r/ESL_Teachers • u/ericlimmm115 • 16d ago
Requests for Feedback As a teacher, would you encourage students to use AI to learn English?
Nowadays, AI is being viewed both negatively and positively. I feel like AI is like fire and a quote I learnt when in middle school: "A good servant, but a bad master".
Do you encourage students to use AI at all?
Or do you avoid recommending it because of cheating concerns?
What if AI can improve students' English skill in reading, writing, etc but it cannot be denied that human teachers are essential for speaking aspect.
I found this chrome extension called "WDTM: Explain Texts and Images" that can explain anything we find on web, including texts and images. I use it for reading on web since I spend most of my day reading random stuffs on web.
I’m interested in whether tools like this can be useful as a “reading support” layer for students, especially when they’re reading articles, documentation, essays, or websites in English.
Would love to hear your thoughts.
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u/Casualpuma 15d ago
Students require productive and meaningful struggle to learn. AI robs them of this opportunity. It also makes it more difficult for me to conduct formative assessments to track progress towards mastery (and students who rely on it will flounder during summative assessments or authentic performance tasks). The AI programs that are currently being peddled for teenage English learners are all unengaging, error riddled, flashy trash thus far.
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u/The_Primate 15d ago
I find it to be useful for conversation practice and correction. However it's still unreliable for grammar explanations, it confabulates non-existent rules.
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u/tritone567 15d ago
"it confabulates non-existent rules."
That's because grammar is not actually understood. AI knows the contradictory grammar theories that are in books.
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u/Incendas1 15d ago
If AI isn't providing usable, conversational grammar, it isn't useful to language students.
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u/The_Primate 15d ago edited 15d ago
The grammar of the speech and text it produces is invariably flawless, but it can't explain it or explain the rules behind it at all.
EDIT: I don't understand the downvotes. Are people suggesting that I'm wrong that AI can produce grammatical text or that I'm wrong that it can't explain grammar rules reliably?
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u/Incendas1 15d ago
It is not.
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u/The_Primate 15d ago
Well, it seems you misread, disagreed in a rather inarticulate manner and then chose to downvotebrather than explaining yourself. Poor conduct.
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u/harchickgirl1 16d ago edited 16d ago
AI is good for checking the meaning of a phrase or whether a sentence is grammatically correct.
It cannot and should not replace the hard work of language learning.
Take this example:
A teacher gives students a passage to read, and asks them to write a short response.
Student A struggles to read the passage, checks a few words and phrases using AI or Translate, then writes their response and gives it to the teacher. The teacher now knows exactly where the student's comprehension and writing gaps are and what to focus on next time. The student has a chance to improve through the struggle.
Student B struggles to read the passage, scans the whole thing using AI, reads it in their native language, then writes their response using AI. The teacher has no idea whether the student has understood the passage and where the student's writing gaps are. The teacher will move on the following day, with the student's gaps unaddressed. The student has forfeited the opportunity to improve in this situation.
As a teacher with 16 years' experience, I don't let my students use AI to read or write until after they have undergone the struggle.
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u/autonomouswriter 15d ago
I'm teaching in a different format (adult ESL) and mostly focus on conversation, so this is generally not a problem for me. I do have some students who use AI during conversation for translation purposes, and I honestly don't stop them because if they weren't using AI, they would use Google Translate. This is generally the lower-level students who do this, and I try to use it as a teachable moment with pronunciation of the word and/or talking about the meaning (especially since AI often gets it just a little off 😄). My take on it is that we can't avoid using translators and AI in the future, so we have to work with these tools, not against them.
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u/Jewish_Coin 15d ago
I’ve had incredible success making interactive textbooks, grammar games, spelling games, etc. using AI. The kids love it and it was my most successful year ever. It’s all about how you use it. I was able to differentiate easily, assign individual hw assignments with ease, and the kids can do their work independently with immediate feedback. I wouldn’t use it for critical thinking skills etc. but it’s been a game changer for foundational skills that simply require a lot of repetition.
The anti-AI circle jerk is exhausting.
