Using technology to teach English does not necessarily make students better

Dùng công nghệ để dạy tiếng Anh chưa chắc giúp học sinh giỏi hơn - Ảnh 1. — Teachers are advised to put pedagogy first, then consider technology.

On the morning of April 7, Ton Duc Thang University in Ho Chi Minh City (including Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, and the former Binh Duong Province) in collaboration with Shanghai Normal University (China), Silpakorn University (Thailand) and Nueva Vizcaya State University (Philippines) co-organized the 2nd International Conference on Language Development (ICLD) with the theme "Transforming Language Education: Health, Technology and Other Issues". The conference attracted many experts, scientists, lecturers... in Vietnam and around the world to present papers.

Technology would be helpful, if...

At the event, Dr. Willy A. Renandya, senior lecturer at the National Instituteof Education (NIE) at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), visiting professor at Chulalongkorn University (Thailand) and Wuhan University (China), frankly stated that not all technology can improve students' foreign language skills, whether it is English, Chinese or any other language. That is the conclusion he drew from many different studies.

Specifically, the study by Ms. Guofang Li (Canada) and her colleagues showed that there was no significant difference in attracting students to learn foreign languages, between the group of teachers who used a lot of technology and the group who used little technology. Meanwhile, in the work of Ms. Ewa M. Golonka (USA) and her colleagues, the results of reviewing 350 studies evaluating the impact of technology on the development of language skills showed that, although technology is useful for teaching and learning, it has only a very small, almost insignificant impact.

Dùng công nghệ để dạy tiếng Anh chưa chắc giúp học sinh giỏi hơn - Ảnh 2. — Dr. Willy A. Renandya, experienced expert in Southeast Asia in the field of English language teaching

"If you use technology, one aspect that it supports most clearly is pronunciation. Because pronunciation is the smallest aspect of language learning and today's technology does this well. You can use voice recognition software to practice correct pronunciation and get immediate feedback, then you can practice repeatedly. But with other skills such as reading, writing, speaking..., the reality is not as expected," Dr. Renandya shared.

"So, can technology have a positive impact on language learning? The answer is probably no, at least at the moment," the education expert said.

Mr. Renandya also pointed out that in many cases, technology is used because it is available, or because school leaders require it. For example, instead of teaching on a blackboard with chalk, teachers use software to make presentations, or instead of handing out paper tests, teachers use supporting applications such as Google Form. "Those applications do not actually change anything in terms of pedagogical methods," he analyzed.

Dùng công nghệ để dạy tiếng Anh chưa chắc giúp học sinh giỏi hơn - Ảnh 3. — Attendees ask questions to the speaker

That is why Dr. Renandya advises teachers to focus on improving their pedagogy first before turning to technology, in which he recommends that teachers apply five general educational principles. These are personalization of teaching; engaged learning (engaging 90% of students in 90% of class time); authentic learning (through practical activities, not just teaching theory in books); feedback; and collaborative learning.

"Technology is of course important, technology will change the way we teach. But will technology help students become better at English? The answer is yes, if and only if teachers combine two factors: general educational principles, and more importantly, the principles of second language acquisition," Mr. Renandya noted.

Talking to Thanh Nien , Dr. Willy A. Renandya added that there are many technology tools available today and "new tools appear almost every day". However, teachers do not need to learn how to use all of these tools, but should only choose about 5 main tools that are easy to use for both teachers and students. "Don't feel overwhelmed, but choose tools that are truly useful for teachers", Mr. Renandya advised.

Dùng công nghệ để dạy tiếng Anh chưa chắc giúp học sinh giỏi hơn - Ảnh 4. — Domestic and foreign delegates attending the conference

AI is a "double-edged sword"

In China, starting from the 2025-2026 school year, primary and secondary schools in Beijing will include AI courses in their curriculum, in line with the trend of implementing AI training programs at the university level that has been going on for many years. In AI classes, Chinese students will not only learn how to use AI chatbots like DeepSeek and related tools, but also learn about the basics of AI and the ethical issues when using AI.

"China has been paying attention to the development and application of AI technology. Up to now, many AI software have become famous and widely used, such as Doubao, DeepSeek, Wenxin Yiyan... Many schools also rely on AI to support teaching, and AI has really helped improve the efficiency of teaching and learning in the classroom," Professor Cao Xiuling, Director of the International Chinese Language Institute at Shanghai Normal University, shared with Thanh Nien .

However, Ms. Cao also said that AI is like a "double-edged sword", although it brings many benefits, it also causes both teachers and students to face many new problems, especially stories related to AI ethics such as user data security, fairness in education, creative thinking...

Dùng công nghệ để dạy tiếng Anh chưa chắc giúp học sinh giỏi hơn - Ảnh 5. — Associate Professor William D. Magday Jr., Dean of the College of Education at Nueva Vizcaya State University, presents some AI tools that help teachers and students.

Associate Professor William D. Magday Jr., Dean of the College of Education at Nueva Vizcaya State University, shares the same view. To ensure privacy and data security, he shared that the Philippines currently has the Data Privacy Act of 2012, which requires teachers to be responsible for protecting the privacy and information security of students when allowing them to use AI tools in the classroom to avoid risks.

In addition, education experts also note that teachers must minimize bias in AI to ensure fairness in language teaching and learning. Because AI algorithms are trained based on available data, and if that data reflects social biases about gender, race, socio-economic conditions, etc., AI will repeat those biases in the process of evaluating students' work.

There have been cases where students were given low marks for mentioning the terms “single mother” and “barangay captain” (a leader in the Philippines’ smallest administrative unit), while they got high marks for using terms like “global company CEO” or the names of Western figures, Magday said. “AI has no emotions at all, so it cannot interpret the context of the student’s answer,” he warned.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dung-cong-nghe-de-day-tieng-anh-chua-chac-giup-hoc-sinh-gioi-hon-18525070419594192.htm