10 Things To Know About Robot Teachers

If you’re an online college student, you’re used to telecommunicating with professors and classmates via all types of technology. But what if the instructor you worked with wasn’t even human? Robot teachers are being tested by engineers and scientists around the world and are already being used in many classrooms in Korea and Japan. What could be coming to a classroom — or online portal — near you? Here are 10 things to know about robot teachers.

1. They’re human-like: Besides physically resembling a pleasant-looking human being — the Tokyo University of Science-created robot has a chic haircut and pink lipstick — robot teachers can express human emotions through subtle facial movements. The Tokyo "teacher" can express surprise, fear, disgust, anger, happiness and sadness.


2. They’re especially effective with small children: Robot teachers have tested well with children and the elderly, and have even made some small children cry after they’ve been reprimanded by the robot teacher. Generally, Korean scientists are focusing their robots on educating young children, while Japanese engineers prefer to use robots to help the elderly.


3. Robot teachers are being tested on toddlers and preschoolers: Still in the testing stage, robots are practicing their teaching skills on society’s youngest. Scientists are monitoring how robots can share their skills and how toddlers and preschoolers respond to lessons in vocabulary, singing songs, and learning colors.


4. Robots act as a liaison between parents and the classroom: Through a network called telepresence, parents can use the robot teachers or teacher’s assistants to check on their kids in class through telecommunication. Students would have more access to special guest speakers through this technology as well.


5. Robots are already used for teaching English: Many Korean schools use young Americans to teach English classes, but now robot teachers are taking over. According to PlasticPals.com, some robots use speech recognition software, and other robots use telepresence technology, connecting English-language teachers from far away to students in Korean classrooms.


6. They encourage self-paced learning: Robots that operate via telepresence allow students to work at their own pace without too much pressure from hovering teachers who are present in the classroom or who have to keep up with students who pick up on skills and concepts faster.


7. Their interaction skills haven’t been perfected Have you ever been frustrated with a recorded operator when you try to call your bank? Scientists still haven’t perfected teacher robots’ ability to interact with students or even accurately understand what they’re saying. If the robot can’t understand, for example, students will be interrupted with a harsh "Sorry, I didn’t catch that," message until the robot can process it. Through facial recognition software, however, scientists believe that there is potential
   for more accurate, personalized interaction. When a robot processes a students’ facial expressions, it can immediately respond with its own facial reactions too.


8. Instant feedback: Robots that use speech recognition software can give instant feedback to language students, according to PlasticPals.com. For pronunciation lessons in English classes in Korea, the robots score students from 1 to 5 each time they practice a word or phrase, displaying their score on a screen attached to the robot. This method gives students instant feedback and the opportunity to keep practicing until they get it right.


9. Korea has serious plans to implement robot teachers: Through its progressive "R-Learning" program, Korea has pledged to add robots to some 400 preschools by the year 2012. The robots will serve as teaching assistants, not full-fledged instructors, and help to do roll call, tell stories, sing songs and perform other basic, pre-programmed tasks.


10. They’re not meant to replace human teachers: While some scientists hope that robot teachers may help with the teacher shortage, they’re not meant to fully take over the instructor’s role in the classroom, or as a mentor. In a report by MSNBC, the developer of the Japanese robot, Hiroshi Kobayashi, maintained that Saya "has no intelligence. It has no ability to learn. It has no identity…It is just a tool."