Will your job be done by a robot in the future? Bank of England economists predict that almost half of all UK jobs are under threat of robots. Those most at risk are physical labor, such as factory workers. But could even teachers soon have to compete against powerful electronic educators?
At first sight, it might seem impossible for teachers to be replaced by robots. Teachers use a lot of soft skills that machines find hard to copy. They judge pupil’s needs and adapt materials to make them more engaging(有趣的) and effective. And they provide special care: looking out for students who drop behind or make trouble in class.
Anyhow, some believe the future of education will be technological. In an interview, the futurist Thomas predicts that “by 2030 the largest company on the Internet is going to be an education-based company that we haven’t heard of yet”.
He thinks that online robot teachers will make education so efficient that students will be able to finish an entire undergraduate degree in six months of learning. A robot teacher learns what your character, interests and reference points are, and it figures out how to teach you in a faster and faster way over time, according to Thomas.
Over the last decade there has been a huge increase in online learning. Many companies produce courses that allow millions of people to learn at home for free, at their own pace. But there are limitations. Without the face-to-face stimulation(激励) of a classroom environment, most of the students fail to complete online courses. How to stimulate students to learn is one more skill that online teachers will need to master.
Indeed, Thomas admits there is some way to go and he thinks that we should hug the change, even though people will lose their jobs.
【小题1】What seems to make it hard for robots to replace teachers at first sight?| A．The various teaching materials. |
| B．The teacher’s character. |
| C．The teacher’s emotion. |
| D．The soft teaching skills. |
| A．Robots can hardly replace all teachers. |
| B．Half of teaching jobs will be replaced by robots. |
| C．Robot teachers will make teaching more effective. |
| D．Online education-based companies will decrease. |
| A．The teaching approaches are limited. |
| B．The explanations are mostly difficult. |
| C．Students don’t learn at their own pace. |
| D．Students won’t get face-to-face stimulation. |
| A．The Job Threat of the Future | B．The Robot Teacher of the Future |
| C．The Trend of Future Education | D．The Future of Online Learning |
