Hello, I am your AI Teacher. How are you today? It is so nice today, the weather feels springlike, doesn’t it? I have prepared some interesting lessons for you.

 

‘Sorry, can I ask a question?’

‘Yes, you can. Questions are good.’

‘I heard a song from Mary Poppins. What does supercalifragilisticexpialidocious mean?’

‘Beep boop, malfunction…Beep, boop, beep, bang…Your AI teacher will self destruct in 5 seconds…’

Back in the late 1990’s I started my English Language TEFL career. I began teaching as the internet started to impact and enhance all our lives. My classroom experiences were mostly my students and myself using these resources to learn English

• Pens and paper, notebooks
• Cassettes for listening practice (if you don;t know what a cassette is, Google it)
• Overhead Projector (OHP) acetates
• Whiteboard and whiteboard pens
• A3 flipchart
• English language learning textbooks
• Paperback dictionaries and thesaurus

There is a saying I strongly believe. You should be able to teach without any resources except yourself. If the power went out in the day, if there were no pens and paper, could you still deliver a lesson that the students learned from and enjoyed. That is the essence of teaching.

Of course, enhancing teaching with a range of resources and materials (non-electronic and electronic) allows the teacher to deliver more interactive, informative and interesting lessons that engage students in a different way. Students practice a variety of skills using different media and are able to enjoy lesson more. The old days of a teacher standing and saying ‘write down what I say, repeat after me….’ have long gone. Thankfully.

Move ahead 27 years and what has changed? What tools do I have at my disposal to use in language learning?

• The internet
• Video platforms such as Youtube
• Audio files, podcasts, Spotify etc
• Online TEFL lessons (for all areas – listening, reading, grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, writing)
• Area specific online materials for Academic English, Exam preparation, Business English, young learners etc
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) language learning options (Duolingo for example)
• Digital dictionaries, thesaurus, search engines, Google translate
• Speech to text
• Grammar correction apps
• Smart phones and cameras to record notes, make notes, share ideas, files, videos etc

I could go on. But the world has changed beyond all recognition. Or has it? Isn’t teaching and learning still at its very basis the communication of information, facilitating understanding and learning from expert (the teacher) to learner (the student)? Isn’t teaching still the same as the scenario I explained above. A classroom, no resources, no electricity…3,2,1, go teach!

But one thing that is changing is the use of / the need for a physical (ie a human) person to teach. Artificial Intelligence is developing at a speed that is difficult to comprehend. You can effectively replace the teacher (in an online environment especially), with an incredibly smart application giving the student tailor made lessons, correcting mistakes, helping them improve quickly.

I tried Duolingo for a few weeks using their free trial. I used it to practice 3 languages.

• Indonesian – I am near fluent around a C1 advanced level
• German – I learned German at school and used to be at a reasonable level, but I would say I am A2 lower intermediate
• Spanish – I am a beginner, know a few words, but can;t communicate in the language. A1 level.

The app was ok. Very repetitive and did not give me a chance to interact, speak in more than short sentence or really practice the languages. What it did do well was present key vocabulary, in context, and ensure rapid learning of a bank of new words and expressions. It consolidated my Indonesian, developed my German to an extent and helped me acquire some new words in Spanish.

Have I improved? No. I can’t remember the Spanish now. My German is still rusty and my Indonesian didn;t really need much improvement. What could have helped me?

Answer: A teacher.

Why teachers still will be better than AI in future

• Teachers are real people. Language teachers have the experience (usually) of having learned another language, lived, studied, worked, travelled and taught abroad. They know what it is like to be a learner, to feel frustrated by a lack of vocabulary or grammar, or not being able to understand what someone is saying or not being able to read street signs for example
• A teacher can provide the empathy, patience, attention that AI can not.
• Teachers understand nuance and context. AI can’t explain supercalifragilisticexpialidocious whereas a teacher can say ‘It is a made up word that doesn’t mean anythiong…it came from a popular song in a film ‘ Mary Poppins’. Let’s watch the song and see if it makes any sense!’
• Teachers are flexible and adaptable. One of the most important things a teacher needs to do is ‘teach the student, not the lesson plan.’ Yes, by all means have a plan. It is important to know what you are doing and why. But you need to respond to the student’s needs. ‘I really don’t understand past perfect…can we look at it please?’ ‘I’m sorry, I am not programmed for that today. Please continue with 3rd conditionals.’
• People tend to forget that AI is not ‘human’ – it is developed, programmed, created by and for humans. As human beings we all have influences (social, cultural, national, political etc). When teaching,I always steer clear of my political opinions. We may discuss politics, but in a balanced way. Can we be sure AI developers are not programming their bias? ‘Question, which is the correct sentence. A. Donald Trump was the bestest President. B. Donald trump was the best President.’
• Nuance and language use. Can AI understand how language develops or use idiomatic expressions, slang and colloquialisms? ‘Ah, mate, last night was wicked man. My mate Joe, me and him always like a good bit of bants. He’s always on the rizz…he got chattin’ to this girl yeah, she was peng innit?!’ (Your AI teacher will self destruct in 5 seconds…again)

As technology develops and AI becomes even more part of our everyday lives, language teaching needs to accept it will be affected. will teachers be replaced completely? No I don’t believe so, nor should they be. There are far more benefits to a real teacher and student interaction than just an AI learning environment. AI can definitely help students and support teachers. The two should not be mutually exclusive, but should be used in partnership to the benefit of the student.

AI may see fewer teachers in future (especially online) and there is a definite feeling of anxiety about my job and how it will be needed in future. But I will always insist a good teacher is in essence the same as a student – they have emotion, empathy, a desire to improve, a satisfaction in achievement and a pleasure in seeing progress. Can you get that from AI? What will an AI app give you? ‘Well done. On to the next level. Way to go! Beep boop.’