BUSINESS NEWS LESSONS

Has relying on tech affected the way

we learn?
1 Warmer

a. Read and answer the questions below.

1. What everyday activities do you use your phone or computer for?

2. Do you think there should be limits to what technology can be used for? For example, should
students be allowed to use artificial intelligence to help them write essays?

3. Do you think one day computers will replace humans in every day jobs?

b. Now discuss your answers.

2 Key words

a. Match the key words to their definitions below.

Check your answers and your understanding of how the words are used by using the same
word to complete the example sentence after each definition.
Then read the complete article to see how each of the key words is used in context.

deprive    generate    impediment    repetitive    retain    unique

1. produce, usually by a computer

They used special software to an image of the new design.

2. something that makes it more difficult for someone to do something or for something to happen

The noise in the room was an to their learning.

3. take away something from someone or prevent them from having it

Some countries have laws to make sure that companies do not their

workers of spending quality time with their families.

4. remember ideas or information

Intermediate

I made notes in class but couldn’t the information about different

management styles.
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5. involving repeating the same action over long periods of time

Her teaching style was very , but it was very effective.

6. not the same as anything or anyone else

Every person’s fingerprint is

bulk out    claim    demonstrate    evade    interval    master

7. avoid accepting or dealing with something that you should do

As we expected, he tried to questions about his relationship with his

last boss.

8. learn something thoroughly so that you know it or can do it very well

It took her years to the language, but now she speaks it fluently.

9. a period of time between two events

It is important to move your body at regular and not to sit for too long.

10. show clearly that something is true or that it exists

In our presentation, we are going to how easy it is to use our

new PR2-F.

11. add something to something else to make it bigger or more satisfactory

Vicky added a few lines about her work at the university magazine to

her CV.

12. say that something is true, even though there is no definite proof
Intermediate

The company they don’t damage the environment, but I have read

terrible things about them in the newspaper.

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 BUSINESS NEWS LESSONS

Has relying on tech made us more stupid?

LEANING TOO HEAVILY ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CAN ERODE OUR TOLERANCE FOR THE REPETITIVE
ACTIONS THAT HELP US ACTUALLY LEARN

BY DAVE LEE

1 I was driving home from Palo Alto to San Francisco, 6 Is the student cheating? You could argue convincingly
a journey I’d done dozens upon dozens of times in either direction. It’s maybe simpler to ask whether
before. Only this time, I faced a problem: a phone the student is cheating themselves, to which the
without power; a journey without GPS. I missed my answer is surely yes. Those things students don’t
exit and became hopelessly lost in streets less than want to do are what underpins retention. Writing,
a mile from my home. How embarrassing: I claim to rethinking, retaining, over and over.
love this city, and yet in that moment I felt I barely
knew it. Suddenly deprived of my tech, I was unable 7 Practice makes perfect. We’ve all heard of the
to find my way, because I had never needed to “10,000 hours rule” – the amount of intensive practice
actually learn it. supposedly needed to master something – but we
have many ways to make the same point: repetition
2 I’m not arguing against the use of GPS. But I bring means remembering. Remembering means learning
it up to demonstrate that efficient technology can and mastering.
be an impediment to learning. Only through effort
and repetition, without shortcuts, can we truly retain 8 Hermann Ebbinghaus, a psychologist who
useful knowledge. studied the benefits of repetition, illustrated this
with his “forgetting curve” – demonstrating how
3 Much has been written about GPT-3, one of the knowledge escapes over time if not consciously
world’s most advanced artificial intelligence systems. remembered – and “spaced learning”, repetition
It can do things that would have been considered over regular intervals. His work has influenced how
science fiction just a few years ago, such as we learn for more than a century. It’s the difference
generate realistic-sounding articles, or translate between becoming an expert and merely passing
between languages it has never seen before. It does a test. Does a student deserve an “A” grade if the
so by learning from a vast amount of text, and then algorithm does the legwork? He or she becomes no
making predictions based on that data. more aware of the subject than I was of my direction
home.
4 (It also wrote that last paragraph, using just the
prompt “much has been written about GPT-3”. I’d 9 Besides, experts in the capabilities of today’s AI warn
like to think I would never stoop to using that writing against it in a blunter sense. Nathan Baschez, creator
cliché, “like science fiction”.) of Lex. Page, a word processing system that can be
used to summon GPT-3 to bulk out your sentences,
5 This kind of AI-generated text is creating waves told me it should be used with great caution in “high
in academia. It’s an inflection point from which we stakes” environments like journalism or academia.
should be careful in how we proceed. A recent Vice
article detailed how a community of students was 10 “GPT-3 can just make up facts that aren’t true and
using GPT-3 (and other similar AI text programs) to say other things that are nonsense,” he said. But it’ll
do the grunt work in writing essays, filling in context only get better. It’s always learning. Are we?
Intermediate

