Innovation Plan
Preparing our students to become fluent bilinguals is the goal of our community in Pasadena High School. As a World Languages teacher, I have observed the need for our students to learn through different language experiences. According to Dolors Masats (2017), learning a new language is acquired through interaction and through communicative expertise. He states that the goal of today's language acquisition is learned through interaction that involves both verbal and non-verbal activities. In my classroom, my students practice writing and reading skills, but they are missing the emerged conversation piece. Speaking and carrying a conversation between their classmates is not the same as having a fluent conversation with someone who is a fluent Spanish speaker.
Change in education involves many contributions and I’m aware of it; that is why I want to present to you in detail the need and benefits of our students to enhance their learning in a Second Language classroom. The way I plan to address this problem is by implementing an AI simulated conversation in which my students will be able to carry a conversation with a ”fluent Spanish speaker”. This tool would help them carry a conversation related to specific concepts being learned in class.
The benefits of this opportunity is that it will provide them a simulated experience of interacting with a Spanish speaker that will adapt to their language skills and needs. Just like we use “Siri”, “Echo”, and “Alexa” as a personal assistant, students will have a “Spanish speaking friend” which they will feel comfortable having a conversation with in Spanish. According to W.A Piyumi et al. (2019) , chat conversations will provide more flexibility for students and it will provide a lower anxiety communicative environment. Most of the time students are afraid to carry a conversation with peers and this new innovation will transmit confidence in them. According to W.A Piyumi, Ola and Sirkku (2019), chat conversations will also improve students skills because chatting online is a popular trend in today's community.
My proposed technological innovation will not only disrupt the existing processes of how students carry conversation in the classroom, but it will also replace the place of a tutor for students, because it will offer help to them without having to “pay” for one. According to Horn and Staker (2019) , online learning will allow students to learn any time, in any place, and at any pace or path. This will benefit my students because they won’t have to travel or pay for a private tutor to get a full experience of conversing with a native Spanish speaker. This tool will also act as a proactive catalyst that will bring a positive change, because instead of replacing in class conversation it will integrate a new method of conversation practice for our students that will benefit them in the real world.
I know that using AI is scary for most educational settings, but we must view it as a “tool” not an artificial intelligence that will diminish engagement between students. I propose that before paying for any advanced AI tools, that you allow me to provide you with evidence that this technology innovation will benefit second language learners. I propose that we start by creating free AI accounts with Perplexity and Claude and start using them within a committee of World Languages educators and students. If proven beneficial with data, I propose that we look into the paid versions. Many funding for AI programs can be achieved through a combination of federal and state grants which our committee will help you apply for. As a committee we will also offer training to teachers and staff that will focus on how to implement simulated AI programs into their lessons. Our committee will also ask for constant feedback from educators and students to better implement this new innovation.
I hope you will consider my innovation plan and help me prepare our students for the outside world as fluent bilingual speakers. Our education needs a change in regards to learning a new language and I hope we can work together to make this happen.
References
Dolors, M. (2017). Conversation analysis at the service of research in the field of second language acquisition. ED573594
Horn, M. B., & Staker, H. (2015). Blended. Jossey-Bass.
W.A. Piyumi, U., Ola, K. , Sirkku, M. B (2019). Complexity and potential of synchronous computer mediated corrective feedback. EUROCALL 2019 Conference