Evaluating AI tools for lesson planning with an emphasis on English Language Teaching (ELT)
Αξιολογώντας AI εργαλεία για σχεδίαση μαθημάτων με έμφαση στη διδασκαλία της Αγγλικής
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Keywords
Artificial intelligence ; Lesson planning ; ELT ; ChatGPT ; Education ; Τεχνητή νοημοσύνη ; Σχέδιο μαθήματος ; Διδασκαλία Αγγλικής γλώσσας ; ΕκπαίδευσηAbstract
Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to have the potential to transform education at large and English Language Teaching (ELT) in particular, as more and more studies highlight its affordances for students and teachers. Its multiple applications in developing the four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking), in motivating students and aiding educators in orchestrating their lessons, render studies around the value of AI for education welcome and necessary.
The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the usefulness of some popular generative AI tools in the design of lesson plans for the ELT classroom and to offer ELT educators some useful tips towards maximizing the tools’ effectiveness in this process.
To accomplish this aim, a teaching scenario prompt was created and used to generate lesson plans from the AI tools MagicSchool.ai, Learnt.ai and ChatGPT. The quality of the generated lesson plans was evaluated using a rubric. The choice of the rubric’s elements, i.e. the evaluation criteria, draw from learning design, lesson planning and pedagogical frameworks so that regardless of the tool being evaluated, the evaluation can every time be centered on the generated output presenting all of the essential parts of a quality lesson plan that can be utilized in the ELT educator’s teaching practice for both personal and official use.
The findings suggest that AI tools are valuable educators’ companions, which can act as tireless educational advisors and support teachers by answering questions on pedagogical issues, forming lesson objectives, suggesting engaging activities and providing educational resources. The findings also indicate that most of the tools’ limitations namely only offering more advanced affordances under a subscription plan, losing their focus after being asked a number of follow-up questions, potentially generating incorrect or biased information and posing privacy threats can be overcome by an informed teacher.
Therefore, the need for teacher training on the use of AI tools is highlighted along with the need for more studies on the ever-developing affordances of AI tools for lesson planning.