English teaching in the midst of the Covid crisis: online courses and online English tutors upskilling

Graeme Harrison investigates how using digital tools along with pre-existing knowledge, online English tutors can support online English learning.

A huge number of formerly tech-averse instructors are being forced to learn how to teach using internet materials very rapidly since several countries have placed a lockdown on mobility and many schools have subsequently shuttered their doors. This might be done by utilizing online self-study resources or holding classes in virtual classrooms, both of which may be novel ways for many to offer courses.

English language (EL) instructors have had what may be characterized as a challenging relationship with technology since the advent of the internet in the 1990s. Many EL instructors feel underprepared to employ technology in their classrooms since initial teacher education has been reluctant to adopt digital techniques of teaching and learning. As a result, a lot of EL instructors have been reluctant to embrace the digital tsunami that has transformed other facets of our life. It makes sense that instructors have a variety of concerns about integrating technology into the classroom. The following are the top three:

Because of restricted learner contact and a lack of similarities to how language will be used in the actual world, technology isolates students.

The core of teaching is being lost as a result of deskilled teachers.

The emergence of technology, in particular Artificial Intelligence (AI), will soon result in the elimination of teaching positions.

To address each of these individually:

Does technology isolate educators?

Technology really helps people engage in many circumstances. This also applies to engagement in a virtual learning environment; with the right management, language-use chances may be maximized and there will be lots of student interaction. Whether we like it or not, a sizable portion of encounters in the "real world" are now mediated through these types of exchanges.

Do online English tutors have desk jobs?

The static discipline of EL education, in which instructors are primarily communicators of declarative knowledge, i.e., facts or information, has long ago lost its appeal. English instructors today are best thought of as learning facilitators who provide their pupils with learning opportunities and provide feedback to assist growth. As a result, the essence of teaching is not static but rather dynamic and adapts to the environment and circumstances in which each teacher finds themselves. Technology-assisted learning facilitation is a highly skilled endeavor that, in many situations, may provide the classroom with a meaningful assistance and provide students the possibility to study in novel and engaging ways.

Artificial intelligence's effects

Many vocations in the twenty-first century are plagued by the specter of artificial intelligence. The chances of the profession of school teacher disappearing, however, were found to be very low, at about 0.007, according to a study into which jobs are likely to be replaced by AI in the future (Frey & Osborne, 2013), especially when compared with jobs like library assistants (0.95), real estate brokers (0.97), and telemarketers (0.92).

This is due to the complexity of the job of teaching, which calls for a wide range of abilities, including subject expertise, classroom management, motivational skills, feedback delivery, differentiating instruction, problem solving, emotional intelligence, counseling, etc. - the list is practically endless.

Contrast this with the level of AI today, which may be characterized as "domain specific," or extremely talented but only in a single field, such as playing chess, operating a vehicle, recognizing human faces, or understanding speech. Machines will not be able to match a teacher's "domain general" abilities or the intricate interactions between them any time soon.

What Cambridge English is doing to help

Because schools frequently lack the desire and/or resources to integrate tech solutions in and around the classroom, there hasn't been a high need for qualified digital instructors. This is one of the reasons why EL education has been sluggish to accept new approaches to teaching using technology. This is undeniably changing as a result of our educational institutions' desire to keep kids studying throughout these difficult times.

As a result, many instructors worldwide have a clear and pressing need for professional development in teaching using technology. Cambridge English is making an effort to meet this demand through a variety of projects.

The first step is the establishment of a free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) called Teaching English Online, which will assist teachers in developing the skills necessary to teach online. Over 50,000 people took the course in its initial incarnation.

Then, a run of webinars has started to assist professors who are based online. These cover topics like "Managing interaction and feedback in the virtual classroom" and "Resilience: Teaching in Tough Times." 

Additionally, they have created a special website page called Supporting Every Teacher that compiles a number of helpful teaching resources, including lesson plans, online games, and our flagship resource, Write & Improve, which enables students to receive immediate feedback on their writing thanks to our ground-breaking AI algorithm.

Last but not least, Test Lift is a brand-new free software accessible through the Google Play and App Stores that offers stimulating and inspiring practice material for students to self-study. This app is for those working in preparing students for the A2 Key for Schools exam.

There are a huge number of platforms for learning languages online. For example, LiveXP has about 1,400 online English tutors. A beginner teacher can sign up for a lesson with a current tutor to gain experience teaching online. Once they have acquired the missing skills, they can start teaching on the platform as a tutor instead of an apprentice. During this period, Cambridge English is still offering services to English teachers and learners. There is a variety of content accessible from the company itself and Cambridge University Press, including the items indicated above.

We all recognize that these are trying times, but such training and materials might in some little way benefit teachers who are possibly generating online materials or conducting virtual courses for the first time. Every cloud has a silver lining, so perhaps once this is all done, online learning will play a bigger role in teaching all around the world thanks to its pedagogical benefits.