The advancements of the digital age have brought about a worldwide shift towards online spaces. Because of this, so many educational institutions and language centres have incorporated virtual classrooms in their selection of learning venues. This, together with the rise of artificial intelligence, brings about a need for English teachers to re-evaluate their skill sets and make the necessary adjustments. How can English teachers stay relevant in the age of AI? The answer is to become as fluent in online teaching as we are in the English language. In this article, we go over how the EBC Trinity CertTESOL course can get you started on doing just that.
The advancements of the digital age have brought about a worldwide shift towards online spaces. Because of this, so many educational institutions and language centres have incorporated virtual classrooms in their selection of learning venues. This, together with the rise of artificial intelligence, brings about a need for English teachers to re-evaluate their skill sets and make the necessary adjustments. How can English teachers stay relevant in the age of AI? The answer is to become as fluent in online teaching as we are in the English language. In this article, we go over how the EBC Trinity CertTESOL course can get you started on doing just that.
The EBC Trinity CetTESOL course gives English teacher trainees a solid foundation in the online teaching world. After all, the 4-week, 200-hour Ofqual level 5 course is an online TESOL certification course. This gives teachers sufficient experience with working in the virtual world. From learning to adapt online resources and present them in lessons to actually navigating the different teacher controls of their virtual meeting platform, the course will equip teachers for the virtual classroom.
Before we talk about the hot topic that is AI, let’s first go over the advantages of online teaching.
Teaching online in the age of AI: The advantages
Being equipped to teach online in the modern TEFL world is a big advantage. Not only is it important to be comfortable speaking to people through a screen, but it is also crucial that you know how to go about using the different online platforms and tools you will be needing. With such skills in your TEFL toolbox, you can enjoy the advantages of teaching online. Let’s look at a few key benefits.
Advantages of teaching online in the world of AI: You save time
First, you save time. Thanks to online classrooms, you don’t have to consider travel time in between classes. For example–if you have an online class from nine o’clock to ten o’clock and another one from quarter past ten to quarter past eleven, there’s absolutely no need for you to rush from one location to another. Instead, you could use that fifteen-minute window to make a cup of coffee, go to the bathroom, or get a little stretching in. Because of this aspect of virtual classes, it’s much easier to add more classes to your schedule. After all, there’s no travel time to consider.
Also, keep in mind that as a teacher, your classes are what make you money. So basically, more classes equals more money. Teaching online definitely allows you to increase your earnings as an English teacher.
Advantages of teaching online in the world of AI: It’s convenient
Second, online class setups are convenient. After all, you can conduct a virtual class from anywhere–even from the comfort of your own home. And all you need is a laptop with a camera and a strong, reliable internet connection. Furthermore, it’s easy to make adjustments to your schedule–especially if you’ll be teaching from the same location. So, if you or a student has a last-minute emergency, it’s much easier to go about adjusting your schedule.
Advantages of teaching online in the world of AI: Class material is easy to handle
Thirdly, depending on how familiar you are with digital tools, the materials you need for your online classes are easy to handle. When you teach online, you can send each of your students a digital copy of your material with just one click.
Digital whiteboards can take some getting used to, but once you’ve gotten the hang of them, they can actually help you be more efficient. After all, you can type things out on screen for all your students to see, instead of having to write them on a board by hand.
When they are put together, these tech-savvy skills really add a lot to your TEFL toolbox. You may even find that they’ll come in handy in future situations outside of your virtual English classes.
Now, to keep things balanced, no setup is perfect. Teaching online can take some getting used to. After all, things like screen fatigue and technical difficulties can be quite challenging. However, with practise, experience, and healthy routines, teaching online can really free up your time and save you a lot of energy.
The rise of artificial intelligence: Threat or tool?
Just as English teachers scrambled to get used to teaching online, another force to be reckoned with came about–AI. Artificial Intelligence simulates the processes of human intelligence in machines. Though in the beginning, many were amazed by it, somewhere along the way, people began to feel threatened. Writers, teachers, even photographers and singers–people began to question if AI was really a tool or a threat.
After all, AI can do just about anything now. It can generate information with a click, it can summarise entire books, and it can even manipulate people’s voices, making famous rappers sing nursery rhymes.
The emergence of AI puts English teachers especially in an uncomfortable position. After all, if AI can teach just about anything, what’s to stop your learners from learning with the system instead of with you?
This is where our humanity kicks in. As much as AI can scare some people, the fact of the matter is that it is a tool. Whether the outcome is good or bad, it all depends on how you use it. In the right hands, it can be a powerful instrument that can help us make exponential progress in the TEFL world.
Teaching online: Staying relevant in the age of artificial intelligence
How can teachers stay relevant even in the age of artificial intelligence? Well, we must become well-versed in the online world. In order not to become obsolete, we must learn how to work with AI and use it to our advantage in the classroom. How can we do this? Well, there are a number of ways.
How you can use AI in the EFL classroom: Adapt and generate material easily
Artificial intelligence can be used to generate specific EFL material. Whether your students need extra practice with a certain verb tense or they need more exposure to reading material under a certain theme, you can use AI to generate this material for you. It’s a great tool to use in order to adapt your class material to better fit the needs and learning styles of your students. It also saves you a lot of time.
Here are some examples of AI prompts you could use:
- Make me an EFL exercise that gives students practise with verbs in past perfect.
- Write me a 300-word English reading comprehension text and give me five questions to test students.
- Give me a list of English vocabulary words related to going on holiday.
How you can use AI in the EFL classroom: Use the tool to improve your teaching
Any English teacher knows that there’s always room for improvement. There’s always a better, more efficient way to do things. AI can be a great tool to help you improve your English teaching skills. You can use it to generate ideas–especially on days when your brain feels like it needs some extra help.
Also, if you ever find yourself struggling with teaching a certain topic, AI can help you do a couple of things. First, it can help you understand what you are teaching a little better. Second, it can give you ideas on how to present the information to your students. Third, it can also help you break down complex topics so you can teach them in stages. AI can even be used to help you come up with a rough draft of a lesson plan. Then, you can adapt it to your preference.
How you can use AI in the EFL classroom: Make your sessions more fun
You can also use AI to make your English classes more fun by getting it to generate collaborative activities for your students. Sometimes, as teachers, we run out of new ways to make learning fun. Why is fun important? Well, because it’s hard for students to learn when they’re bored. When they are bored, they are unmotivated. And when they are unmotivated, they won’t make as much progress as they are capable of making.
Use AI to your advantage by getting it to generate new ideas. You can work with it and make your own changes to group activities. After all, AI doesn’t know your students–you do.
There are so many more ways you can use AI to your advantage as an English teacher. There’s no need to feel threatened by it. Remember, it’s a tool. Use it the right way, and it can make your life so much easier.
Artificial intelligence and online teaching: The best of both worlds
As an English teacher, you want to take advantage of tools like AI. However, in order for you to be able to use this technology effectively, you must become fluent in online teaching. You must also hone your digital skills and learn how to be tech-savvy.
The EBC Trinity CertTESOL course is a great way to get comfortable in the world of virtual education. Not only will you become an effective English teacher, but you will also become an English teacher who remains relevant even in the age of AI. The secret lies in learning how to use the powerful tool to your advantage.
Our course is accepted and recognised by the British Council, which works in more than 100 countries around the world. Plus, our graduates get access to our lifetime, worldwide job placement programme. So, enrol in our course today and become equipped to teach online and use tools such as AI to your advantage.
