Seoul Academy Tests ‘English Teaching Robots’

Seoul, Nov. 29 (Yonhap) — Elementary and middle schools in Seoul will have “English teaching robots” next year to help students practice personal conversation, the government said Wednesday. The program is part of the district’s efforts to better support English language learners in public schools.

The robots, developed by a private company, will be introduced in five primary and middle schools in the capital in March next year on a trial basis. Officials said their appearance will resemble the robot waiters that began appearing in restaurants across the country a few years ago, and will be equipped with artificial intelligence to hold conversations with students in English.

They act as assistants to teachers in classrooms and can provide examples of English conversations and native English speakers. With these robots, students can access individual lessons tailored to their needs, for example by receiving personalized advice to improve their pronunciation. The availability of these robots will be extended to other companies depending on the results of this trial period, officials said.

With this project, the academy plans to expand the use of voice chatbot applications in teaching oral English practice and promote distance exchange between Korean students and foreign students. These applications, which can be installed on mobile phones and desktop computers, allow students to freely interact with the software in the subjects of their choice.