Using Chatbots Like Siri to Improve Speaking Skills in the Classroom
With AI technology improving so quickly, I’ve noticed that voice assistants like Siri are getting much better at understanding and responding to natural language. This got me thinking—why not bring chatbot interactions into the classroom to help students practice their speaking skills? After all, chatting with AI can be a fun, low-pressure way to work on pronunciation, fluency, and spontaneous speech.
Why I Love Using Siri for Language Learning
- Students get extra speaking practice outside of class.
- Instant feedback on pronunciation and sentence clarity.
- A low-stakes way for hesitant speakers to build confidence.
- Encourages interaction with real, dynamic language.
Activities I Use to Enhance Speaking Skills with Siri
1. Daily Conversations: I encourage my students to start their day by asking Siri simple questions like, ‘What’s the weather like today?’ or ‘Tell me a joke.’ It’s a great way to get comfortable with initiating conversations.
(Ask Siri ’Tell me a joke.’)
2. Role-Playing Scenarios: I love assigning real-life situations where students have to use Siri for assistance. Some favorites include:
- Booking a restaurant reservation.
- Asking for directions.
- Setting reminders or scheduling events.
(Ask Siri to show the directions of all cinemas in Coventry)
3. Pronunciation Practice: Siri’s ability to recognize spoken words is a great tool for refining pronunciation. If Siri doesn’t understand something, students can adjust their articulation and try again.
(If the pronunciation is not easy to understand, Siri will react like this)
4. Question-and-Answer Games: We take turns asking Siri trivia questions or fact-checking information. It keeps things interactive and helps students practice forming clear questions.
(Ask Siri trivia questions like ‘introduce me a Chinese singer randomly’)
5. Storytelling and Dictation: It will also be helpful to ask students to narrate short stories or dictate messages to Siri using voice-to-text. It’s a great way to check clarity and coherence.
How I Bring Chatbot-Based Learning into My Classroom
- Feedback and Reflection: After their chatbot conversations, students can reflect—what worked well? What was misunderstood? How could they improve?
- Gamification: Turning chatbot conversations into challenges or competitions keeps students engaged. One favorite is “Who can get Siri to answer their question most accurately?”
- Integration with Other Skills: Siri’s responses can be great prompts for writing assignments or group discussions.
As voice AI keeps evolving, I see even more potential for bringing chatbots into language learning. By using Siri creatively, we can make speaking practice more interactive, supportive, and fun!
I really liked your blog about using Siri in the classroom and I loved how you explained the activities that you use to enhance speaking skills with Sir.
ReplyDeleteYou explained everything clearly!
Just few suggestions, mention the disadvantageous, what limitation of this tool?
How might you use it to foster language learning in your teaching context?
What approaches to language learning underpin the use of this tool?
Your blog is fun to read and full of creative ideas. I really like how you turn a common tool like Siri into something useful for language learning. The examples you gave, like daily questions and role-play tasks, are clear and practical. They show how speaking practice can be easy, which is great for shy students. Truth be told, I was a rather shy student in junior and senior high school, and I'm sure my English would have improved much faster if I had had free access to similar tools at that time.
ReplyDeleteSo I would also like to make a suggestion based on my actual situation: you could briefly mention how to support students who do not have access to Siri or similar devices. That way, the activities can be more inclusive.
Thanks for the great content and perspective! Let's cheer together! 🫡
The attempt to introduce Siri, a voice assistant, in the classroom is interesting and reasonable. It gives accurate answers to the students' questions and has a standardized pronunciation. In addition, because it is an artificial intelligence, it can fulfil the needs of teachers to teach multiple topics in multiple ways. In promoting its use, I would like to raise a point that needs to be considered, that is, this tool can really motivate the students to ask questions, but the students' own oral practice is still insufficient. Maybe it is advisable to let Siri ask questions and students answer them to check the validity and interactivity of students' answers.
ReplyDelete