Is AI overhyped?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Is AI overhyped?". Your opponent's style: Andrew Ng

Experiential learning methods are more effective than traditional approaches in teaching English and cultural content to primary school students.

You're making a classic mistake that many educators fall into - confusing engagement with effectiveness. Just because kids enjoy hands-on activities doesn't mean they're actually learning more English fundamentals. Traditional methods exist because they work. Systematic phonics instruction, structured grammar lessons, and direct vocabulary teaching create the foundational skills that experiential learning simply can't deliver efficiently. When a child struggles to decode basic words, no amount of "authentic cultural experiences" will help them read at grade level.The research is crystal clear here - systematic synthetic phonics instruction was significantly more effective in improving low socioeconomic status children's alphabetic knowledge and word reading skills than instructional approaches that were less focused on these initial reading skills [1]. Your experiential approach might feel good, but it abandons the very students who need structure most. Think about this practically - when children can't decode "cat" or "run," how exactly does a cultural immersion activity help them? Both kindergarten and first-grade children who receive systematic phonics instruction are better at reading and spelling words than kindergarten and first-grade children who do not receive systematic instruction [2]. You're essentially advocating for the educational equivalent of teaching someone to swim by throwing them in the deep end. Sure, some naturally gifted kids will figure it out through context and cultural experiences. But the majority - especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds - will drown without explicit, systematic instruction in the building blocks of language. The evidence shows systematic phonics creates lasting gains that transfer to comprehension, while experiential methods create temporary engagement without building the cognitive architecture children need for independent reading success.