The Covid-19 pandemic has led to an adaptation to new learning formats, in particular online. Focus on AI and teacher collaboration.
Whether it’s learning an instrument, cooking or a language, it has become accessible in a click. Despite initial skepticism, nearly two years later it’s clear that the experiment has dramatically accelerated the growth of online learning. But what does this mean for the role of teachers? And how do they find their place in an AI-infused sphere?
The teacher and his human intelligence
Human intelligence is a mental quality that enables the ability to learn from experience, to adapt to new situations, to understand and process abstract concepts, and to use one’s knowledge to manipulate one’s environment. Among other things, it is a broader and deeper ability to understand what surrounds us – that is, to make sense of things and to act on the conclusions that one draws from them.
Unlike the capabilities of artificial intelligence, humans have the ability to imagine, anticipate, sense and judge changing situations and this is how the teacher becomes an invaluable asset in learning environments. The role of a teacher is not limited to imparting knowledge. He extends to understanding the needs of his students with different learning and comprehension abilities and adapting his way of explaining the lessons accordingly. Thus, the learning experience is not only creative, but also proactive.
Learning is fundamentally social and cultural. Being able to enable learners to build knowledge and practice as well as create mutual understanding is an endeavor that requires people working together in a learning community. In these new times, these communities have moved online but the need for human connection remains. It is precisely this need that motivated the launch of live courses. Teachers bridge the gap between self-directed online learning and face-to-face classes by offering the opportunity to talk to another human being and receive immediate feedback from language experts.
Augmented intelligence for the benefit of the teacher
The mainstream narrative of AI pits man against machine, and in edtech, that dichotomy can be wrong. Indeed, as artificial intelligence evolves, the value of teachers does not diminish. That’s why it’s worth taking a look at augmented intelligence. This offers an alternative to AI as we know it and focuses on its support role. It is therefore a question of improving human intelligence rather than replacing it. By continuing to keep learners at the heart of the product, language learning platforms build on this idea, rather than seeing technology and teachers as a divergent source. It is more useful to think of the two as a converging source of knowledge.
Artificial intelligence is transforming educational models: it allows learning materials to be personalized and adapted on an individual level, based on a single person’s learning history. In the educational setting, this allows teachers to spend more time doing what humans do best: adapting to needs on an emotional level. Instead of focusing on administrative and pedagogical tasks, teachers have the opportunity to spend most of their time connecting with their students and breaking down barriers to learning in their path, whether they are young or old. psychological order or whether they come from the environment. So they can set goals and realize the potential of their students, with the help of technology.
Today’s generation relies on the exploits of technology. If you plan to remove it, you run the risk of stagnation. On the other hand, if we exploit the potential of collaboration between AI and human intelligence, we obtain great results. People have always been at the heart of language learning and this is reflected in the product itself. Behind language learning apps and platforms are a plethora of language experts and teachers who develop lessons and forge tangible connections through the power of language.