Shadowing Practice: NYC, the nation’s largest school system, bans AI for students through 8th grade - Learn English Speaking with Video
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7 sentences
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1
Children need their teachers and human connection in order to learn and in order to grow.
2
And they need to develop skills alongside their peers, build relationships with their teachers, and wrestle with tough problems on their own.
3
The tech industry wants us to believe that AI in early education is not only inevitable, but that it is necessary.
4
We do not see it that way.
5
I have yet to see a study showing that AI is beneficial for students in elementary and middle school, with the exception, of course,
6
of research sponsored by the very corporations that stand to profit.
7
So beginning this school year, we will implement a one -year moratorium on generative AI for students in 2K through 8th grade.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 7 sentences and 123 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:41. The speaker talks at a natural 178 words per minute, close to everyday conversation.
Key vocabulary in this video
12 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| alongside | /əˌlɔŋˈsaɪd/ | Side by side with. |
| skill noun | /skɪl/ | A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. |
| exception noun | /əkˈsɛpʃən/ | The act of excepting or excluding; exclusion; restriction by taking out something which would otherwise be included, as in a class, statement, rule. |
| elementary adjective | /ˌɛləˈmɛntəɹi/ | Relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something. |
| implement verb | /ˈɪmpləmənt/ | To bring about; to put into practice; to carry out. |
| peer noun | /pɪɹ/ | Somebody who is, or something that is, at a level or of a value equal (to that of something else). |
| beneficial adjective | /ˌbɛn.ɪˈfɪʃ.əl/ | Helpful or good to something or someone. |
| inevitable adjective | /ɪˈnɛvɪtəbəl/ | Impossible to avoid or prevent. |
| sponsor noun | /ˈspɒn.səː/ | A person or organization with some sort of responsibility for another person or organization, especially where the responsibility has a religious, legal, or… |
| generative adjective | /ˈd͡ʒɛnəɹətɪv/ | Having the power of generating, propagating, originating, or producing. |
| moratorium noun | /ˌmɔ.ɹəˈtɔ.ɹi.əm/ | An authorization to a debtor, permitting temporary suspension of payments. |
| wrestle verb | /ˈɹɛs(ə)l/ | To take part in (a wrestling bout or match). |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: exception /əkˈsɛpʃən/, beneficial /ˌbɛn.ɪˈfɪʃ.əl/
- Long words — get the stress right: elementary /ˌɛləˈmɛntəɹi/, beneficial /ˌbɛn.ɪˈfɪʃ.əl/, inevitable /ɪˈnɛvɪtəbəl/, generative /ˈd͡ʒɛnəɹətɪv/, moratorium /ˌmɔ.ɹəˈtɔ.ɹi.əm/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like alongside, skill, exception.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.