International Conference: language education for sustainable development

Considering the existing initiatives and technologies, different studies in sustainability attempt to increase the knowledge of Global Awareness in communication and more importantly in the education of young people who will be the future citizens of this world. Artificial Intelligence as one of the most innovative tools of all time can help Education for Sustainable Development (EU 2030 Agenda) in its path. In this study, we focus on Foreign/Second Language (L2) acquisition and how to promote L2 learners’ communication task-based activities through the personalization that AI provides as one of the fundamental elements in the debate on adopting updated tools in the training system. We propose to explore the effectiveness of some AI systems used in language learning while using difference mobile applications in self-study a new language to contribute with their critical reflections over a wide range of discussion topics and cultural realities. This research employs a semiotic analysis through a comparative survey with the task-oriented learning model proposed by the exemplary case of the English school - operating throughout Italy - My English School (MyES). The aim is to analyze the different tasks proposed by these systems to understand how AI considers the cognitive needs of students to generate personalized learning environment according to students’ need. The expected results aim to identify the characteristics of student-centered learning platforms, which responds to individual needs by promoting an equitable and inclusive education for sustainability understanding that follows a re-designed framework for communication and interpretation acts in teaching Global Awareness in L2 education that is task-oriented and supports AI as a companion in communication and content creation for social, economic, environmental, and cultural dimensions topics in education project for sustainability with a particular focus on how these technologies can be used to ensure inclusive and rights-based education for all students.

SEYEDEH MAEDE MIRSONBOL – graduated in TEFL – and ILARIA INGRAO – graduated in Communication Studies -, are both PhD fellows of the program Semiotics and Media at the University of Turin, Italy with research on Edusemiotics and L2 acquisition and Artificial Intelligence and responsibility, respectively.

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