AI Tutors in Japan. Better teaching English than you, Human?
A.I. is happening now. It’s already muscled into the domain of artist, bloggers and is expanding quickly into other fields. What about language teaching? Will the role of the language teacher ever be redundant? Or at least, how decent an alternative is A.I.?
So with that question in mind, here at Orango, we decided to do a wee test on Chat GPT; with Orango assuming the role of a potential Japanese student as Chat GPT for help. What you see below is an unedited transcript between Orango (playing the role of Japanese student learning English). Orango comments are in bold.
Hallo Chat GPT
Hello! How can I assist you today?
I am trying to learn English – can you help me?
Of course! I’m here to help with your English learning. What specifically would you like to focus on? Grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, conversation skills?
Many things
Great! Here are some tips to help you improve your English:
Practice regularly: Regular practice is essential to improve your English skills. Try to allocate some time every day for practicing English, whether it’s reading, writing, listening, or speaking.
Build your vocabulary: Learning new words and phrases will help you improve your ability to express yourself in English. Try to learn new words and phrases every day and use them in sentences to reinforce your understanding.
Watch English videos: Watching videos in English is a great way to improve your listening and comprehension skills. Try to watch videos on topics that interest you, and don’t be afraid to use subtitles to help you understand what’s being said.
Read English books and articles: Reading English books and articles can help you improve your grammar and vocabulary. Start with simple texts and gradually work your way up to more complex ones.
Speak English with others: Speaking with native English speakers or other learners is an excellent way to improve your pronunciation and conversation skills. You can find language exchange partners online or in person.
Use English learning apps and websites: There are many apps and websites that can help you improve your English skills. Some popular ones include Duolingo, Babbel, and Memrise.
Remember that learning a new language takes time and practice. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and keep practicing regularly. Good luck!
Thanks, can you help me with Grammar? What is past progressive tense?
Sure, I can help you with grammar!
The past progressive tense, also known as the past continuous tense, is used to describe an action that was ongoing or in progress at a specific point in the past. It is formed with the auxiliary verb “to be” in the past tense (was/were) followed by the present participle (-ing form) of the main verb.
Here is an example:
“I was studying English when my friend called.”
In this sentence, the action of studying was ongoing when the phone call interrupted it. “Was studying” is the past progressive tense of the verb “to study.”
Another example:
“They were playing soccer in the park yesterday afternoon.”
In this sentence, the action of playing soccer was ongoing at a specific point in the past (yesterday afternoon). “Were playing” is the past progressive tense of the verb “to play.”
The past progressive tense is often used in combination with the simple past tense to describe two actions that were happening simultaneously in the past. For example:
“While I was driving home, it started to rain.”
In this sentence, the action of driving and the action of raining were happening at the same time in the past.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions.
Can you give me an example using a cat and a carrot?
Sure, here’s an example using a cat and a carrot in the past progressive tense:
“The cat was chasing the carrot around the garden.”
In this sentence, the action of chasing was ongoing in the past, and the two subjects (cat and carrot) were interacting with each other. “Was chasing” is the past progressive tense of the verb “to chase.”
Okay. Understodd. Many thanks. Can you also correct the following sentence?
Of course, I’d be happy to help. What is the sentence you would like me to correct?
I was walkeding to the park and I seeing a big dog. It was chased a cat small with ears of whiteness
Sure, here’s a corrected version of the sentence:
“I was walking to the park when I saw a big dog. It was chasing a small cat with white ears.”
In this corrected version, I have made the following changes:
Changed “walkeding” to “walking,” which is the correct past participle form of “walk.”
Changed “I seeing” to “I saw,” which is the correct past tense of “see.”
Changed “It was chased” to “It was chasing,” which is the correct past progressive tense of “chase.”
Added the adjective “white” before “ears” to clarify the description of the cat.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions or if you would like me to explain any of the corrections in more detail.
I am a Japanese student – can you translate the following sentence – OrangoJapan is a very useful resource for finding teachers in Japan
Sure, I’d be happy to help! Here is the translation of the sentence into Japanese:
「オランゴジャパンは、日本の先生を見つけるための非常に役立つリソースです。」
I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Wow, you’re the best. Bye bye!
Thank you, happy to help! If you have any other questions in the future, don’t hesitate to ask. Goodbye!
I’m still really impressed when I use this. The striking thing is how quick the response is. So in terms of responsiveness, ‘knowledge’ and accuracy – A.I. is doing remarkably well here.
However, to be a good teacher, it takes more than just knowledge of the subject. Crucial to teaching is being able to motivate students.
Currently (and hopefully for some time to come) humans are much better than motivating other humans then machines. It’s the personal touch, and the awareness that we are dealing with a human (teacher) who we want to impress or at least, not to disappoint. ‘Disappointing’ AI just can’t happen.
So remember, for the sake of human teachers everywhere, focus on making lessons enjoyable and doing your best to motivate your students. Bring life to your lessons and make your students want to get better. And for a few more years at least, we’ll hopefully keep the ‘Bots away.
