AI: Artificial Intelligence – the capacity of a computer, robot, programmed device, or software application to perform operations and tasks analogous to learning and decision-making in humans.[1]

Have you used AI in your teaching and/or in your witness to others? How were your experiences of using it? When I told my daughter that I was working on an article about AI and ESOL[2], her quick-fire response was whether I was using AI to write it. So I did.

Using a free, well-known AI provider, I used the chat box to type in: “Write an accessible article about AI and English language teaching to International adults”.

The output was certainly readable if a bit bland, with summary-like, big-picture statements. I’ve summarised some of the information received in italics: AI gives learners instant grammar and vocab ideas with cultural expressions and tips. Those who are nervous can use AI for speaking practice. Teachers, meanwhile, should work alongside AI in explaining difficult concepts to learners and providing confidence. All commendable, above-board information.

Used in this way, AI is simply an addition to all the other sources we call upon to help us know what we need to know and understand what we need to understand. We’ve been using the wisdom of other people, dictionaries, commentaries, encyclopaedias, articles, books, online searches and so on forever – to get what we need.[3] No surprises there.

AI only scrapes information from Internet-land in response to what we type in. That means that what I type into the AI chat box is crucial.[4] I’m interested in getting to the heart of how teachers can naturally and gently bring their faith in Jesus into the classroom without jeopardising integrity, professionalism and relationships.[5] For instance, how do teachers provide confidence in a way that is complementary to AI? What can be Christian about the way teachers and learners get to grips with AI-generated cultural expressions?

In this regard, AI most definitely needs the human touch. By that, I suggest that ESOL teachers use AI to generate ideas, activities, and content cautiously and thoughtfully – but be poised to do the hard work of using our intelligence, skills and experience to check, refine, and transform AI output into something truly valuable for our learners. It takes understanding to take a bit of vocab, grammar point or topic, and then explain, illustrate and apply it for others. It takes insight to complement AI-generated expressions with more relevant, appropriate and local ways of communicating. Learners can spot a well-prepped and impactful teacher of English a mile off.

Moreover, our learners are people we should be getting to know: their personalities, needs, linguistic and cultural heritage, interests, sorrows, motivations, backgrounds. Not to mention their strengths and weaknesses with our lovely English language. We hope that learners would want to get to know us too. ESOL teachers dare not lose sight of the personalised touch an impactful session of English requires. I’ve yet to meet a learner who would prefer AI-learning over a skilled and caring human-being willing to assist with their linguistic needs.

Crucially as Jesus-followers, we offer our ESOL work with people – the learners, volunteers, church leaders, stakeholders – as an integrated part of lives offered in sacrifice to the Lord.[6] Our personalities, motivations, interactions and the way we prep, organise, and deliver classes are transformed in Christ.[7] Outsourcing such privileged God-given responsibilities to robots doesn’t sit well.

True, AI often simulates information and composition much better than we can. Yet we would cast aside as absurd and irrelevant any notion of a machine being able to rejoice, delight, be glad, be amazed or feel grief or fear. We know that these are distinctive to the human soul created in God’s image.[8] Artificial Intelligence has its place but AE – Artificial Emotion – is an oxymoron and unsurprisingly doesn’t exist as a phrase.

We know, moreover, that while angels worship God and proclaim Jesus,[9] demons also recognise and speak about Jesus’ divinity.[10] Creation itself is portrayed as acknowledging or worshiping God,[11] with even animals[12] and stones[13] used by God to testify to His glory. However, worship is not simply right thinking, which computers can do. AI can certainly simulate worship of God but it can’t simulate right feeling about God. What can never be artificially simulated is the unique placement of human beings within the created order to respond to God in heartfelt worship.[14]

As we bring our skills, emotions and worship to our ESOL work, it is a powerful exercise to consider how our approach, materials and interaction with learners reflects kingdom life. If we have a class on Monday, for instance, do we set homework that encourages our learners to work on Sunday – a day our Lord encourages us to set aside for recuperation and enjoyment?  Indeed, can activities be designed so that they can’t be entirely completed with AI? For homework, I often ask my learners to write sentences from their lives using the vocab just practiced in class.

