The phenomenon of grandomastery and the fall of ESL industry

Web-based generators have been around since the early days of the Internet, and they come in many forms. From random number generators to poetry generators, these tools offer a wide range of functionality. In 1997, Brian Eno even released a generative music tool. More recently, the deep dream generator has gained popularity. There are many resources available that allow you to randomize nearly anything, including the randomization process itself. In addition to basic random number generation functions like math.random, projects like Randonautica, which uses both a quantum RNG and a pseudo-random number generator, have gained success. Some programs, such as those based on entropy sources like thermal noise, are particularly appealing to those interested in stochastic processes. Randomization can be found in many areas of life and work. For example, the paper postcard exchange project Postcrossing uses random addresses to connect mailers, and dating apps often use random matchmaking. Chatroulette and Omegle, on the other hand, randomly match users based on their search criteria.

The foreign language teaching industry has a number of projects that generate random questions or lexical units for group discussion or individual learning. These random assignments, photographs, and pictures can be helpful for exam preparation and can also provide a break from the traditional structure of textbooks. This can be especially beneficial for teachers who may become tired of memorizing the same material year after year. Even when new editions of textbooks are released, they often only include new images from stock photo collections, which may not be as engaging as the witty sketches that were included in older textbooks. These sketches were specifically created to illustrate the material and sometimes featured topics or phenomena that would not be approved by today's standards of political correctness, inclusivity, tolerance, and cultural diversity.

The use of depersonalized stock photos in printed textbooks has likely been outmoded for some time. In the 21st century, it is unlikely that a full-color publication filled with stock photos and a limited number of discussion topics or speaking exercises would be able to effectively engage or motivate language learners. Many young learners have even admitted to previewing the contents of a new textbook as soon as they purchase it, making the mystery of discovering new topics or modules of the course nonexistent. This is often due to curiosity, but it can also be attributed to the fact that modern textbooks often reuse the same visual materials and focus on only a handful of major themes that are repeated at each level. For example, in general English classes, these themes may include topics like communication, employment, entertainment, history, and modern technology.

At first glance, it may seem that the listed topics and their accompanying vocabulary and grammar are relevant to all aspects of expressive and receptive skills. However, it is impossible for a textbook to cover all necessary topics, especially those that have emerged in recent years after the textbook has already been created, published, and distributed. Teachers of foreign languages often feel uncomfortable when they see outdated technology and devices in textbooks, as well as old browser designs and applications that are no longer in use. In some cases, invented counterparts are used to avoid copyright issues or reduce the cost of licensing fees, which can be significant for large publishers like Longman, Oxford, and Cambridge. Unfortunately, textbooks are not updated frequently, so their obsolescence becomes more noticeable over time. This can lead to apathy and lack of motivation among foreign language learners, who may become disillusioned with school textbooks that contain sterile and "safe" topics and impersonal images from photo libraries. As soon as they receive such a textbook and realize they will have to study it in depth, they may anticipate another tedious step in their language learning journey.

There is a more significant concern that the textbook, despite its flaws, may be the only tool used by teachers in their classes, unless they supplement it with unengaging Power Point slides made from disorganized materials. This can lead to lack of interest or even annoyance among students. Additionally, self-made resources that are often used to supplement the textbook may violate copyright laws and lack source links or good design.

Grandomastery began as an application for Android 1.3 devices called Random ESL Questions. It quickly gained popularity among certified IELTS experts as a tool for generating speaking tasks.

Over time, the Random ESL Questions application grew into the Grandomastery website, which offered a variety of activities, including free-topic questions. One of the most popular features was the Random Magnets task, which was originally a deck of magnet cards with lexical units for use in a physical classroom setting. The creator of this resource created hundreds of magnets with well-known English proverbs, and students were tasked with creating their own proverbs on the whiteboard. The more absurd and humorous the sayings were, the more attention they generated. It was important that the proverbs be free of grammatical and semantic errors as part of the assignment.

Adolescents often have an inherent desire to create something of their own rather than simply correcting or working with existing materials. Even tasks like Palmer's lookup tables can be made more engaging for teenagers by adding a humorous or absurd twist. Our colleagues have observed that students sometimes struggle with tasks that require them to cross out incorrect answers, as if they have an emotional resistance to eliminating an answer that is at least funny or original, even if it is incorrect. This is not just a result of age-related characteristics, but also a natural desire to avoid conventional and predictable answers. Correct answers are often lacking in creativity and do not allow for self-expression in the same way that punchlines or absurdism do. They may not be suitable for posting on social media platforms like Twitter.

