South Korea pilots bringing robots into schools to help teach English

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (South Korea) said on November 29 that "English tutor robots" will be introduced into elementary and middle schools in the capital in 2024 to help students practice one-on-one communication in English.

In a pilot program in March 2024, English teaching support robots will be provided to five elementary and middle schools in Seoul.

According to Yonhap , the use of robots to teach English to young students is part of the Seoul education authority's efforts to strengthen English in public schools.

This robot was developed by a private company. In appearance, the English teaching assistant robot is similar to the robot serving at restaurants, but is equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) applications capable of conversing in English 1-1 with students, and will also act as a teaching assistant with the ability to converse in English like a native speaker.

In the classroom, robots will act as teaching assistants for teachers, carrying out activities appropriate to students' levels such as correcting pronunciation and practicing English.

In addition, Seoul City will also pilot both a smartphone app and a chatbot to help improve English listening and speaking skills in some public schools. The chatbot app will have the ability to converse in English with students based on situations they set up.

To improve the effectiveness of foreign language teaching and learning, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said it will expand the implementation of international exchange classes - classes with online exchanges between Seoul students and foreign students through a modern translation and interpretation system. Currently, 198 schools in Korea are establishing exchanges with partners in 18 countries.

Minh Hoa (according to Tuoi Tre, Saigon Giai Phong)