A teacher advocates the use of AI with English learners

Sarah Said, an English teacher who works with English learners at an alternative high school near Chicago, has seen translation apps evolve over time.

Thanks to enough input from users and linguists, Google Translate has become a much more useful tool than it was a few years ago.

Lately, her English students at Dream Academy in Elgin, Illinois have shown a talent for using and finding a variety of generative artificial intelligence tools and translation apps, prompting Said to learn more about this technology and mentor her students with responsible and ethical use. .

With more than 20 years of experience working with English learners, Said encourages other teachers to become familiar with new AI tools. She presented this topic virtually at the annual WIDA conference in mid-October and spoke to Education Week about how teachers working with English learners should approach AI tools in the classroom.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Why shouldn’t teachers working with English learners avoid AI tools?

They already use it.

I’ve noticed that you get things that don’t look like your students’ writing, and they’ve tried to use AI, but they haven’t done it responsibly. It’s really a matter of taking what they’ve done and working with them to say, ‘Hey, this is a starting point. Let’s work on expanding the idea that AI has given you so that it now becomes your own idea of ​​where your own feelings and emotions are.”

I have students who regularly use translation apps in the classroom and outside. I notice, where does this come from? Students will tell you, “I used ChatGPT to help translate.” I’m like, “Well, okay, but now we have to grow what you did.”

Then it becomes a one-on-one conversation. How can we change the sentence to put your voice in the sentence instead of AI’s voice in the sentence? Almost the same as using a calculator in math class, right? You may have trouble with certain operations, but you still have to do the algebra, you still have to do the proofs in geometry. AI is your starting point to build on better ideas in language learning and understanding.

I didn’t quite know what was out there. (Students) showed me things. You have to teach them that there is a line they have to walk with AI, and that will certainly not go away. When my students are job hunting and writing things (applications and resumes), they have to make sure they use certain words. Unfortunately, there are employers who use AI to search resumes because they have to sort through thousands of resumes.

English learners may be the first to actually catch up, as they have had to adapt to using so many tools in the classroom.

In my building I have that feeling, because they had to learn language to survive. Years ago, I was actually a coordinator in another district, working with mothers from Yemen, and it was very interesting. This is when Google Voice first came out. And these moms just used Google Voice with their phones. I’m like, “Wow, that’s so innovative.”

I think sometimes our language learners are the most innovative because they have had to work to navigate certain situations, that they may be on the cusp of more than some of the gen. ed. students.

What should educators consider when exploring AI tools?

A teacher needs to understand what the tools are and what the language of AI is because it is a different world. So before even starting AI in a classroom, the teacher needs to understand it. I know this is currently a work in progress with states and districts, but districts need to have parameters on how schools and districts can use it.

First, the teacher must become aware of the resources available. As they become more knowledgeable about the instruments, they also become knowledgeable about the parameters, and they become knowledgeable about the policies. We also have to regulate it in some way. You don’t want children to make their data public, so you need to regulate and understand that. If a student uses a tool, show them how to use it responsibly.

I think AI improves language learning. It is up to the teacher to determine how to model its use. The children need to see an appropriate model to develop these skills.

In what strategic ways has AI helped your instruction?

I used him as a model. I will break down a sentence for students and show them how the AI ​​helps find the meaning in the sentence. I’ll use AI for them to show them, “Hey, if you ask this question, this is going to come up, and this is what they’re going to tell you. It’s not just the question you ask. It just depends on how you ask the question.”

Then it teaches this idea of, how do we master language? Because a computer takes everything literally. It looks a bit like Amelia Bedelia, right? And what is the difference between literal and figurative language?

When you send an email to someone, the person on the other end of the line can’t tell you who you are. If you send an email and you sound angry, but you didn’t mean to sound angry, the person on the other end won’t see that. So how do we master language when we’re not in front of people?

Even if you design on Canva (an online graphic design tool), you can use their AI tools to design something.