Introduction

In this report, I engage in a discussion with ChatGPT about the impact of technology on foreign language teaching, focusing on the realization of personalized teaching products. Additionally, I predict how the role of teachers will change in the context of the growing trend of deep AI integration into language teaching.

Analysis of the conversation with ChatGPT

From the first round of discussion, it's evident that future language teaching is trending towards greater globalization, personalization, and accessibility, driven by technology. Automation, especially through technologies that mimic human intelligence to create personalized products, reduces the need for human teachers in the teaching process. The future perspective of language teaching provided by ChatGPT suggests a focus on learner-oriented AI tools, with less emphasis on teacher-facing systems and system-facing AI products, indicating a trend towards de-teacherization in language teaching.

In the second round, I explored how technology could facilitate the implementation of personalized learning. ChatGPT pointed out that technology supports personalized learning through various means, including adaptive learning systems, learning analytics, AI tutors, digital portfolios, virtual reality, gamification, and collaborative learning platforms. However, as it stands, despite the popularity of foreign language learning applications on the internet, most of these applications cannot still provide advanced intelligent adaptive learning features; they mostly offer basic learning paths and simple right-or-wrong feedback, failing to meet the needs of a personalized learning experience (Schmidt & Strasser, 2022, p. 166). This underscores that while the potential for technology to support personalized learning exists, there is a significant shortfall in the actual development of foreign language learning applications, necessitating further innovation and improvement to fully leverage technology in personalized education.

In the third round, I selected two representative products, adaptive learning systems, and AI tutors/chatbots, to inquire further about how these technologies achieve personalized learning. ChatGPT described features of AI products that combine these technologies, such as personalized learning paths, instant feedback, and adaptive content delivery, catering to the unique needs of different learners and offering a robust self-learning platform primarily for learners. This platform also considers educator involvement, providing detailed analyses of student progress and challenges to help educators tailor support and instruction. This tool closely aligns with the Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS). Although such tools have been applied in the education sector for 30 years, they have not been fully utilized in the field of language learning, where most existing programs lack adequate feedback mechanisms, personalization, and adaptivity. This issue is tied to the ambiguous positioning of linguistics as a field, which presents a challenge in precisely modelling the development of ILTS (Schmidt & Strasser, 2022, p. 175). Beyond these practical problems, there may be other issues with the system, prompting me to inquire about the platform's drawbacks in the fourth part of the discussion.

In the fourth round of discussion, when we explored potential flaws of the platform, ChatGPT highlighted issues related to human development. Specifically, the application of these technologies might weaken traditional face-to-face interactions and physical classroom dynamics crucial for the development of social skills and emotional intelligence. Additionally, current educational models struggle to replicate a teacher's intuitive understanding and immediate adaptability to student needs, a gap technology has yet to bridge. This aligns with Ivo Steiniger’s viewpoint: "We cannot digitize learning and teaching since it is based on social interaction, but we can digitize the means of interaction and communication. (2020, p. 69)" This statement underscores that while technology can enhance educational accessibility and efficiency, machine replacement of human interaction is challenging on some levels. Therefore, despite the conveniences and innovations technology brings to education, designing and implementing technology-supported educational plans must consider the importance of maintaining and fostering human social interaction.

Own vision

I believe the future trend of foreign language teaching will move towards automation, potentially going through the following stages:

The first phase involves the coexistence of language teachers and AI tools. At this stage, foreign language teachers collaborate with AI language learning tools to create a complementary teaching environment. AI tools assist teachers in providing a personalized learning experience, such as voice recognition and language practice activities, enhancing students' efficiency and interest in language learning.

In the second phase, the role of teachers transforms. With technological advancements, the role of foreign language teachers shifts from traditional knowledge transmitters to facilitators and planners of learning, leveraging technological platforms to optimize course content and learning paths to meet students' individual learning needs. Teachers play a crucial role in designing interactive language exercises and cultural exchange activities, ensuring the learning content is both rich and practical.

The third phase sees a further dilution of the teacher's role but not a complete replacement. As adaptive learning systems and AI instructors continue to evolve, foreign language teaching increasingly relies on technological platforms for content updates and optimization. However, experienced teachers still play an irreplaceable role in course design and learning strategy adjustments, especially in dealing with the subtleties of language differences and cultural background knowledge.

In the fourth stage of development, we may face two directions: on one hand, the role of teachers, although changed, remains indispensable, as technology, despite its rapid development, cannot fully simulate the complex thinking and emotional communication of humans. On the other hand, technology might reach new heights, such as developing advanced real-time translation tools, significantly reducing the necessity of language learning. This could lead to a fundamental transformation of educational models, where the needs and methods of foreign language teaching could be entirely different.

I prefer the former scenario. Despite the immense potential of technology in processing language data and enhancing learning efficiency, the complexity of the human brain and the subtlety of human emotions remain entirely beyond AI's grasp. Therefore, in the future of foreign language teaching, integrating teachers' creativity, emotional intelligence, and understanding of technology will be crucial. Beyond traditional language teaching, foreign language teachers will need to acquire essential technical knowledge to guide students toward achieving optimal learning outcomes in a technology-supported educational environment.

Conclusion

As AI becomes increasingly prevalent in language teaching, through the development of adaptive learning platforms, intelligent language learning aids, and personalized learning paths, the role of teachers is evolving into that of learning facilitators and technology integrators. While AI technology holds significant potential for providing personalized learning experiences, its limitations lie in its inability to fully understand or simulate human emotions, cultural differences, and complex interpersonal interactions—elements that are crucial in foreign language teaching. Therefore, future foreign language teachers will evolve into TechLing Educators, who are expected not only to possess professional language teaching knowledge but also to have interdisciplinary skills. This will enable them to deeply understand and effectively utilize AI and related technologies, enriching and supporting the teaching process.