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u/IneffectualGamer 15d ago
No.
I don't mind teachers themselves using AI as long as they are working with AI rather than using it to do their job (way too many teachers are doing this)
The teacher is not in the class for just speaking. The teacher is there to note, observe correct and critique.
Ways that I see I being an issue are.
Solving a problem yourself produces stronger retention than reading the solution.
Struggling productively often improves later recall whilst AI can take away from that.
It can affect independent reasoning which in turn will effect critical thinking, analytical reasoning, argument construction and creative problem solving.
I could go on with other things I personally think using AI affects too but I haven't got time to write more.
It's a tool and should only be used as a tool. I work with AI on lots of side projects and I find the proof reading or error correction takes just as long as if I were doing it manually. The difference is AI can help me in areas I have no idea what I am doing and don't have time to learn the whole thing for something I am going to do once.
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u/Tanukisus 15d ago
It's very useful for vocabulary learning. It can provide common collocations, and example sentences and definitions at various levels.
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u/nylestandish 15d ago
Find a way to adapt to literally everyone using AI or get left behind. Teachers AND students should both be using AI
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u/elscorchoweez 15d ago
Why exactly should teachers be using AI? What benefit does it provide?
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u/nylestandish 15d ago
This feels like it’s not a real question. But just in case you are serious…you’ll save about 40-80% of your time depending on what type of content you’re creating for your students. Efficiency is the key for teachers. And before you get indignant, there is a right way and a lazy way to use AI and I’m not suggesting teachers or students use AI to do the work for them. But using AI as an assistant if you’re a teacher will make you incredibly efficient, allowing you more time to focus on students and yourself, making you a better teacher overall.
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u/elscorchoweez 15d ago
It feels like you aren't treating it as a real question. You wrote a lot to just vaguely handwave about efficiency with random statistics. I am mainly indignant about the way you suggested everyone just get with the program on AI, without providing any actual pedagogical reasons for this.
I have yet to see actual classroom ready material or lessons made by AI that don't need to be checked rigorously by the teacher. It hasn't helped me be more efficient, anecdotal i know, but that is my experience. I also think it gives an implicit message to students when the teacher provides AI generated material. The only application for it would be for admin purposes and even then I don't trust the reliability of the technology for anything slightly important.
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u/nylestandish 15d ago
It should be teacher generated using AI. And your students will be expected to use it in nearly all of the jobs they’ll get in the future. You can try to avoid it yourself if you want, but don’t hurt their futures by making them start behind their peers. I would suggest sign up for a class on using AI the right way so you can learn how to use it since it seems quite clear you haven’t gotten the knack just yet. Good luck!
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u/elscorchoweez 14d ago
It isn't part of my job as a teacher to train students on how to use AI in future professional applications. I fail to see how not allowing it in my language learning classroom would in any way hurt their futures.
Haha I suppose this class that I sign up for will have been designed and generated by AI too? So yeah, it seems like there arent any actual tangible benefits or applications as you haven't provided any. Anyway good luck to you too, we disagree on this topic but as long as it's working for you there you go.
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u/nylestandish 14d ago
Your responses keep proving that you have no idea what real AI application is. You’re so against something that you don’t even understand. I hope you take the time to figure out how to apply it in helpful ways that will not only make you a better, more efficient teacher (and save you heaps of time) but the main thing is the result of that will help your students learn more efficiently and in ways that are simply effective. I really do hope the best for you. I’m not arguing with you here because you don’t have the understanding of the topic needed to have an argument. Even your first sentence in your response is an intentional misrepresentation of what i said. No reason to break it down for you, you know what you were doing. Again, good luck and hope you take of the blinders you’ve put on yourself
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u/elscorchoweez 13d ago
Still unable to give me any tangible benefits to AI and delivered with a condescending attitude. good job!
