It was a crazy time to be in Washington DC. Air travel was still recovering from the Crowdstrike disaster, Kamala Harris replaced Joe Biden, Netanayhu spoke to Congress. All that in just 7 days.
I was in Washington attending an America’s education conference. AI remains the buzz. Workshops, speakers, general conversation between teacher delegates; all were regularly about AI and its impact on education globally.
Sometimes, however, the buzz seems driven more by providers than teachers. Interestingly, when you scratch below the surface, teachers and school leaders are thinking something quite different about AI. There are three strands of thinking:
Professional Autonomy
Many educators fear AI will reduce their independence to determine what’s best for their students in their classrooms.
Mistrust of AIHaving been used widely by students to cheat, teachers’ interaction with AI has started on a bad note. AI also hallucinates, isn’t transparent, and isn’t consistent enough yet for teachers to fully trust it.
Reduced Connection
The relationship between teacher and student is foundational to learning. Greater use of AI risks separating teachers from students, if students begin to interact more with AI tutors than with their teachers.
Developers might push back against these fears, but that would be unwise. Teachers and school leaders are wary of AI because of it’s foibles and out of a desire to protect what is good about teaching by teachers.
We know what makes great teaching – content expertise, good pedagogy, strong relationships, initiative and commitment. AI should augment these attributes, not replace them.
Emerging education technologies must keep teachers at the (metaphorical) front of the classroom to lead students’ learning. AI can and will enhance the work of teachers, as have previous technologies such as print, television and the internet.
New technologies must increase teachers’ connection with their students, and enhance teachers’ knowledge of students and their learning progress. Good solutions will acknowledge and address educators’ concerns. They’ll build on the best practice that we already know, supplementing the skill set of teachers, not replacing them.
AI is an exciting new technology. Let’s ensure it supports teachers as creative and independent professionals. Our students deserve this.
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