Random Magnets, on the other hand, provide an opportunity for learners to create new and unique statements within the confines of grammatical norms. They may be inspired by well-known proverbs, but it is the satire of cliched sayings and the creation of new meanings that makes Grandomastery a popular choice for language learners.

The third popular activity offered by Grandomastery is the Random Story task, which involves creating a story that combines a series of given concepts using a closed chain of lexical units. This activity includes unexpected lexemes and Grandomastery plans to offer several variations based on the language proficiency and interests of learners.

Grandomastery's Random Abstractions task is another activity that focuses on abstract concepts and finding similarities between seemingly unrelated phenomena. This task is based on the principle of bisociation, a concept popularized by Arthur Koestler in his book "The Act of Creation." According to Koestler, any truly creative activity involves connecting different planes, such as art, science, or humor. When two seemingly incompatible planes overlap, it creates a moment of bisociation, similar to the punchline of a joke. The more unexpected the combination, the more impactful and "better" the joke. This principle can also be observed when completing exercises from the Grandomastery cycle.

Young learners are naturally creative, especially when it comes to creating new stories, expressions, or even words. However, older individuals, even at advanced language levels, tend to be more rule-oriented. This may be due to the emphasis on tradition and conservatism in educational and professional institutions, which often prioritize the correct completion of assignments over creativity. Even in situations where there are no stated restrictions or expectations for the format of the task, language learners may feel pressure to follow certain rules and guidelines. This may be caused by the overly instructional and formal nature of modern textbooks and language proficiency tests. It can be compared to Stockholm syndrome in terms of methodology, as language learners are expected to adhere to specific instructions and use specific grammatical constructions in speaking tasks. Many experts believe that the communicative approach, which focuses on specific topics and interprets communication in a simplistic manner, should be replaced by a systematic approach that incorporates abstract, theoretical thinking and abstract concepts. The Grandomastery Random Statement activity is one example of an activity that allows students to consider a problem from multiple perspectives.

It is worth noting that even in old textbooks, written several centuries ago and using the grammar-translation method, which has been criticized in the past, the information was presented in a way that was easy to understand and remember. These textbooks had significantly fewer typos, inaccuracies, and poorly composed materials compared to modern textbooks from major publishers like Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press, which are often written by hundreds of authors. The material in old textbooks was organized in a clear and concise manner, allowing a maximum amount of information to be presented using a limited number of symbols, which made it easy to perceive and memorize. While the grammar-translation approach has its shortcomings, such as the lack of speaking tasks, the communicative method also has flaws, including a lack of exercises to consolidate grammatical or lexical skills within each unit. To effectively activate these skills, additional up-to-date resources are necessary.

Many additional resources available on the internet do not meet basic visual design standards and are often created using the outdated Word Art feature from Microsoft Word 97. Even popular resources like busyteacher, iSLCollective, and ESLPrintables often have poor visual and content quality, with materials intended for adults featuring low-quality clip-art images from the last century with unattractive layers of frames and decorative elements that are meaningless, inappropriate, and disorganized. Text in these materials can be italicized, bolded, and underlined at the same time, and displayed using completely impractical color combinations. It is surprising that such handouts are still in high demand, raising questions about the state of web 4.0 in the modern age.
There are still a surprising number of low-quality resources on the web that are not removed by their creators and are often available for purchase, which raises questions about the aesthetic and technical competencies of some of the creators. It is also noteworthy that the number of poorly-designed Comic Sans worksheets with distorted, low-resolution images and no color scheme or code design seems to be increasing every year. Similarly, on platforms like Instagram and Facebook, there is often a combination of visual noise and animation that does not meet standards for modernity, usefulness, or ease of perception. The only difference between these resources and more traditional ones is the use of stock photos instead of clip art and the Lobster font instead of Comic Sans. Marketing expert Seth Godin recommends that all CEOs take a course in design in order to understand what makes a high-quality, modern, understandable, and practical design.

After reviewing the resources created by some foreign language teachers, it seems logical to recommend that directors utilize the design teams at their disposal, as teachers or trainers often rely on simple text editors or even basic graphics software like MS Paint to create worksheets or printables. While there are some high-quality commercial projects with professional visual design, these resources often come with a fee, are intended for personal use, or require payments or subscriptions to access.

