As a teacher of English Language Learners (ELLs) for over a decade now, I am asked one question the most: “How can I improve my English speaking?” My answer is always the same, you learn speaking by speaking. Yet, this is where most students and their parents face a problem. To whom do you speak? The average native English teacher has 25 students in one class and not everyone can afford a one-on-one tutor. As a teacher, I have always wanted the ability to allow each student to get the opportunity to practice their speaking in a personal and personalized way. This is where the AI chat buddy becomes very useful.
An AI (Artificial Intelligence) Chat Buddy uses the latest AI technology and combines it with the natural language learning process and machine learning to simulate human thinking and reasoning. This just means that through training a computer to analyse language, teaching, and real conversation, it becomes able to understand the way language is spoken and taught. This allows the Chat Buddy to not only personalize learning through engaging with a student on their English conversational level, but also give feedback and suggest topics and language to help the student increase in their English conversation ability. The Chat Buddy provides all of this and that critical one-on-one interaction; an interaction that is personal and thus becomes like a conversational friend.
It is here that we see another hidden quality of this Chat Buddy: it lowers fear. Many students are scared to speak, but with the chat buddy they do not need to fear anymore. The Chat Buddy gives them the opportunity to speak without judgement and can be done in private anywhere they are. As you can see, the Chat Buddy solves a problem faced by so many ELLs; it gives them an opportunity to learn speaking through speaking. While the AI simulates the thinking and reasoning of a human teacher to guide, correct, and increase their English level.
As an educator, I believe that the AI Chat Buddy will become an important tool and opportunity for all students to increase their English conversation in a personal way. The AI Chat Buddy will give them the chance to learn speaking by speaking without fear in a natural way.
