A trial English class with a teaching assistant robot in elementary school

Abstract

Various studies propose that robots can be an effective tool for language teaching and learning. Especially they have been remarkably successful in elementary English classes . The purpose of this study was to investigate some effects of a teaching assistant robot, Langbot, in elementary English classes in Korea. We adopted IROBIQ as Longbot for a pilot study. We designed some activities for elementary English classes using a teaching assistant robot, Langbot: introduction, look and listen, listen and say, look and say, act out, song and chant. The introduction includes the birth story of Langbot that children want to know where the robot comes from, how old it is, why it came to their classroom, etc, since Hur and Han (2009) found that the robot storytelling was working to increase children's tolerance toward the failure of recognition of a robot .