Robot Teachers

Elias, a new language teacher at a Finnish primary school, has endless patience for repetition, never makes a pupil feel embarrassed for asking a question and can even dance. Elias is a robot. It is able to speak 23 languages and is equipped with software that allows it to understand students’ requirements and to encourage their learning. The robot recognizes the students’ skill levels and then changes its expectations and questions accordingly. It also gives feedback to teachers about a student’s possible problems. Some of the human teachers see it as a new way to engage children in learning. “I think in the new curriculum the main task is to get the kids involved and motivated and to make them active. I see Elias as one of the tools to get different kinds of practice and activities into the classroom,” said a language teacher. Talking robots have become the newest addition to classrooms for English, German and mathematics lessons. Now, four robots are in classrooms. Besides Elias, the other three robots help in maths lessons. The maths robot, which is a small and blue machine around 25 cm high, looks just like a small owl. It is fun, interesting and exciting for a robot to work as a teacher. However, unlike human teachers, robot teachers can’t control students’ behavior.