With over two decades of experience as a certified bilingual teacher and a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction, Nesreen El-Baz has dedicated her career to developing innovative strategies for English Language Learners. In her work, she masterfully integrates technology not just as a tool, but as a bridge to cultural understanding and student empowerment. Today, we explore how she transformed a viral internet trend—an AI-generated song—into a profound lesson on language, identity, and humanity, weaving together themes of digital literacy, cultural identity, and the power of translanguaging to unlock the voice of every student.
You mention the lesson began with a trending headline about an AI-generated song. Could you walk us through your process of transforming that spark of an idea into the specific three-phase lesson plan, from critical analysis to the powerful translanguaging component?
It really started with that simple curiosity. I saw the headline and immediately thought about all the layers it contained: music, technology, identity, language—it was a perfect entry point. My first step was to frame it not as a lecture on AI, but as a shared exploration. I designed the first phase around critical analysis, letting the students lead with their own questions. We listened to the song, and their natural inquiries about how a computer could “make a song” or if it “copies another singer” aligned perfectly with higher-order thinking skills from Bloom’s Taxonomy. The key was starting with a neutral, contemporary topic that lowered their anxiety. From there, the pivot to the second phase—the translanguaging component—was intentional. I knew that to make the lesson truly meaningful, I had to shift the expertise from me to them, inviting them to bring their own cultural artifacts into the classroom.
You described the translanguaging phase as a “turning point” where students became cultural guides. Can you share a specific anecdote of a student’s transformation and describe the tangible shift in the classroom’s energy and participation levels after this activity began?
The shift was palpable; the air in the room just changed. Before that moment, it was a focused, academic lesson. But when I invited them to share a song from their home language, the classroom transformed almost instantly. There was this incredible buzz of energy as students turned to one another, pulling up songs on their phones, their faces lighting up. I vividly remember two Yemeni students, who were typically very reserved, huddling together, collaborating to perfectly translate a single, beautiful line of poetry from a song they both loved. They weren’t just students anymore; they were storytellers, they were experts. The dynamic flipped entirely, and you could feel the pride and joy in the room as they took ownership of the lesson, explaining metaphors from their own cultures and sharing musical traditions from back home.
You noted that even your shyest learners participated, such as the student who shared a Kurdish lullaby. What specific strategies did you use to create that safe space, and what advice can you offer teachers for encouraging their most hesitant students to share personal cultural artifacts?
Creating that safety net was the absolute core of the lesson’s success. The strategy began with choosing a non-threatening entry point—the AI song was about technology, not about them personally, so it lowered what we call the affective filter. When students aren’t anxious, they’re more willing to take risks. The most crucial strategy, though, was validating their linguistic repertoires. By inviting them to use their home languages, I was communicating that their culture and their language were valuable assets in our classroom. For the student who shared the Kurdish lullaby, she wasn’t being asked to perform in a language she was still learning; she was being asked to share something she knew intimately. My advice for teachers is this: find ways to make students the experts. When they feel that their personal knowledge and emotional connection to the material are not just welcome but essential, participation becomes a joyful act of sharing, not a stressful performance.
The lesson prompted deep ethical questions about AI and creativity. How did you structure that debate to ensure it was accessible for all proficiency levels, and what kind of sentence starters or scaffolding did you provide to help students articulate complex opinions on this topic?
Making that high-level debate accessible was all about providing structure and support. I knew asking them to jump into a complex ethical discussion cold would be overwhelming. So, we scaffolded the conversation heavily. I provided clear sentence starters on the board, like “In my opinion, AI music is/is not creative because…” or “A human artist is different from AI because…” These frames gave them the linguistic tools to articulate their thoughts without getting stuck on grammar. We also started the debate in smaller, more intimate groups before opening it up to the whole class. This allowed learners at all proficiency levels to test out their ideas and hear their peers’ reasoning in a low-stakes environment. It ensured everyone could contribute, whether it was by sharing a fully formed argument or simply agreeing with a peer and adding one more reason.
The exit tickets revealed deep learning, with one student noting that some words require “feeling to explain.” How do you use such qualitative feedback to measure success beyond traditional metrics, and how does it inform your future lesson planning for these students?
That particular comment from the exit ticket was, for me, a far more powerful indicator of success than any test score could be. It showed genuine metacognition—the student wasn’t just learning vocabulary; he was thinking about the very nature of language and culture. This kind of qualitative feedback is the heart of my assessment. It tells me whether a lesson has truly resonated on an emotional and intellectual level. When I see responses like “My friend’s song made me understand his country better,” I know we’ve achieved a central goal of building community and empathy. This feedback directly shapes my future planning. It reinforces the need for more lessons that tap into students’ lived experiences and validates the power of translanguaging. It’s a clear signal to me that these students are hungry for learning that connects to their identity and humanity.
What is your forecast for the future of AI in language education, especially for fostering cultural exchange and student voice in the ELL classroom?
My forecast is that AI’s greatest potential in language education lies not in its ability to replace human interaction, but to enhance it by serving as a powerful catalyst. I see its future not as a drill-and-practice tool, but as a “spark” for the kinds of deep, meaningful conversations we had in my classroom. AI can be used to generate novel prompts, create contemporary and relevant content that lowers student anxiety, and open doors to critical discussions about digital literacy and our modern world. The goal shouldn’t be to have students passively consume AI-generated content, but to have them analyze, question, and create with it. If we use it thoughtfully, AI can become an incredible tool for empowering students, giving them new ways to express their unique identities and fostering a classroom where every learner’s voice is heard.
