Using AI for Language Learning

5 minute read

This post is a work in progress. Please let Mr Liebermann know if you notice any mistakes or if the example prompts do not produce the result you hoped for.

Disclaimers:

  1. Before you use AI for your homework, check with your teacher what their AI policy is.
  2. The content of this post will soon be outdated as AI applications continue to evolve. This post was last updated 13 October 2024.

Websites and tools

Chatbots

Tools designed for language learning

Soon to come

Correction tools

Prompting

The most important skill to make use of AI tools is skilled prompting. Daniel Fitzpatrick1 recommends the following steps, which form the acronym PREP:

  1. Prompt it: You tell the AI tool the task you want it to accomplish using clear and concise language.

    Grade my essay and give reasons for your judgement.

  2. Give it a role: The AI’s response improves when given context about the desired perspective.

    You are a qualified examiner who grades ESL (English as second language) exams.

  3. Give it explicit instructions: Tell the AI tool clearly what you need from it to reduce the number of follow-up questions you will have to ask to arrive at the answer you want.

    Use the following two criteria for your grading: (a) linguistic accuracy and cohesion and (b) appropriacy and linguistic range. Link your explanation of the grade to the criteria. This is the exam question: [ XYZ ]. The answer you are marking is: [ XYZ ]

  4. Set precise parameters: The last step is to tell the AI tool what you want the answer to look like.

    Structure your answer with bullet points and use vocabulary suitable for intermediate English learners.

Here is the complete example prompt:

Grade my essay and give reasons for your judgement.

You are a qualified examiner who grades ESL (English as second language)
exams.

First mark all errors in the original text, then give your feedback including a
suggestion for an improved version of the text. Please mark all errors in the
original text in bold. After each error, indicate the category of error by
using the following correction symbols:

- sp: spelling
- p: punctuation
- gr: grammatical and syntactical errors
- wc: errors that may hinder understanding due to incorrect word choice
- wo: word order

Use the following two criteria for your grading: (a) linguistic accuracy and
cohesion and (b) appropriacy and linguistic range. Link your explanation of
the grade to the criteria. This is the exam question: [ XYZ ]. The
answer you are marking is: [ XYZ ].

Structure your answer with bullet points and use vocabulary suitable for
intermediate English learners.

Different use cases

Text production feedback

You can use AI tools to study for a writing assignment: You can …

  • brainstorm arguments
  • collect useful words and phrases
  • collect example exam questions for a given topic
  • generate examples
  • get feedback on your writing

One example is the prompt in the prompting chapter above. Here is another example:

Write an essay using all of the following pieces of information. The assignment
is: [ XYZ ]

You are an English Language teacher who puts emphasis on paragraphing
structure. You want to give your students a model text.

Respond in a table with two columns. The first column should contain the model
text. The second column should explain the structure of the model text. Put
each paragraph of the model text in a new row. The introduction should end with
a paraphrase of the essay question as an indirect question. Each body paragraph
of the model text should start with a topic sentence and then provide
explanation and examples to support the topic sentence. The first sentence of
each body paragraph (the topic sentence) should state the one claim of the
paragraph clearly. The information you should use is [ XYZ ].

Use a formal register and demonstrate a wide linguistic range for the model
text. Only use the first person and phrases to express your opinion in the
concluding paragraph. The essay should be between [ XYZ ] and [ XYZ ] words.
Write [ XYZ ] body paragraphs.

Practising dialogue in writing

AI chatbots can help you prepare for a discussion: You can …

  • brainstorm arguments
  • collect useful words and phrases
  • collect example exam questions for a given topic
  • have a practice discussion in writing

Here is an example prompt, which follows the PREP framework:

Engage me in a discussion about the responsibility of large corporations for
our eating habits.

You are a fellow student in our debating club and you are passionate about
fast food.

End your contributions to the discussions with open questions for me to keep
the discussion going. Challenge me when I digress.

Use a conversational tone and shorter sentences. Your contributions to the
discussion should be short so the exchange feels like a dialogue.

Summarising and simplifying texts

Soon to come

Vocabulary revision

AI tools are useful for revising vocabulary: You might …

  • use the AI to collect examples or paraphrases for a given list of words or phrases
  • ask the AI tool to quiz you on a given list of words and phrases

Here is an example prompt, which follows the PREP framework:

Quiz me about the following list of vocabulary.

You are an ESL (English as second language) teacher. You are known for your
being very encouraging.

For each word or phrase from the vocabulary, give me a paraphrase and a short
example text with the word or phrase replaced by a line. Then, let me guess
the missing words.

Use British English. The example texts should not be longer than 80 words.

Limitations and risks of AI tools

  • AI is a tool. It does not replace practice! It may make you feel prepared if you have read model texts for text production assignments for instance. However, these examples cannot substitute for practising writing yourself.

  • AI models may hallucinate and make up facts. Some models may even make up sources.

  • The knowledge of AI models may be limited to information available up to a certain date. These models lack awareness of current events for example.

  • Depending on what tool you use, the information you enter will be collected and used for example to train the next generation of AI tools. You should never enter any sensitive information.

  1. Fitzpatrick, D. (2023). The AI classroom: The ultimate guide to artificial intelligence in education. TeacherGoals Publishing. ↩

Updated:

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