There seems to be no end to new features being added to the GenAI tools we thought we had already figured out. Likewise, teachers around the world waste no time experimenting to find novel purposes that these features can play in teaching and learning. In this post, we’re going to take a closer look at how our students can be supported to become more autonomous learners with the help of AI.
What actually is learner autonomy, and why are we keen to talk about it?
Holec gave one of the most well-known definitions of the term, describing it as “the ability to take charge of one’s own learning.” This concept needs some unpacking, though. When you’re asked to imagine your ideal student, the following characteristics might come to mind: willing to make mistakes, curious, inquisitive, motivated, independent, and knows what they want. Essentially, all these features characterize an autonomous learner.
Such students are aware of how they can learn the best and which learning strategy suits them; they know when and how much time they should devote to studying; and most importantly, they can pose questions and critically evaluate the sources they use for learning. There’s one important ingredient to becoming a successful autonomous learner that we often forget. Learners are made, not born (Harvard Business Review), and teachers play a big role in showing the way by recommending various strategies, suggesting study techniques, and by making time for lots of conscious reflection.
How can GenAI help? Can it really?
The debate on this question is quite fierce. Some argue that by its very nature, GenAI cannot provide personalized help, create adaptive learning environments, or promote learner autonomy because it operates based on various algorithms and models that might not be correct or relevant but were programmed into it at the start. Still, if both teachers and students learn how they can exploit the things that GenAI can do best, they can turn it into a perfect learning partner. Let’s now explore three specific ideas that you can try with your students!
1. Writing assistant
There are many dedicated AI-powered websites that offer writing assistance (like spell checks, style guidance, grammar help, paraphrases), but they offer immediate help. Instead, having your students go through a step-by-step self-discovery process with the help of the following prompts can actually provide more learning opportunities:
- 1st prompt: Here’s a text I wrote. Do not correct the grammar or vocabulary mistakes but highlight them.
- 2nd prompt: Here’s my corrected version. Is it any better? Again, highlight my mistakes.
- 3rd prompt: Explain to me what was wrong with the mistakes that I couldn’t correct.
2. Personal tutor
A function I often use when I’m writing posts or materials is using the chatbot as a guide. Let’s say I have a phrase, a grammar rule, or a theoretical concept in mind, but I have this “on the tip of my tongue” feeling. Instead of trying to find the best search term on Google, I can communicate freely with a chatbot and explain my problem in the following ways:
- Example 1: I’m looking for a phrase that means that you don’t waste time waiting around. I want to use it where I put the square brackets in the following text: “Nowadays people find it hard to relax. They [ ] to sit and eat their lunch in peace—they watch 3 YouTube videos while doing it.”
Chatbot’s reply: You could use a phrase like “can’t afford” or “don’t have the patience” to capture the idea of not wasting time waiting around. Here’s a suggestion for the text: “Nowadays people find it hard to relax. They can’t afford to sit and eat their lunch in peace – they watch 3 YouTube videos while doing it.” Let me know if these work or if you’d like me to refine them further! - Example 2: I’m not sure I’ve got the idea of the past perfect right. Argue with me to see if I understand it correctly. I’ll go first. The past perfect is just another past tense, so we don’t need it.
3. Study guide
Your students can also ask a GenAI chatbot to help with memorizing certain things, such as wordlists, idioms, phrases, or longer texts for a presentation or debate with similar prompts:
- Example 1: “I’m trying to prepare for a presentation I’m doing next week. Help me find the best way to memorize my bits.”
- Example 2: “I want to learn these 10 idioms: […]. Create a poem/graphic organizer/song for me that will help me remember them.”
If they feel comfortable with their newfound autonomy, they can also ask for activities that their teacher would give them. Essentially, they become their own teachers. In this case, however, we should equip our students with some terminology they might need, such as multiple choice test, gap-fill, comprehension checking question, open-ended question.
- “I’m an upper-intermediate learner of English. Create a text for me that’s about black holes. Also create 5 comprehension checking questions, but don’t give me the answers. Let me answer them, and even if I answer incorrectly, just point me in the right direction.”
Critical thinking and responsible use
Something that we need to remind our students of is that AI can make a lot of mistakes. This all boils down to the importance of the critical and reflective use of GenAI responses. The best thing we can suggest is constant reflection. Students can then bring their doubts, questions, and comments to class and have them discussed with their peers and their teachers. This in turn underlines the significance of combining human knowledge with AI’s assistance and also shows that overreliance on AI can have negative effects. The following reflective questions can be of use to your students:
- Was there anything you didn’t agree with? Why?
- Bring 3 new expressions that you really liked from the AI edits. Why did you pick them?
- What are you going to ask a chatbot after our lesson today?
- Did you notice any mistakes in the AI feedback you received?
Find out more about how GenAI can boost learner autonomy in our webinar ‘GenAI tools for independent learning’ on November 19th and repeated on November 21st!
For more suggestions and guidance on GenAI, keep an eye on our Digital and Technology section.
Sources:
Holec, H. 1981. Autonomy in Foreign Language Learning. Oxford: Pergamon.