By Dr Svetlana Maksimović, Primary School “Nikodije Stojanović Tatko”, Prokuplje
At the 34th IATEFL Poland International Conference in Łódź, hosted by the Faculty of Electrical, Electronic, Computer and Control Engineering, Łódź University of Technology (Politechnika Łódzka), Dr Svetlana Maksimović represented ELTA Serbia with her research-based talk, “Teaching English with Emotion: Exploring the Potential of Robot Musio in the Classrooms”.
In her session, she linked experiences from Japan and Serbia, showing how emotional engagement lifts language learning. Musio—a social robot developed by AKA Intelligence—interacts naturally with learners, utilizing AI and emotion recognition. In Japan, it has been used mostly in private schools and home environments, supporting students through interactive dialogue, vocabulary practice, and storytelling.
During her doctoral research, she explored how Serbian students respond emotionally to learning with Musio. The results were encouraging: learners described Musio as motivating, engaging, and confidence-building. Many reported feeling less shy speaking English to the robot, thanks to its “judgment-free” atmosphere—a crucial factor for younger or less confident learners.
When thoughtful pedagogy meets humane technology, classrooms become braver spaces—and language learning gets both deeper and more joyful.
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