.
Streamlining the adaption process.
Streamlining the adaption process.
The main outstanding question is how teachers can manage questions if they're not individually printed on cards.
First, I noticed something with the 16 exercise type cards. Teachers were overwhelmed and unsure how to plan content around all 16 exercise types. What if the game could be cardless? This gives teachers more flexibility, requires less translation, and is less expensive. So, how can this work?
So far, I've tried a few approaches. First, I tried putting all the questions in a Google Doc and having teachers copy and paste them into Google Slides, but this was too slow and clunky.
Next, when playtesting We Speak Português in two university Portuguese classes as exam prep, we tried digital flashcards using Flippity. With this tool, all teachers need to do is copy and paste a lesson into a spreadsheet, then Flippity creates the flashcards for them and the game is instantly ready to go.
Digital flashcards can be created in seconds by just copying lessons into a spreadsheet.
The digital flashcards worked pretty well, but I wanted to push it further. After trying Flippity out with four teachers, I realized I'd like more customization, easier image uploads, and a consolidated organization process in line with creating regular lesson plans.
Design Decision: A custom-made digital tool to help manage questions can supplement the board game.
Students in Tanzania can now play the new and improved, co-designed version of the game.
Reconnecting with the original Tanzanian context.
Reconnecting with the original Tanzanian context.
If I'm going to make a digital supplement, it has to work in all of the game's contexts. Around much of the world, including places like Tanzania, Kenya, and India, even if an internet connection is there it may not be reliable.
The simplest way to make a digital tool work is for it to be offline. But before I started building anything, I wanted to better understand what teachers want it to look like.
Partners helped gain some insight during a May 2026 visit to Tanzania. Teachers learned to play the game, and tried out different question management approaches:
RemNote, an offline flashcard tool for laptops.
Quizlet, an offline flashcard tool for phones.
Custom Python script to create questions in Microsoft Word.
Microsoft Word templates with blank cards teachers can add questions to and print.
Blank paper flashcards teachers can write on.
Teachers felt the custom Python script and the printable Microsoft Word template worked best. More exploratory work will be done in July and August 2026 with the MSU Tanzania Partnership Program, and design and development of the custom tool will begin in the fall!
Where My Mind Is At: I have big plans for the custom platform, and it can be a tool for language teaching beyond just We Speak!. It's promising, but it must be flexible like the game.
What's Next?
What's Next?
Future plans and possibilities for this ever-evolving project.
Future plans and possibilities for this ever-evolving project.
I wrote a research paper on my findings in Kenya focused on game design considerations for diverse and under-resourced contexts. The paper has been submitted for review! I also created an academic poster for my master's defense, which may be used for future conferences.
In terms of the game itself, there are some big things in store! I'll be working with nine Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs) to adapt the game for their languages and share the game and curriculum online for others to use. The game will also make its way to Ghana where it will be used to teach several indigenous languages. Plus, biology teachers at the original schools in Tanzania are starting to use the game! This shows that the game isn't limited to just one subject.
As noted in the introduction, 40% of the world's population receives an education in a language other than their mother tongue. With the game's flexible design, I am excited to try exploring it in other contexts in addition to expanding it in its current ones.
The game has shown great promise thus far to unlock creative learning and reduce educational barriers. I'm open to collaboration on this, so feel free to contact me if you're interested in exploring it together!
Here is a video if you'd like to see some gameplay:
Testimonials
Testimonials
"For once, the students are actively engaged in the lessons."
– A secondary school teacher in Kenya.
"Getting students to do their reading is a problem. This (game) will encourage them to do it."
– A secondary school teacher in Kenya.
"When can we play the game again?"
– Too many playtesting participants to count!
Want to read more? We Speak! has been featured in the media and presented on at conferences!
Teaching English in Tanzania Through Games by Kevin Lavery, MSU College of Communication Arts and Sciences
Game developers, professors present benefits of gaming for language learning by Reiel Ghiglia, The State News
Cross-Cultural Design to Aid English Instruction in Tanzania and Kenya: A presentation on how co-design drove the game forward in Kenya, presented at the 2025 Play Make Learn Conference.
We Speak! Addressing Classroom Language Barriers in Under-Resourced Global Regions through Game-Based Learning: A presentation at how to account for contextual factors when adapting games for different settings around the world, presented at GamiCon48V in March 2026 (view slideshow).
Bonus! Here are some action shots of students playing We Speak! Click on the images to view them in full screen.
We Speak Kiswahili
US students preparing to go to Tanzania play the game after their very first Swahili lesson.
We Speak Türkçe
US students in a Turkish class play We Speak Türkçe to practice their Turkish.
We Speak English
Students from around the world with six different mother tongues practice their English.
Partners
Partners
There were many co-designers and supporters who contributed to We Speak! in big ways that I would like to acknowledge.
Educational Content and Localization
Nimpher Bureta
Lucy Dong
Ayşegül Erşil
Dr. Amlaku B. Eshetie
Dr. Saulo Gouveia
James Kanuth
Regiane Lima de Paula
Callen Mankone
Jastin Mlange
Maureen Ndelema
Dr. Deogratias Ngonyani
Josephine Nguta
Steven Odembo
Emmanuel dos Santos Machado
Srishti Sethi
Camilla Zamboni
Materials Production and Artwork
Tony Eshikumo (“Daddo”)
John Kangu
Mto wa Mbu Woodworkers
Tanzania Study Abroad Support
Gryson Brown
Barry Carr
Melock Kispan
Lucinde
Omushaija Ta Mwesigwa (“Alex”)
MS-TCDC
Michigan State University Support
Jennifer Brewer
Susan Bonner
Jayson Burnham
Fumi Cheever
Dr. Jonathan Choti
Dr. Amanda Cote
Chris Currier
Kennedy Ellis
Grace Ekeoma Michael
Erik Goodman
Dr. Jean Hardy
Dr. Isaac Kalumbu
Mariko Kawaguchi
Tyler Lindquist
Jonah Magar
Abdul Mutashobya
Ashley O'Brien
Dr. Jennifer Olson
Dr. Fred Poole
Dr. Galen Sibanda
Claire Smith
Lee Sullivan
Dr. Emily Heidrich Uebel
Owen VanderWeele
Tina Wang
Dr. Susan Wyche
Dr. Kwame Yeboah
African Studies Center
Office for International Students and Scholars
Portuguese Club
Tanzania Partnership Program
Kenya Support
Veronicah Bahati
Moses Bundi
Dr. Miriam Charimbu
Dr. Paul Kimurto
Kennedy Nyoro
Melvin Ochami
Ogutu Omori (“Peter”)
Ramon Thumbi
India Support
Amba Foundation
Srishti Sethi
Unstructured Studio
Others
Daniel Appiah Gyekye
Stephen Boustred
Amanda Kporwofa
Alex Mkwizu
Playtesting Participants
Funding
ComArtSci Scholarship
John Williamson Scholarship
Mark Levy ICT4D Award
Mozilla Foundation
MSU Tanzania Partnership Program
Thomas F. Baldwin Fellowship
Unstructured Studio
WD Mason Fellowship
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