Will AI replace teachers in the next decade? What will be its impact on the way we learn languages? These were just a couple of the questions that our expert panel discussed at the round table on AI and English Language Teaching led by George Wilson, our Head of English Programmes, at the British Council in Paris in April 2024. Check out his reflections on this fascinating evening below and our short video capturing the atmosphere of the event here..
It is always exciting to hear the murmur of anticipation as the guests file into our grand reception rooms at the British Council in Paris but this evening there was a particular buzz in the room. I'd hazard a guess that this was linked to the topic. In the last 12 months, Artificial Intelligence has already started to change the way we work and live our lives, and tonight was the opportunity to reflect on what the future held for the teaching and learning of English.
The British Council’s report into AI and the Future of English Language Teaching had just been published and the collected audience of education officials, academics, teachers and teacher educators were here to hear from a group of leading experts in the field.
A packed agenda
The evening began with a talk by the report’s lead author, Professor Helen Crompton, who gave an overview of its findings and left us with some interesting questions for discussion.
We then dived into our round-table discussion with our guests:
- Professor Colin de la Higuera who is UNESCO Chair in Open Educational Resources and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Nantes
- Professor Agnes Kukulska-Hulme who leads the Learning Futures Programme at the Open University in the UK
- Doctor Valentin Corneloup who is a lecturer in Cognitive Psychology at Forward College in Paris.
As the conversation got under way, I was impressed by the speakers’ assured eloquence, reflecting as they did on complex issues in a clear, informed and insightful manner.
Changing pedagogy
We began by questioning how language learning and teaching might change in the future. Our panel evoked the exciting opportunities that AI offers for self-directed learning, with personal tutors available day and night to support learners.
However, they also highlighted the limitations of AI, with human teachers capable of showing a communicative empathy that AI cannot, and studies demonstrating that young children are far less cognitively engaged when interacting with a screen than with a real person.
We then considered whether AI would increase equity in education. I had assumed that technology would also always be reserved for the wealthy, but the panel suggested that AI teaching might actually become the norm, with human teachers reserved for a small elite. This would have important implications for social justice in education.
Ethics
Other ethical issues arose during our conversations, with panellists raising concerns about the sharing of personal data and the role of big-tech companies in State education systems. They also discussed how AI tools may reduce the diversity of English by promoting a standardised form of the language. These issues underline the importance of research like the British Council’s in ensuring that teachers’ voices are heard when future policy around AI is shaped.
The role of the teacher
So, what will be the role of language teachers in the future? The consensus was that they will continue to be at the heart of education because of the multitude of academic and affective roles they play in the classroom. However, their role may shift towards that of a ‘facilitator’, equipping learners with the skills to lead their own learning. AI literacy will therefore become increasingly important, with teachers training learners in how to write effective prompts and to reflect critically on the language and content produced by AI. We all agreed that language teachers would need training to support them with this kind of change.
Final thoughts
The evening ended with the reassuring assertion that language learning would continue to be necessary. Overall, the speakers were excited about the potential of AI and their optimism was infectious, leaving me with the sense that it could make a positive contribution to the profession if we engage with it constructively and make sure we actively, consciously shape its role in the language classrooms of tomorrow.
Indeed, the comment that stayed with me as I walked home that evening came from a teacher, who half-whispered to me over a glass of wine: “In any case, AI is here to stay so we need to embrace it, understand it, and make sure we’re not left behind”.
With that comment in mind, the British Council will be organising more such events in the future to help the English Language Teaching community to work together to ensure that AI plays a positive role in the teaching and learning of English in the future, so do stay tuned for more opportunities to get involved!
