Robot teachers
Vocabulary:
Underestimating
Illness
Machine
Takeover
Brain
Though
Agrees
Overworked
Update
Waste
Read:
If you think of the jobs robots could never do, you would probably put doctors and teachers at
the top of the list. It's easy to imagine robot cleaners and factory workers, but some jobs need
human connection and creativity. But are we underestimating what robots can do? In some
cases, they already perform better than doctors at diagnosing illness. Also, some patients
might feel more comfortable sharing personal information with a machine than a person.
Could there be a place for robots in education after all?
British education expert Anthony Seldon thinks so. And he even has a date for the robot
takeover of the classroom: 2027. He predicts robots will do the main job of transferring
information and teachers will be like assistants. Intelligent robots will read students' faces,
movements and maybe even brain signals. Then they will adapt the information to each
student. It's not a popular opinion and it's unlikely robots will ever have empathy and the
ability to really connect with humans like another human can.
One thing is certain, though. A robot teacher is better than no teacher at all. In some parts of
the world, there aren't enough teachers and 9–16 per cent of children under the age of 14
don't go to school. That problem could be partly solved by robots because they can teach
anywhere and won't get stressed, or tired, or move somewhere for an easier, higher-paid job.
Those negative aspects of teaching are something everyone agrees on. Teachers all over the
world are leaving because it is a difficult job and they feel overworked. Perhaps the question is
not 'Will robots replace teachers?' but 'How can robots help teachers?' Office workers can use
software to do things like organise and answer emails, arrange meetings and update calendars.
Teachers waste a lot of time doing non-teaching work, including more than 11 hours a week
marking homework. If robots could cut the time teachers spend marking homework and
writing reports, teachers would have more time and energy for the parts of the job humans do
best.
Answer:
1. What is the main argument presented in the text regarding the role of robots in
education?
2. What are the potential benefits of using robots as teachers?
3. What are the potential drawbacks or limitations of using robots as teachers?
4. According to the text, how do robots currently perform compared to doctors in
diagnosing illness?
5. What is Anthony Seldon's prediction regarding the future of robots in education?
6. Why might some patients prefer to share personal information with a robot rather
than a human?
7. How could robots help address the issue of teacher shortages in certain parts of the
world?
8. What are some of the negative aspects of teaching that contribute to high turnover
rates?
9. How could robots potentially assist teachers with administrative tasks, such as grading
and writing reports?
10. What ethical considerations should be taken into account when using robots in
education?
Are the sentences true or false?
1. Most jobs seem as if they can be done by robots or computers.
True False
2. Robots are always better at diagnosing illnesses than doctors.
True False
3. Many experts agree robots will replace teachers by 2027.
True False
4. One advantage of robot teachers is that they don't need to rest.
True False
5. Robot assistants could help teachers by marking homework and writing reports.
True False
6. Some teachers use robots to reduce their time answering emails and marking homework.
True False
