Keith M. Graham, Ph.D.

Education Researcher and Teacher Trainer

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Can ChatGPT write a bilingual education teaching philosophy statement?

Posted on December 9, 2022 by Keith M. Graham

There is a new AI program called ChatGPT. What is it? Well, I’ll let ChatGPT tell you:

ChatGPT is a conversational AI service that uses natural language processing and generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) models to enable users to have natural conversations with AI bots. ChatGPT is designed to provide a conversational AI experience that can mimic human conversation and respond to various user input.

ChatGPT response to the prompt, “What is ChatGPT?”

Many in higher education are concerned about the implications of ChatGPT for their classrooms, mainly because this bot can write essays when given the assignment prompt. In other words, students could use the bot to complete assignments instead of writing the essay themselves. Oh, and it’s worth noting that the text produced is original, so instructors can’t count of plagiarism checkers.

Given the widespread discussion of ChatGPT in higher education publications, I began to wonder what the bot might produce with writing prompts from my courses. At the end of my Introduction to Bilingual Education course, I ask my students to compose a bilingual education teaching philosophy statement. The goal is for them to synthesize the ideas they learned in the course and create a guiding teaching philosophy statement for their future work.

Here’s how ChatGPT handled the assignment prompt:

My teaching philosophy is centered on the belief that bilingualism is an asset that should be embraced in the classroom. I strongly believe that students who are proficient in two or more languages have an advantage in terms of their cognitive and academic development, as well as their ability to communicate with others in a global context. I value the languages of English, Mandarin, and local language in the school and classroom, and strive to create an environment that is welcoming and inclusive of all students, regardless of their language background.

I believe in implementing a multi-dimensional approach to bilingual education, with a particular focus on the learning and language continuums. I strive to provide students with a range of learning opportunities that are both academically rigorous and culturally relevant, while also giving them the opportunity to develop fluency in both English and Mandarin. This includes a balanced approach to language instruction in both English and Mandarin, as well as activities and assignments that allow students to practice both languages. Furthermore, I believe that students should be empowered to use their native language, as well as English and Mandarin, in the classroom. This will help to create an atmosphere of openness and respect for all cultures and languages.

In order to ensure student equity in bilingual education, I strive to meet the individual needs of each student. This includes taking into account factors such as their language proficiency, cultural background, and any special needs they may have. To do this, I employ a range of theories, such as Stephen Krashen’s theory of second language acquisition and Zoltan Dornyei’s process model of language learning. I also strive to create a learning environment that is conducive to language learning, such as providing a variety of materials and resources in both English and Mandarin, and encouraging collaborative activities that foster communication and understanding.

Finally, I believe that it is essential to ensure that all students have access to quality instruction in English. To do this, I strive to create a classroom environment that is welcoming and supportive of all students, while also providing them with resources and instruction that are tailored to their individual needs. Furthermore, I ensure that all students have access to quality instruction in English by collaborating with colleagues who are knowledgeable in both English and Mandarin. This ensures that all students have the opportunity to develop their language skills and achieve academic success.

ChatGPT-Generated Teaching Philosophy Statement

Not bad. There are certain ideas where I feel there is a lack of substance, and other ideas that were not part of the course, mainly Dornyei’s process model of language learning, but the truth is that it produced a decent, albeit not exceptional work. In my grading system, which used specifications grading, I might ask the student to do a re-attempt orally with me to expand on some of the ideas further ( it would probably be a borderline case for me, if I’m being honest), but I doubt the thought would have crossed my mind that this wasn’t written by my student.

What does this mean for my teaching? I don’t know … and I think my colleagues feel the same way. ChatGPT certainly presents a challenge to everything we did in the past, and it will require some deep thought about what we need to do to best serve our students in the future.

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About Me

Keith M. Graham, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the School of Teacher Education at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU). His research interests include English-medium instruction (EMI), bilingual education, and teacher education. He has extensive teaching experience at all levels of education and holds teaching licenses for English as a second language (K–8) and music (K–12) from the State of Texas.

Current Courses at NTNU

00UEB 03: Introduction to Bilingual Education

00UEB 01: Teaching Materials and Methods: Bilingual Education

00UEB 02: Practice in Bilingual Teaching

00UEB 06 Classroom English for Bilingual Education

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