The creator of Grandomastery is aware that the project's design falls short of standards. Despite several revisions and simplifications to the visual design of the site, it still requires significant improvements. In 2021, it was decided to discontinue the Amazon Associates and Abebooks affiliate programs, which means that Grandomastery no longer receives any revenue from banners displaying relevant books on subjects such as integrative thinking, creative development, and bisociation. To minimize visual clutter, Grandomastery uses images only when they are necessary, such as in the Random Image activity, which is designed to help students improve their image-description skills by working with a random image and answering challenging questions about the artwork. Random Image is not the only Grandomastery task that includes supporting structures to help students practice certain speech functions. All tasks, including those for teachers, are designed to be unpredictable experiences for all participants in the educational process.

Predictability can lead to burnout for those involved in the educational process because it is the thorough initial analysis of course materials that causes this. In contrast, working with constantly updated resources and real-time generated activities can prevent burnout. While the use of the stochastic "a la integrandom" strategy can be helpful for practicing speaking, it can be challenging for teachers, even native speakers, to prepare in advance for a lesson or course. This is because extensive preparation with the material before presenting it to students often leads to a decrease in interest and an increase in irritation for the teacher. As a result, the longer a teacher works within a certain course framework, the more difficult it is for them to hide negative emotions when students struggle to understand the tasks. On the other hand, presenting a new exercise for the first time simultaneously to both the student and the teacher can help to reduce the perception gap and allow the teacher to better understand the student's perspective.

In Grandomastery, you can generate specific tasks by clicking on the corresponding button at the top, or you can randomly generate an activity type by using the Random button in the upper right corner. The Random function uses "weights" to determine how frequently a particular activity type will appear. For instance, the Random Question feature is displayed more frequently than the Random Job Interview option because it has a higher weight and there are more available questions (currently over 3000). The Random Job Interview activity is based on bisociation and is more specialized for those who want to improve their spontaneous speaking skills.

If the Grandomastery platform did not have the option to complete the 36 tasks in a random order, it might not be the best choice for conversation clubs or creative quizzes. However, the CYCLE button in the upper right corner allows users to go through the tasks in a random order, making it suitable for these types of activities.

Grandomastery's platform includes a section specifically designed for integrative thinking training exercises, which are suitable for both English language learners and native speakers looking to improve their improvisational skills and spontaneous speaking. These exercises are also useful for evaluating a job candidate's creative abilities during an interview. Our HR colleagues have found that these exercises help to alleviate stress for job seekers while providing an opportunity to showcase their integrative thinking skills.

Grandomastery is a constantly evolving platform that aims to provide high quality and diverse content. It allows its participants to explore various topics, even those that are negative or commonly overlooked, from a fresh and unique perspective. If you are interested in this approach, you can become a trainer or a grandomaster and work towards improving your oral or written communication skills. We regularly feature profiles of trainers on our website, including both native speakers and professionals from different cultures who specialize in teaching English as a foreign language with elements of Integrative Thinking. Grandomastery is also a CPD accredited platform and offers free certificates to our teachers and active members through the accredible.com service. These certificates can be easily shared on LinkedIn and other social media platforms. In the future, Grandomastery plans to translate the platform into other languages and develop a premium version of the official integrative thinking app, which will include additional tasks and the ability to create personalized exercises on any topic requested by our clients.

This article aims to provide a critical review of the issues in the English language teaching industry, specifically the shortcomings of modern educational courseware. It is important to note that Grandomastery is not against language textbooks and is not meant to be an alternative to structured teaching materials. However, due to a lack of exercises that focus on the development and practice of speaking skills, Grandomastery serves as a supplementary technical tool that is both educational and entertaining. Despite the name, edutainment does not always involve gamification in the traditional sense with a system of awards, animations, and other interactive elements. Rather, Grandomastery is a cybervintage concept, combining original vintage materials with virtual elements such as spectrogram activity to measure speech fluency. This combination of original materials and virtual elements could be described as serendipitous, or conducive to unexpected and spontaneous discoveries. The goal of Grandomastery is to be a helpful resource for anyone interested in practicing and teaching integrative and productive thinking, as well as higher-order thinking skills.