Innovation in Language Learning

Will language teachers be replaced by AI, or will teaching methods evolve to assimilate it? AI poses both the greatest threat to language teachers since the rise of “self-taught” apps and the greatest opportunity for innovation since Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). A recent survey found that 64% of teachers do not use ChatGPT, and 19% are “not interested”¹; meanwhile, 75% of students already use AI to complete homework². Written homework is losing pedagogical value, raising concerns about cognitive stagnation and erosion of learning, while teachers often lack tools to detect plagiarism and AI-generated work. We developed an AI solution that adds value to the work of teachers. Unlike AI applications focused on productivity, such as lesson planning and grading, our approach emphasizes skill development. It enables teachers to assign AI-driven, CLT-style conversational homework, allowing students to practice classroom content through role plays in a safe, low-stakes environment. An AI agent generates reports to help teachers prepare for the next class and identify trends such as common mistakes and struggling areas. Combining AI insights with the teacher’s personal touch fosters deeper engagement and accelerates language learning outcomes. Ethan Mollick of Wharton University explored how AI can help students develop language and communication skills³. Large Language Models (LLMs) effectively generate interactive learning experiences, which can be categorized as role play, goal play, critique, and mentoring. Our practical familiarisation session includes a live demo: creating a personalized role play for language learning; develpment of the role of AI empowered teacher as “human in the loop” (mitigating risks and personalizing AI’s style etc.); and an example of the feedback loop where AI identifies knowledge gaps or areas needing follow-up. When promted well, AI becomes a powerful learning tool. Our pilot study suggests relevance drives motivation: students are more engaged and retain more when scenarios reflect their lives, often remembering role plays as vividly as real-life experiences.