Mapping the Thoughts of Students

In the article "Making Mona Lisa Smile," advancing technology used for recognizing human emotion is suggested for use in the classroom. By having a computer be able to register the emotions of a student and adjust the lesson accordingly using a program called Facial Action Coding System, student productivity will excel, and the stress felt by teachers will ease.

Lessons, for as long as education has existed, have been adjusted accordingly to the audience by the tutors. For instance, a teacher may observe their students leaning forward in interest of the lesson, and may continue based off of that subject. Others may see students slump in their chairs, or watch with glossy, bored eyes, and will attempt to reconnect with the class. Facial recognition is already common. "In fact, we humans perform this same impressive "calculation" every day (Paragraph 5)." But it is done ineffectively in the classroom due to one person teaching twenty others. A computer is unbiased, and only focuses on one body: The user. By reading and calculating the most subtle changes in one's face, beyond what the naked eye can see, a computer is able to follow "emotion algorithms" and change the lesson's strategy "...like an effective human instructor (Paragraph 6)." The lesson becomes personalized, benefiting the student greatly, as if they had their own private tutor. "Most human communication is nonverbal, including emotional communication (Paragraph 6)." The student will understand quicker and learn at a greater rate than if they simply sat and listened to an adult stand at the front of the classroom.

In turn, this student productivity will drastically lower the stress and pressure a teacher will feel over their students. Teachers, more often than not, truly care if their students understand what is being taught and want to see them succeed. Teachers, however, do not have the time to focus on each student individualy. By watching a student fail, a teacher feels as if they themselves are failing. With emotion tracking classroom computers, each student has a better chance of succeeding. A student, who has mastered balancing chemical equations, will no longer have to 'start back at square one' with another student who knows nothing of math or chemistry. Students who fall behind more often will be more equal with their quicker classmates. On a whole, the class itself will be more productive, and the teacher may even be able to move on and prepare more advanced lessons. "By weighting the different units, the software can even identify mixed emotions (Paragraph 4)." The focus the computer has on the student can be greater, and more effective, than what a single adult can provide. Teachers will feel more at ease knowing their students have the 'attention' they need for more challenging subjects.

Facial recognition is not a new concept, and has existed even before the invention of computers. Efficiency is what has been changing, and for the better. If computers, able to recognize and adapt according the user's emotions, better a student's productivity and reduce a teacher's stress, Facial Action Coding Systems are of great value in the classroom.