Zoe Handley: Exploring AI’s role in modern language education

Today I'm talking to Dr Zoe Handley about her research on English tutors' knowledge and beliefs about the use of AI in language teaching. Zoe shares her background, starting as a language learner using technology, and details the evolution of speech and language technologies over the past 20 years. We elaborate on the potential of AI technologies in language learning apps like Duolingo and the ethical and practical challenges these technologies bring to assessment and pedagogy. The conversation also explores the gap between research and classroom practice and the exciting opportunities AI can offer in education, particularly in literacy and personalized learning.

Dr Zoe Handley is an applied linguist specialising in Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) with experience in the speech AI industry. Her research explores how the affordances of digital technologies might be harnessed to create the conditions and engage learners in the processes we know promote language learning. Her most highly cited publications include a systematic review of the evidence for the use of technology to support (English) language learning and a tool for measuring teachers' knowledge of technology to support (English) language learning. She has also carried out a number of evaluations of specific technologies including collaborative writing platforms and chat applications.

Further reading Handley, Z. (2024). Has artificial intelligence rendered language teaching obsolete?. The Modern Language Journal.