From Plasticity to Synthetic Metaplasticity: Conceptualizing Next-Generation Self Evolving English AI Tutors

Abstract

 There are now more opportunities to rethink English language instruction (ELT) thanks to recent developments in applied linguistics, neurobiology, and educational technology. Conventional adaptive digital tutors do not modify their own educational logic over time; instead, they modify content according to learner performance. This research suggests synthetic metaplasticity as a conceptual framework for next-generation AI instructors in ELT, drawing on the neuroscientific ideas of plasticity and metaplasticity. While metaplasticity relates to the management of learning itself, allowing for dynamic adaptation to changing cognitive states, plasticity refers to the brain's capacity to remodel itself in response to experience. Applying this concept to digital pedagogy implies AI tutors that change not just in reaction to mistakes but also in terms of their teaching approaches, scaffolding techniques, and feedback systems. Using a conceptual research methodology, this study incorporates ideas from educational technology, neuroscience, and second language acquisition (SLA) theory. The resulting framework is divided into three layers: (1) Cognitive Layer, which is based on the ideas of self-regulation and neuroplasticity; (2) Pedagogical Layer, which is influenced by theories of SLA like learner autonomy, input enhancement, scaffolding, and the zone of proximal development; and (3) Technological Layer, which sees AI as a cognitive partner that adapts its pedagogical strategies on its own. The theoretical framework prioritizes conceptual clarity over practical application. It gives instructional designers and ELT researchers a road map for seeing AI systems as self-evolving collaborators that can improve long-term language development, learner autonomy, and engagement. This paper offers a fresh viewpoint on integrating cognitive science and pedagogy in the development of next-generation digital language learning systems by defining synthetic metaplasticity as a guiding concept