Exploring New Teaching Way: Integrating the Silent Way with Artificial Intelligence

XinYao Wang

doi:10.63313/ESW.9165

Authors

XinYao Wang School of Foreign Language, China West Normal University, Nan Chong, 637000, China Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63313/ESW.9165

Keywords:

Silent Way, Artificial Intelligence, Language Education, Educational Innovation

Abstract

This paper discusses the integration of the Silent Way and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in language teaching. The Silent Way is a learner-centered pedagogical approach that emphasizes minimal teacher intervention and encourages students’ intrinsic motivation. As AI technologies such as intelligent feedback, speech recognition, and adaptive learning become more prevalent in education, there is increasing interest in their potential to enhance traditional teaching models. However, effectively embedding AI into classrooms without compromising learner autonomy remains a significant challenge. This paper analyzes the philosophical and practical compatibility between the Silent Way and AI through conceptual discussion and proposes that the Silent Way may serve as a humanistic corrective to the over-mechanization of AI teaching. The study offers strategic suggestions for integrating AI tools in ways that preserve learner independence while enhancing pedagogical flexibility.

References

[1] Wang, Q. (2006). A Course in English Language Teaching (2nd ed.). Higher Education Press.

[2] Gattegno, C. (1972). Teaching foreign languages in schools: The Silent Way (2nd ed.). Educational Solutions.

[3] Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2001). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

[4] Bao, D., & Nguyen, T. M. (2026). How silence facilitates verbal participation. English Language Teaching Educational Journal, 3(1), 188–197.

[5] Claxton, C. (2014). School as an epistemic apprenticeship. Journal for the Study of Education and Development, 37, 227–247.

[6] Crompton, H., Jones, M. V., & Burke, D. (2022). AI affordances in K-12 education. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 56(1), 1–21.

[7] Kushmar, L. V., Vornachev, A. O., Korobova, I. O., & Kaida, N. O. (2022). AI anxiety in language learning. Arab World English Journal, 13(8), 262–273.

[8] Liando, N. V. F., & Poluan, M. I. (2024). EFL teachers’ perceptions of the Silent Way. Edumaspul: Jurnal Pendidikan, 8(1), 7850.

[9] Rassaei, E. (2023). Timing of corrective feedback in L2 learning. International Review of Applied Linguistics, 61(1), 45–68.

[10] Chen, M. Z. (2016). English flipped classroom from the perspective of the Silent Way theory. Journal of Changchun University, 26(12), 118–121.

[11] Song, Y. (2019). The cultivation of students’ oral ability via the Silent Way. Modern Communication, (9), 224–225.

[12] Yang, S. E. (2025). Transformation and coping strategies of English teaching models in the digital intelligence era. Foreign Languages Research, (3), 18–23.

[13] Luo, W. (2024). A practical research on college English teaching model empowered by artificial intelligence. Modern English, (15), 4–6.

[14] Wang, F. (2024). Research on blended college English teaching model empowered by artificial intelligence. Modern English, (6), 15–17.

[15] Research Group of Southwest University. (2025). Ethical boundaries of artificial intelligence empowered teachers’ oral expression. Journal of Southwest University (Social Sciences Edition), (5), 1–9.

[16] Chen, H. (2013). A brief analysis of the Silent Way. Overseas English, (9).

[17] Wang, L. (2007). A brief discussion on the Silent Way and its enlightenment. Journal of Liaoning Vocational College of Economy, (3).

[18] Yang, L. R. (2007). A Course in English Language Teaching. Shandong University Press.

[19] Gao, H. J. (2020). An experimental study on oral English teaching based on the Silent Way. Modern Foreign Languages, 43(4), 512–523.

[20] Ma, J. (2021). Practical research on artificial intelligence assisted English writing teaching. Media in Foreign Language Instruction, 42(11), 76–84.

[21] Zhang, X. (2019). Practical exploration of the Silent Way in middle school English classrooms. Foreign Language World, (6), 58–64.

[22] Liu, Y. (2022). Research on the application of artificial intelligence in oral English teaching. China Educational Technology, 44(3), 34–40.

[23] Zheng, L. (2022). Research on the correlation of classroom silence and teachers’ questioning strategies in senior high English classes (Master’s thesis, Anhui Normal University).

[24] Lin, L. J. (2017). Research on classroom silence in senior high English classes (Master’s thesis, Jiangxi Normal University).