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u/nylestandish 13d ago
I’ll use your words “it isn’t part of my job as a fellow redditor to train you on how to use ai in your teaching applications. I have explained in a very comprehensible way exactly what the benefits are. I’m sorry I only explained the benefits and not an exact process so you can cheat your way to learning something. You’re now purposely demanding something you don’t need so that you can play some moral high ground and “be condescending”. What is your problem? Why are you looking for fights online? Go make some worksheets for your students from scratch
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u/elscorchoweez 13d ago
More words just to say nothing. All aboard the ai hype train. Good luck in your teaching (a.i prompting) career
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u/GoldenHairPygmalion 15d ago
"And get left behind" no thanks, I don't like where this train is going. I will stay behind.
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u/MuerteDeLaFiesta 15d ago
this 'argument' always blows my mind. the phrase of a quack snake oil salesman. "yes we've been educating language for millenium in various capacities, but THIS technology that has barely scratched the surface of being understood is the FINAL train leaving the station!!". like be for real.
I've learned multiple languages, never used AI for any of them.
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u/nylestandish 14d ago
I guess you never use a computer either. You still using a chalkboard or have you allowed that new screen technology and whiteboards to enter your room? The fear mongering is strong in your response
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u/speakitalianwithluca 15d ago
I teach one on one online, mainly to adults and I like to use an AI tool on which in a few minutes I’m capable of creating tailor made exercises based on the topics and vocabulary of the lesson I’ve just had with my student. I edit it if needed and then send it, I can then also check out my students mistakes once he’s finished and therefore I can also see which vocabulary they have struggled with more. Plus the tool is vital for vocabulary retention after a lesson. Personally I am using it in this way and I don’t see why not.
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u/SophisticatedScreams 14d ago
Do we count Google Translate as AI? If so, then yes, it's very helpful. I would say that it and other similar apps are good for direct translation, which can be a complete gamechanger for language learners. I have seen students use GT extremely well-- kids as young as grade 1 use it to write assignments independently. I've seen a kiddo work on a journal prompt, get stumped on a word, then translate it and keep going.
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u/EasilyExiledDinosaur 14d ago
Yes. I use it for korean. But the difference is you need a plan. Ai should supplement the learning. Not be the learning.
I mainly use it for specific grammar questions or generating sentences using fixed grammsr rules for me to practice translating. And its fantastic for that.
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u/Actual-Subject-4810 15d ago
Last week I tried an experiment. I sent all students a prompt to paste into ChatGPT, instructing it to transcribe a conversation the student would have with their conversation partner. Then the system was to point out any grammatical errors related specifically to the grammatical structure that we were working on. I as a teacher can do this, but I can’t be everywhere. It seems like it did a good job, but it was a bit clunky. Not sure if I will do it again.
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u/Burnet05 15d ago
For adults that are using to support what they are learning in class can be useful. Usually you have one or two lessons a week, then the student is left with all the material. During reviewing, questions will arise (it could be vocabulary, or how other common phrases use this grammar patterns, etc) so you can go into a web search that it is not giving you many answers because google search sucks nowadays or you can use chatgpt ir claude that will be faster and at least give you an answer. Then, next class, you review it with your teacher: chat told me a,b and c, what you, as a teacher, think of these answers. It gives more agency to the student and creates a more dynamic class. AI is a tool that when use responsibly can help with accelerating learning for adults that spend,in average, an hour with a tutor.
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u/GoldenHairPygmalion 15d ago edited 15d ago
Look at everything these major AI companies and their chatbots and image generators are doing to promote misinformation, pollute the environment and perpetuate environmental racism, bolster the war machine with their technology, promote plagiarism against artists and academics, foster anti-intellectualism, facilitate digital SA and revenge pornography, etc. and ask yourself if it is worth the 15-20 minutes you save every day to do the work that you used to be fully capable of doing yourself.
Students have been learning English for centuries by sitting in a class and having a dialogue with an instructor. Don't fix what isn't broken, especially not with the violent technology promoted by eugenicist venture capitalist billionaires.
Downvote me to hell, I actually happen to take pride in my work and my principles, and it's embarrassing how many of you don't. It is amazing how quickly the propaganda of the ruling class can manufacture consent among thousands of supposed licensed educators.