This project, which we call “avatar”, aims to solve what is probably the biggest challenge faced by students, while also fulfilling one of our school’s missions: to be at the forefront of Portuguese as a Foreign Language education.
We learn a language to communicate. That’s why, in our school, classes focus on oral communication. Students enjoy speaking in class because the goal is communication – with confidence and fluency.
Frustration begins as soon as they leave the classroom. Even living in Portugal, they realise that opportunities to speak are rare and, when they happen, they’re too brief. Life is fast, people don’t have time to chat, and they expect short, quick replies. If they notice the speaker isn’t comfortable with the language, they switch to English, hoping to solve the matter quickly.
These occasional interactions are not enough and are far from the goal. To gain confidence and fluency, you need to practise a lot, speak a lot, and also listen a lot. Above all, you must practise without time or location constraints. Only with full freedom can you reach your full potential in the shortest time possible.
This project aims to remove these barriers and make learning Portuguese as a Foreign Language a better experience.
Artificial Intelligence and the Teacher
AI is here to stay, and we shouldn’t fear it. It won’t “steal” teachers’ jobs – it will enhance them and free up time for more productive activities.
AI “thinks” with a communicative logic, which is excellent. If AI were a human student in school, it would certainly perform better in languages than in maths. It understands language nuances better than numerical complexity, and thanks to its learning algorithms, it constantly adapts.
If AI can do all this, why do we still need teachers?
In Portugal, there are millions of people who speak Portuguese perfectly, but only a small portion can teach it – and if we’re strict, only a small part can teach it well.
Even newly qualified teachers need practice and guidance from more experienced educators. So imagine AI!
AI can follow long, detailed, and specific instructions and, based on them, assume a role. But only a highly experienced teacher, with a deep understanding of language learning, can give clear and precise instructions to guide AI toward a didactic goal. Without these instructions, AI is just like a manual you buy in a bookstore: it teaches something, but no one will speak fluently after reading it. That’s why our avatars are so effective.