In addition, some AI-sourced content may not be the kind of language we would want our learners interacting with – simply because it does not honour God and people made in his image. A lot of ESOL handouts can be quite shallow – practicing how to talk about possessions, order in restaurants or complain in hotels. Yet have our learners studied and practised how to give encouragement or compliment someone or disagree appropriately and respectfully with one another for instance? With our motivation in Jesus spurring us on, we need to hone the initial ideas and details helpfully produced by AI to produce materials that better reflect kingdom life – generosity, hope, humility, forgiveness, joy, lament, love.

With topic-based or thematic lessons such as ‘Meeting my child’s teacher” or  “Getting the bus into town”, for example, I often use AI to generate content. I get lots of time-saving ideas but there’s always far too much output. I often put a lid on endless information by using parameters (see italics below) on what I type into the AI chat box. For example, ‘Top 10 most common and useful English vocabulary and expressions to understand and practice for meeting my child’s teacher at school.’[15]

Even then, I will need to select, trim and dress the language and activities with the cultural background, personalities and needs of my learners in mind. I settled on some questions and answers generated by AI which focus on starting and ending the teacher-parent meeting together with getting to the heart of how the child is getting on.

  • “How is my child doing in class?”
  • “Does my child participate in class activities?”
  • “Are there any areas where my child needs improvement?”
  • “What can we do at home to support their learning?”
  • “Thank you for your time and support.”

It wouldn’t be much help to my learners to just dive into these questions without first studying some of the more complex vocabulary (in italics above – mine not AI!), providing some model teacher-answers, before experimenting with a range of teacher-controlled and free-er conversation activities.

This is where our teacher know-how comes into its own. The process is very much like working on a piece of art I think – morphing and changing – until we are more or less satisfied that the content is:

  • accurate (factual info always needs verifying. Is grammar correct? Look out for UK/US spellings);
  • relevant;
  • user-friendly and photocopiable;
  • manageable to teach in the given time-frame;
  • effective and appropriately challenging, and
  • mirroring kingdom-motivated interaction and communication.

Finally – again using AI to generate ideas – I love gently ‘turning’ one or two of the last activity questions or prompts to respectfully invite learners to consider and share more from the inner life – if they choose to do so. In the AI chat box, I entered in: ‘How can meeting my child’s teacher at school reflect Jesus and the Christian faith?’ I liked AI’s suggestion that the meeting is a chance to practice humility and listening – with a quote from James 1:19: ‘Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.’

Knowing many of my learners come from a different and sometimes antagonistic faith background, I removed the reference and positioned the verse at the end of my activity as a discussion question. Below is an excerpt of a rough plan of what my lesson on ‘Meeting my child’s teacher’ could look like. Note, I will need to format the content into a handout for my learners.

Meeting my child’s Teacher – Plan (excerpt)

  • Study the following vocab items in context: strength, weakness, struggle, participate, improvement, careless mistakes, support (with learning).
  • Practice conversations with teacher and then in 2s.

Parent: “Does my child participate in class activities?”

Teacher: Yes, but she needs to put up her hand more if she has a question.

 

Parent: “What can we do at home to support her learning?”

Teacher: Is there a big sister or brother who could help her a bit with her homework?

 

  • Discussion: A wise person once said, ‘Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry’. How can this help us when we meet our child’s teacher?

Although I start such a process with AI generated content, by the time I’m happy to actually use the content with my learners, the balance tilts to about 30% AI vs. 70% me. I hope that undergirds just how important we as human beings are – both in the process of content generation but also in its curation, motive, approach and delivery.[16]

As ESOL teachers motivated by Jesus, we aren’t shy to use our skills, experience, and cultural know-how to generate and refine AI output – ultimately to bring honour to God. We do that by faithfully teaching English to the best of our abilities but also ‘turning’ AI output into opportunities to naturally and gently share and receive about faith and the things in life that matter to ourselves and our learners.

Understandably, incessant changes in technology may bring uncertainty and confusion but we shouldn’t be discouraged or fearful. God is sovereign – even over robots. As innovations come and go, it’s not so much that we need be scared of the latest invention but rather its corruption and misuse. Yet we do need to be ever-thoughtful as we proceed.[17] May we have much wisdom, creativity and discernment as we experiment with AI so that new technology may improve our service of humankind and the Lord.