and saving time. Because the AI-generated text was

“unique”, it allowed students to evade anti-plagiarism
detection software. “I just use AI to handle the
things I don’t want to do or find meaningless,” said
one student.

Dave Lee, 22 November, 2022.

© The Financial Times.
All rights reserved.
Articles republished from the Financial Times.
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 BUSINESS NEWS LESSONS

3 Understanding the article

a. Decide if each statement is True (T) or False (F) according to the article. Underline the
information that you used to support your answer.

1. The writer of the article didn’t know his usual way home when he could not use the GPS on
his phone.

2. Technology can help us learn more easily without having to repeat and remember things again
and again.

3. GPT-3 is a computer program that can write texts that read like a human wrote them.

4. The writer thinks that it is fine for students to use AI to write their essays.

5. The “10,000 hour rule” is a rule that says we have to do something for 10,000 hours so we don’t
forget how to do it.

6. We eventually forget the things that we do not have to consciously remember from time to time.

7. Nathan Baschez says that GPT-3 is always accurate.

4 Business language

a. Look for the missing words for the phrases below in the text. The definition and paragraph
number has been given for each one.

1. depend on: (heavily) on (subtitle)

2. behave in the same bad way as someone else is behaving or do something bad in order to get
what you want: to (paragraph 4)

3. cause problems, usually by making suggestions or criticisms: waves

(paragraph 5)

4. used for saying that repeating an activity or doing it regularly makes you very good at it:
makes (paragraph 7)

b. Rewrite the sentences to contain one of the expressions from task A.

1. Don’t lie in the interview – it’s bad!

Intermediate

2. I think they depend too much on their website for sales.

3. The vocal customers are causing problems with their terrible online reviews.

4. Just keep on doing it and you’ll get better at it!

c. Now use each phrase in a sentence in the context of your choice.

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 BUSINESS NEWS LESSONS

5 Discussion questions

a. Discuss these questions.

1. Do you think we let technology do too much of our thinking for us? Is it making people stupid?

2. Should there be rules about how AI is used for studies and work?

3. How can we help younger people become better learners and put the technology away?

4. Do you think doing repetitive work is useful?

6 Wider business theme – AI and job automation

a. Look at the table below and answer the questions.

SHARE OF TASKS THAT ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO AUTOMATION

High (70% – 100%) Production

Food service
Transportation
Medium (30% – 70%) Administrative
Construction
Agriculture
Health support
Sales
Low (0% – 30%) Health practitioners / Social service
Legal
Computer
Science
Education
Engineering
Arts / Entertainment
Business / Management

(According to REPORT Automation and Artificial Intelligence: How machines are affecting people and places by Mark Muro,
Robert Maxim, and Jacob Whiton, 24 January, 2019)
Intermediate

1. Does any of the information in the table surprise you? Why?

2. Is your sector on the list? Do you think it will easily be automated? Why (not)? Which activities
could be done by computers?

3. Which activities will always be done by humans?

4. What new skills do people need to learn in order not to lose their jobs to robots?

5. What new opportunities might there be in the future because of new technology?
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 BUSINESS NEWS LESSONS

b. Prepare a short presentation to give to your local government, industries, or organisations to

share and explain the results of the report. Do research to support your conclusions. Use the
phrases below.

• According to the report, it is (very/not) likely that … jobs will be automated.

• This is because activities like … can easily be done by robots/computers.

• Other tasks like … will always be done by humans because …

• It is important to train workers in the … sector to …

• If we …, we can be prepared for the future.

