GT Writing Task 2 (Essay Writing) Sample # 12
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
As computers are being used more and more in education, there will be soon no role for teachers in the classroom.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Model Answer 1: (Disagree)
Many people advocate the notion that computers will replace teachers in the classroom as technology becomes increasingly integrated into education. However, I firmly disagree with this perspective. While it is true that computers undoubtedly offer valuable tools for learning, I firmly believe that the role of teachers remains indispensable in fostering a holistic educational experience.
One compelling reason why teachers will continue to play a vital role in education is their ability to provide personalized guidance and support. Computers, despite their advancements in adaptive learning technologies, cannot fully replace the human element in education. Teachers possess the capacity to understand the unique needs, strengths, and weaknesses of each student. They can tailor their teaching methods, provide individualized feedback, and offer encouragement that motivates students to reach their full potential. For instance, a teacher can identify a struggling student and provide additional explanations or alternative approaches to help them grasp complex concepts, something that a computer program may not be able to do effectively.
Furthermore, teachers serve as role models and mentors who nurture students’ social and emotional development. Education is not solely about acquiring knowledge but also about instilling values, fostering critical thinking, and developing essential life skills. Teachers create a supportive classroom environment where students learn to collaborate, communicate, and empathize with others. They foster creativity and curiosity through engaging discussions and interactive activities. These interpersonal interactions are crucial for building character, empathy, and social awareness, aspects that computers cannot replicate.
In conclusion, the idea that computers will completely replace teachers in the classroom is unfounded. While computers have revolutionized education by providing valuable resources and tools, the role of teachers as mentors, guides, and facilitators of holistic learning experiences remains indispensable. Therefore, the presence and expertise of teachers will continue to be an essential component of effective education in the foreseeable future.
Model Answer 2: (Disagree)
Computers have touched every aspect of our modern life and have revolutionised the education sector. With the prevalent use of computers in classrooms, some people opine that computers will render teachers obsolete. However, I disagree as I believe computers will never completely replace teachers.
To commence with, computers are usually better at providing instructions and assessing pupils’ competency in a timely manner. But teaching pupils is not just presenting directions and doing an evaluation. Teachers perform much more than merely presenting information or clarifying a difficult concept. Teachers guide students through activities and motivations so that learners know how to extract information and use them for practical use. That is to say, teachers teach students how to analyze, synthesize and apply the knowledge they have learned to practical purposes. Teachers, in fact, provide students with personalized and qualitative feedback that helps students hone their critical and creative skills.
Likewise, teachers are better at managing diversity in the classrooms. Students come from different socio-economic backgrounds and teachers can acknowledge both cultural and individual differences enthusiastically and identify the differences in a positive way, which in turn eliminates stereotypes among the students. Besides, learners have a different level of understanding and urge, different attitudes towards learning, and different responses to a particular classroom environment. In this case, teachers can understand the various learning needs of their students. That is to say that teachers can devise optimum teaching methods for all students in the classroom which is impossible for a machine.
To conclude, it is obvious that the role of teachers is far beyond the scope of a computer. Teachers can make sure that all their students can get the proper guidance and support needed to put them on the ladder of success in life. The human aspects of good teaching will never be replaced by computers.
Model Answer 3: (Agree)
Education is a process in which people constantly learn and become enlightened. The traditional way of teaching by mentors at various levels is widely accepted and believed to be a never-ending arrangement. But before the inception of schools, people mostly learned from their experiences and there is an edge to the traditional classroom-based education which will end on the hand of computer technology; maybe not in the near future, but obviously at a stage in the future.
To begin with, auto-pilot, driverless cars, machine-led surgery, digital memory etc. all must have been a fairy tale in the last century. However, they are everyday matters today and our prejudice to traditional ways of life is shattered every decade with the rapid expansion of technology. A single computer can store a massive amount of data, process them unbelievably faster than a human and has no barrier to a human-like limitation. Such billions of computers are now connected to form an intricate network and they are surely more effective in teaching. Whether we accept it or not, Artificial Intelligence is the future and the education sector would surely embrace it completely.
We have already accepted the widespread use of computer technology in education and this use is advancing rapidly. A future generation would find more adept AI teachers over humans and would decide to banish classroom-based traditional education. The driving force would definitely be humans as machines are fed information and cannot gather it alone, but the way of teaching would definitely revolutionise. To cite an example, millions of students enrol in interactive online courses every day to expand their knowledge and skills and thus accept a shifting educational system.
To conclude, I believe that traditional teaching methods would change, and teachers would be preparing digital courses rather than delivering lectures in a classroom, while AI would take charge of assessing students but this will take time to happen.