Applying Robots as Teaching Assistant in EFL Classes at Iranian Middle-Schools

Abstract

Since its invention, robots have been developed for various purposes and needs, quite similar to personal computers in their early days. However, with the advancement of technology, it is anticipated that in near future one of the cutting-edge technologies to be used in “language teaching and learning” is robotics. Humanoid and/or animal shaped robots will soon gain more attention as a fancy tool for 1st and 2nd language teaching in mid-schools/high schools around the globe. At CEDRA, we are currently exploring the design and application of educational service robots to initiate and pioneer Robotics Assisted Language Learning (RALL) in Iranian schools. With the proliferation of computers and mobile devices, Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) have been in the limelight for 2nd language instructional theories for about a decade or more. However, utilizing robots to support language teaching and learning can certainly enhance today's conventional techniques. Robots not only have the features and interfaces already being employed in CALL/MALL, but are also capable of autonomous movements, visual/voice recognition, and physical/ environmental interactions when equipped with various sensors. Although computers or mobile devices also can be capable of nonverbal communication employing cyber characters/videos, robots are notable in their capacity for nonverbal communication, such as facial expressions, gestures and actions, while coexisting with users in a real environment such as the home/classroom. Additionally, robots are different from computers and mobile devices in a way that they have a friendly appearance and are successfully capable of keeping social relations. This article covers an overview of the subject and our current activities/findings in the interdisciplinary field of RALL in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes and as a case study in the broader filed of Social Robotics in Iran