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No trecho “There are a number of things that teachers can...
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Tomorrow’s English assessment: It’s still about the people
Evelina Galaczi
September 25th, 2023
Great news for humans involved in English language teaching and assessment. We’ll still be needed in the future! Don’t get me wrong, technology is shaking up the sector we work in and providing some fantastic enhancements to all aspects of learning and teaching English.
A recent report by an influential Management Consulting firm highlighted the huge impact AI will have in education in the future. We’re seeing more AI tools such as ChatGPT in classrooms, Virtual Reality letting us learn in distant worlds and computer games taking learning to the next level. While these are all fantastic innovations and we’re really embracing them, we’re not going to rush in and cut corners to suit the technology.
I recently presented seven key principles for successfully integrating AI into the English language classroom. These were taken from our report English language education in the era of generative AI: our perspective.
One of these principles is to ensure that the quality and scope of language assessments and learning resources are maintained. A big part of achieving this is to use technology to enhance education, but not to let it determine the educational approach.
With this in mind, let’s look at three areas where technology is having a positive impact on learning, but we shouldn’t let it do all the work.
Teaching: the rise of the human?
Teaching and learning are all about people, and AI can’t replace the social and emotional aspect of learning. Of course, it can enhance the experience, but teachers will continue to play a very crucial role. However, teaching practices may change.
This may require teacher training and familiarization with digital approaches. It will certainly require becoming ‘AI ready’ and understanding how our Human and Artificial Intelligence can best work together.
There are a number of things that teachers can do now to enhance learning experiences through AI. This includes developing classroom activities that make use of tools such as Chat GPT. For example, teachers can ask their students to correct or rewrite an AI powered response on a particular topic. Or their students to use Chat GPT to improve an essay they’ve written and then ask the students to critique the changes made. These are the types of small steps you can take now to be ready for the future.
English testing for higher education
English testing for university entry is life changing for candidates, so it is essential that tests used for this purpose are the right ones. With the rise of technology, there are tests coming onto the market that prioritize technology and ‘on demand’ convenience over quality and relevance. This can come with associated risks as using inadequate English language tests for university entry can result in poor performance, high levels of students dropping out of their courses, not to mention the anxiety and wellbeing issues associated with not having the English language skills you need. Things you need to watch out for are tests that only cover a narrow range of tasks, tasks that are not relevant to university and ones that have limited independent research to validate their efficacy.
Holding technology’s ‘hand’
As I mentioned earlier, don’t get me wrong, the rise of technology makes this an exciting time to be involved in English language education, but we’ll still need to hold the ‘hand’ of technology for a smooth journey, as we evolve into the digital age. I recently read a wonderful analogy that sums this up nicely from a policy report prepared by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology. It describes a technology-enhanced future as more like an electric bike and less like robot vacuums. I think this is a fantastic way to highlight the fact that the AI amplifies the human achievement and reduces the burden, without fully replacing the human involvement in learning, teaching and assessment.
Adapted from: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/news/view/tomorrows-english-assessment-its-still-about-the-people
Accessed on: March 18, 2024.
No trecho “There are a number of things that teachers can do now to enhance learning experiences through AI.”, a palavra destacada é classificada como:
A
conjunction
B
preposition
C
adjective
D
adverb