Embracing GPT4 in English Language Education: A New Era of Learning
In March 2023, OpenAI unveiled GPT4, a powerful multimodal AI model capable of processing and generating text---and later enhanced with image, voice, and video support (GPT4o). This development marks a turning point in educational technology, particularly within the field of English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL/EFL). With its advanced natural language understanding, GPT4 offers educators and learners dynamic---yet often untapped---opportunities to rethink how English is taught, practised, and assessed.
1. What Makes GPT4 Special for English Learning?
Humanlevel performance on standardized tests. GPT4 surpasses its predecessors (e.g., GPT3.5) by performing among the top 10% of bar exam takers, while GPT3.5 lagged toward the bottom 10% . This improvement reflects its enhanced reasoning, deeper linguistic understanding, and stronger factual accuracy---crucial qualities for engaging with complex English texts.
Larger context window and steerability. GPT4 can track much longer conversations (up to ~25,000words), enabling coherent, extended writing exercises and contextual-aware dialogues lingarogroup.com. Moreover, its "steerability" allows users to specify tone, style, or persona---an invaluable feature for writing practice and genre-specific tutoring.
Multimodal input and output. The advent of GPT4o introduces voice, image, and video processing directly within the model. It can recognize images, engage in spoken dialogue, and translate across over 50 languages natively papers.ssrn.com+4lingarogroup.com+4halda.ai+4. Such capabilities offer new ways to teach pronunciation, visual literacy, and communicative skills in immersive and inclusive formats.
2. RealWorld Examples in Language Learning
Duolingo Max -- Uses GPT4 to power features like Roleplay (simulating reallife conversations) and Explain My Answer (offering instant grammar corrections and explanations) er.educause.edu+1digitaleducationcouncil.com+1. These features enhance learners' fluency and accuracy by replicating classroom interaction digitally.
Khanmigo (Khan Academy) -- Implementing GPT4 as a tutor, Khanmigo supports stepbystep explanations in math and, increasingly, language tasks. Its design includes custom filters to minimize errors and maintain clarity .
Be My Eyes -- Though primarily for visual assistance, its GPT4powered image recognition exemplifies how English learners---particularly those with visual impairments---can benefit from realtime contextual descriptions, expanding access to educational materials .
3. Benefits for ESL/EFL Classrooms