Intermediate

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 BUSINESS NEWS LESSONS
Has relying on tech affected the way
we learn?
Key:
Level: Intermediate (B1–B2)
1. generate 7. evade
2. impediment 8. master
Time: Approximately 90 minutes (plus extra
3. deprive 9. interval; intervals
time for research and presentation)
4. retain 10. demonstrate
Business topics: Tech, learning, AI, 5. repetitive 11. bulk out
job automation 6. unique 12. claim; claim(s)

Business language: expressions 3. Understanding the article

Activities: key words, understanding the text, a. First ask students to read the statements and circle
business language, discussion, presentation the key words. Then have them scan the article for the
about technology and job automation information related to each statement and underline it.
Then to write their answers. Ask students to compare
Groups: Whole class, one-to-one, pair work their answers before checking with the whole class.
or small groups
Key:
1. True (Suddenly deprived of my tech, I was unable
to find my way)
Overview: This article shares examples of 2. False (technology can be an impediment to
how relying on technology makes us worse at
learning. Only through effort and repetition, without
learning and remembering things.
shortcuts, can we truly retain useful knowledge.)
3. True (It can … generate realistic-sounding
articles.)
1. Warmer 4. False (It’s maybe simpler to ask whether the
student is cheating themselves, to which the
a. Ask students to discuss the questions. Then ask answer is surely yes.)
students to feed back to the rest of the class. Draw a 5. False (“10,000 hours rule” – the amount of
diagram of technology-related vocabulary on the board intensive practice supposedly needed to
with students’ suggestions. If students are unsure or master something)
incorrect, either provide a correction or assign dictionary 6. True (how knowledge escapes over time if not
consultants to check words. Possible phrases: use consciously remembered – and “spaced learning”,
a virtual map, use GPS, go on social media, post on repetition over regular intervals)
social media, send a text, make/have/get/receive a 7. False (“GPT-3 can just make up facts that aren’t
video/voice call, order food/groceries online, shop true and say other things that are nonsense,”
online, use an online dating app, find a ride online, use he said.)
a search engine, find a recipe online, etc.
4. Business language
2. Key words
a. Ask students to find the expressions in the mentioned
a. Ask students to complete the task individually and paragraphs and compare their answers with a
Intermediate

then compare their answers in small groups before classmate before checking with the whole class. Check
eliciting examples from the whole class. You can understanding by asking the class to come up with their
also ask half the students to complete 1–6 and the own very simple definition for each expression.
other half to complete 7–12 and then work together
to check and share their answers. If students need Key:
support, encourage them to do complete the activity 1. lean [lean on]
methodically by first reading the definition and 2. stoop [stoop to]
example sentence, identifying the part of speech and 3. create [create waves]
then looking at each word in the word pool. 4. practice, perfect [practice makes perfect]
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 BUSINESS NEWS LESSONS

b. You can gamify this by revealing the sentences one

at a time and asking students to rewrite them in
groups against the clock for a point. Answers provided
are possible answers, but other correct options are
also acceptable.

Key:
1. Don’t stoop to lying in the interview!
2. They’re leaning too heavily on their website
for sales.
3. Customers are creating waves online with
awful reviews.
4. Just keep on trying, practice makes perfect.

5. Discussion questions

a. Put the students in pairs or small groups and ask

them to discuss the questions. When students have
covered all the questions, bring the whole class
back together so that they can share their answers
and any interesting information that arose from
their discussions.

6. Wider business theme – AI and job

automation

a. First ask students what they understand by job

automation and ask them to give you a few examples,
e.g., people use a ride hailing app like Uber instead of
calling someone who used to be in charge of sending
and managing cabs. Technology now does their job,
the role is automated.

Then ask students to look at the table individually

before working in pairs or small groups to discuss
the questions. Set a time limit and ask one person
from each group to summarise their discussion in
five sentences.

b. In the same groups, ask students to work together

to brainstorm the different points that they might
Intermediate

include in the presentation. You can decide to either

let students present individually or in groups of three,
where each student covers a point.

Encourage students to use the phrases provided

to structure their presentations. Also encourage
them to choose a few words from the Key Words
and Business Language sections to include in
their presentations.
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