Use of AI in English as a Foreign Language Teaching
Fun
After listening to Jack Clark, the co-founder of Anthropic, on the podcast Tetragrammation, one point really stood out: don’t be scared of AI and its power—have fun with it. AI has an unbelievable ability to create, and if we use it creatively, it can become an incredibly powerful teaching ally.
Here’s an example of how I’ve been having fun with it in my classes. A special shout-out to my student Eduardo Rosado Sánchez for inspiring this idea. I’ve started a new activity where we generate pictures that illustrate idioms and expressions—a fantastic way to help students visualize English in a memorable way. For example, we’ve created images for idioms like “the straw that broke the camel’s back” and “over the moon.” It’s not only fun but helps learners connect emotionally and visually to the language, making the meaning stick.
Contents
AI can do so much more than just make lessons fun. It allows me to produce unlimited examples, reading exercises, and activities tailored specifically to each student’s needs. I keep an ongoing document that stores all our vocabulary, grammar points, and topics for the week. From that, I can instantly generate custom revision materials or mini-exams based on the exact content we’ve covered—something that would take hours to prepare manually.
With AI tools like ChatGPT, I can create personalized practice tests, comprehension questions, and grammar drills that match my students’ current level and learning goals. It’s efficient, flexible, and it helps my learners progress faster because everything they study is relevant and contextualized.
Answer the Questions
One of the most dreaded questions for any English teacher is:
“Why do you say it that way in your language?”
It could be about prepositions, phrasal verbs, or irregular structures—for example, why is it “give in” in one case and “give up” in another?
Under pressure, it’s often hard to give a clear explanation on the spot. Now, with AI, I can quickly check the reasoning behind these tricky grammar points. Using ChatGPT, I get clear, concise explanations that I can share with students immediately.
This doesn’t just benefit the student—it helps me too. Over the past year, my own understanding of English grammar, idiomatic use, and etymology has deepened significantly. AI has become a kind of teaching assistant, always ready with an example, explanation, or creative idea.
If you’re an English teacher curious about using AI in your lessons, my advice is simple: experiment, explore, and have fun. Treat AI as a creative tool, not a threat. The possibilities are endless, and it just might make you a better, more adaptable teacher.
🎧 Podcast reference: Jack Clark on Tetragrammation