Resources

Have a butchers and try out these AI providers and others…

  • Gemini – Google:
  • Co-Pilot – Microsoft
  • ChatGPT
  • Create songs! suno.com – use AI-generated lyrics with choice of genre/style of music. Then sing your song with your learners.
  • Generate reading texts, questions & quizzes @ diffit.com
  • Create slide presentations and games @ gibbly.com

Compiled by 2:19’s Marina Swainston-Harrison from an OUP ELTOC Seminar in Oct 24 entitled: ‘How can AI save teachers’ time?’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESqZqBHiEZQ (last accessed July 25).

More about the writer: Daniel is based out of Manchester and enjoys helping churches set up English classes. He also writes about current issues related to English teaching. Thanks to the ever-energetic Marina Swainston-Harrison for suggesting this topic! Daniel follows the (mis)fortunes of Oldham Athletic, relishes losing himself in a good book, tramping about the countryside and exploring cities.

2:19: Teach to Reach are a bunch of ordinary people who are purposeful about teaching the English language skilfully, and in doing so, forging strong relationships and sharing Jesus with International people.

Footnotes

[1] Recommended for simple definitions and a nifty thesaurus! See: https://www.dictionary.com/ (last accessed July 25)

[2] The somewhat clunky acronym ESOL stands for ‘English for Speakers of Other Languages’.

[3] I appreciate John Piper’s point that using AI as a reference point is old-school. See Desiring God article on AI & sermon writing (10 min read) (last accessed July 25)

[4] The prompts we type in are key. For a vocab exercise, for instance, be sure to include how many items are needed, age, single or mixed ability/level with specific task/activity desired – gapfill, matching or otherwise. For lesson planning, include timing and methodology (e.g. task-based). For images, include lots of adjectives – ‘elderly woman looking anxious’. Compiled by Marina Swainston-Harrison from an OUP seminar on AI (details at end).

[5] Teachers are urged to be poised to share about the hope that we have – but gently and with respect. How could this look like for you in a secular context? See 1 Peter 3:15.

[6] Our ESOL work is integrated into lives lived in adoration, sacrifice and service to God. See Colossians 3:17 and Romans 12:1.

[7] ‘Welcome’ for instance is one of many uniquely human aspects of classroom interactions. What does ‘welcome’ look like for you in your ESOL work? For more thoughts, check out this 2:19 Teach to Reach Welcome article (10 min read) (last accessed July 25)

[8] What a blessing to be created with feeling and emotion to aid us in our work and worship. I’m indebted to John Piper’s strong caution that right words (AI) in of themselves aren’t necessarily worship. See: Desiring God article on AI & sermon writing (10 min read) (last accessed July 25)

[9] Consider how angels glorify God at Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:13-14) and worship the Lamb (Revelation 5:11-12)

[10] Isn’t it disconcerting how demons use ‘right words’ about Jesus. In Luke 4:33-34, for instance, a demon says, “I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”.

[11] The sun, the heavens and skies (Psalm 19:1-6), the mountains and hills (Isaiah 55:12-13) point to God in all of their wonderful design.

[12] Never look down on the humble donkey in God’s purposes (Numbers 22:28) while every creature on earth and under the sea will worship God (Revelation 5:13). Indeed, animals are to live in harmony one day mirroring God’s purposes for shalom (Isaiah 11:6–9).

[13] Consider the worshipful response of the crowds to Jesus in praise. It’s so natural and exuberant that even inanimate objects such as rocks long to join in. See Luke 19:37-40.

[14] See Psalm 8 for God’s care for humankind as he created us ‘a little lower than the angels and crowned us with glory and honour.

[15] For some helpful pointers on AI prompts to save teachers time, read this article from Oxford Uni Press (last accessed July 25).

[16] Although addressing AI-generated sermon composition, I’m glad for this article’s reminder of the power of soul, heart and mind in teaching. See: Gospel Coalition article on AI and Heert (10 min read) (last accessed July 25)

[17] AI is a powerful technology but it shouldn’t become an idol. This article reflects on how AI can be developed in an ethical way that benefits everyone and brings people closer to God. See Gospel Coalition article on Potential problems with AI (10 min read) (last accessed June 25)