Using AI Tools to Teach Paraphrasing in English Language Classrooms

It seems like artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere these days, and it can be a bit overwhelming. If you are like us, maybe you are seeing invitations to webinars and workshops about using AI tools in your inbox on almost a daily basis. Maybe you have attended some of these workshops, but you are still struggling to get started. 

Something that helped us begin to experiment with AI was to focus on a particular skill that our students need to develop: paraphrasing. This approach also helped us to connect the use of technology to achieving learning objectives. In this article, we share a sample activity designed to harness the strengths of AI in support of academic language development.

Why Start With Paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing is inarguably an important skill for multilingual learners of English (MLEs) across educational contexts. Paraphrasing, or rephrasing a sentence or excerpt from a text using different words while maintaining the original meaning, is used throughout academic coursework. Furthermore, paraphrasing is an integral part of media literacy. To use information ethically and responsibly, students need to be able to represent it accurately through effective paraphrasing.  

Many would also agree that paraphrasing is a particularly challenging skill for all learners, and especially for MLEs. Although these learners may realize that they need to restate the ideas in their own words, they are often limited by their lexical and grammatical knowledge (Chen et al., 2013). That is, MLEs may recognize what they need to do when we ask them to paraphrase something they have read or listened to, but they may not have the vocabulary and grammar skills to paraphrase effectively.

Using AI Tools for Paraphrasing

This is where AI tools can help. Our MLEs can use AI tools to generate synonyms, find different grammatical structures, and even compose full paraphrases. They can study the full paraphrases as models; then, they can use the synonyms and grammatical structures to help them create their own paraphrases. In this way, the AI tools scaffold the task and help learners to overcome their limitations with grammar and vocabulary.

Sample Activity

The following activity is one example of how AI tools can be used to teach paraphrasing. This activity is designed for upper-intermediate to advanced students (CEFR B2-C1); however, it could be adapted for lower levels. In this activity, students work with a group or partner to complete our Using AI Tools for Paraphrasing Worksheet. The worksheet guides students through the steps of using ChatGPT to paraphrase an assigned quote, evaluating the AI-generated paraphrase with a provided checklist, and revising the paraphrase based on their evaluation (see Figure 1). Lastly, for our academic context, we added the step of writing an in-text citation with the revised paraphrase.

Figure 1. Students’ checklist for evaluating AI-generated paraphrases.

Here are suggested steps for implementing this activity in your own classroom:

Before the Activity

1. 1. Pre-teach how to use ChatGPT (or another AI tool).
   2. Decide how many groups or pairs you will have.
   3. Prepare the worksheets. Create one worksheet per group or pair.
   4. Add a different quote or excerpt to each worksheet, drawing from an assigned reading that your students are familiar with.
   5. Create a sample completed worksheet.
   6. Plan how you will share the worksheets with your students (i.e., provide links in your online learning management system or make handouts).

During the Activity

1. 1. Review the instructions. Go over the checklist and the sample.
   2. Share the worksheets with students.
   3. Create groups or pairs.
   4. Give students a set amount of time to complete the worksheet.
   5. Monitor completion of the worksheet.

After the Activity

1. 1. Ask students to share their paraphrases.
   2. Discuss strengths and weaknesses of the paraphrases.
   3. Provide instructions for using the paraphrase in a follow-up task, such as paragraph or essay writing.

Adapting This Activity

You could adapt this activity and worksheet in a variety of ways according to your teaching context. First, think about your students’ level and how the activity might need to be modified. For example, if you have lower level students, you may want to assign only a short quote or single sentence for the text that students paraphrase. In contrast, if you have advanced students, you may want to assign a longer excerpt with multiple sentences. Also, for lower level students, you could simplify the worksheet to make it more accessible for their level. For example, you could generate the paraphrases and just have students analyze their assigned paraphrase with a checklist.

Next, think about how the activity might need to be modified to meet your lesson and course objectives. For example, if in-text citation is not part of the curriculum, you may decide to change or remove the citation step. Additionally, you can incorporate a specific grammar or vocabulary focus that aligns with your objectives. For example, the worksheet could ask students to practice changing a sentence from active to passive voice, or vice versa.

What Are the Benefits?

Integrating ChatGPT in an activity like our example trains learners to use AI as a tool that can help them overcome challenges faced particularly by MLEs. In the activity, using ChatGPT does not replace the skill of paraphrasing, but rather it scaffolds the task and supports learners in developing their own paraphrasing skills. Through the specific steps of evaluating paraphrases with the provided checklist during the activity as well as discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the paraphrases after the activity, MLEs notice the linguistic characteristics of an effective paraphrase and as a result improve their academic writing skills. 

More broadly, integrating AI tools in classroom activities has numerous benefits for both teachers and students:

• • increasing learner engagement and motivation,
    
    
  • helping students develop an understanding of appropriate AI use,
    
    
  • creating opportunities for discussion of how students can use AI while still following principles of academic integrity, and
    
    
  • leveraging AI to lessen teachers' own workload. 

That is, when creating examples for an activity like this, you can save a lot of time by using an AI tool to help generate the examples. 

In the face of an overwhelming amount of AI-related content these days, we hope that this activity offers a practical approach to incorporating AI with your students. Furthermore, the activity models how AI can be used not as a shortcut, but as a support. In this activity, MLEs are developing critical thinking and writing skills with the help of ChatGPT. Through the process of engaging with AI, analyzing the language, and making decisions each step of the way, students are empowered and gain confidence in their learning.

Resources

• • Using AI Tools for Paraphrasing Blank Worksheet
  • Using AI Tools for Paraphrasing Sample Worksheet

References

Chen, M.H., Huang, S.T., Chang, J.S., & H.C. Liou. (2013). Developing a corpus-based paraphrase tool to improve EFL learners' writing skills. Computer Assisted Language Learning 28(1), 22–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2013.783873