The Advantages and Disadvantages of Replacing Teachers with Robots

For decades, people have been anticipating the entrance of robots into everyday life. Now, in 2020, this is anticipation that is slowly coming to light. We have a wide variety of robotic entities in the world and more technology than we know what to do with. 

This being said, you may have heard about the idea of robots in the classroom. If not, the general concept is that robot teachers can be programmed and designed to be an aid in the classroom and/or totally replace human teachers. 

Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages to this idea. So, let’s explore some of both!

Advantages

Extensive knowledge

As teachers, robots are able to use an extensive knowledge base to help students. This also means that they would have quick access to necessary knowledge for solving problems and furthering their students’ educational career. 

No irrelevant conversations

Using robots as teachers of teaching aids means that there would be a lot less irrelevant discussion in the classroom. The robot would not be sidetracked, caught off guard, or otherwise distracted from the lesson at hand, thus making good use of class time.

Patience

Since robots do not feel the way that human teachers do, they will not lose their patience with students. They will remain kind, patient, and open to questions regardless of the goings-on in the classroom. 

Disadvantages: Lack of emotional connection

One disadvantage of robots as teachers is that they lack empathy. They do not and cannot connect to students on an emotional level, which could cause problems in the classroom. It could make students feel that they are not cared about and make it hard to solve problems with an emotional basis.

Technical Disruptions

All things mechanical can break – including robots. If this happened, lessons can be disrupted for various amounts of time. In addition, these problems can prove hard to solve without extensive technical knowledge, further enhancing the problem.

No Respect for Teachers

Scientists fear that students wouldn’t respect robotic teachers as they are not human. This might make it hard for the robot to get the class under control as students might feel like they don’t have to listen or that the whole thing is a joke. Another fear is that the robotic teachers could be physically harmed by students, who, again, think it’s funny to mistreat the robot because it isn’t a human with feelings. 

While we aren’t anywhere near fully replacing human teachers with their robotic counterparts, the possibility is there. Every year, technology is getting better and the desire for new and improved technologies is transforming the way we live.

What do you think about teachers as robots? Would you take a class instructed by a mechanical teacher? It’s truly something to think about.