Artificial Intelligence (AI) is evidently sweeping every industry. Integration is apparent in various sectors. With its potential in transforming educational practices and improve learning outcome, the education sector is no exception. Teachers tirelessly face challenges such as fighting for fair compensation, working long hours, completing tedious administrative tasks and facilitating overcrowded classrooms with multiple subjects on hand. Meanwhile, AI’s capability of completing the mundane in a matter of seconds has made waves, leaving some in awe and the rest feeling threatened.
If AI can complete a task in the blink of an eye, then what happens to teachers who has dedicated their lives in honing skills but yet requiring weeks to complete the same task?
It is natural for teachers to feel replaced, but they should rest assured that the intention of AI is far from that.
5 Reasons to embrace AI in education:
1. Personalized Learning Experience
Teachers are expected to prepare, teach, test, grade and mentor students in a class averaging over 30 students. It is common practice for teachers to teach more than 1 subject and multiple classes per subject. Many teachers on Reddit share that, realistically, a teacher can be assigned to an average of 200 to 300 students at a time. This style of mass production can leave students behind or unchallenged.
AI has the capability to assist in providing a personalized learning journey. Learning patterns are data that can be turned into valuable feedback for the teachers to act on. Taking it a step further, AI tailors content for teachers by allowing teachers to analyse a student’s results in factors such as response times, accuracy and engagement levels. This is key in addressing gaps in each individual student’s understanding. No student is forgotten or left behind.
2. Accessibility for the Disabled
Student disabilities can come in various forms which require more attention. Amongst the challenges faced by special needs education include shortage of teaching assistants, lack of classroom inclusion, mental and emotional distress on teachers, and more.
Tools such as speech recognition, text-to-speech, and image recognition help create a more inclusive learning environment. For instances, AI can transcribe education material such as lectures or provide visual aids for deaf students. In terms of emotional stability, teachers can depend on AI tutors to step-in during difficult teaching situations as the sophisticated program is naturally unphased.
3. Less grading, more teaching
AI is still far from replacing teachers. The human touch is crucial in producing a well-rounded graduate fit for society. Teachers can benefit from AI by saving time on repetitive administrative tasks and concentrate on mentoring students. The time saved enables teachers to facilitate teamwork activities between students that can help them in developing crucial life skills such as effective communication, developing important social skills, learning about cultural nuances, listening and understanding others, and more. Teachers will also gain time and energy to develop innovative teaching strategies for a positive educational environment.
4. Data driven teaching
AI empowers teachers with data-driven insights. By analysing patterns and trends of student performances, AI can highlight areas where students struggle. The light shed would be on-going and instantaneous. Teachers can be more reactive throughout the schooling year rather than waiting for exam results before adjusting their teaching styles. Minor changes in seating arrangements, number of assignments, location of study and amount of attention are some examples in the iterative process of improvement, which ultimately benefits student outcomes.
5. Preparing students in digital literacy
The word’s reliance on technology grows every day. It is essential for a contributing member of society to have strong digital literacy. Today’s AI landscape may still be in its adolescence. However, our students today will enter the workforce tomorrow with more robust and sophisticated AI tech knowledge. Exposing students to proper and ethical use of AI will be advantageous as it encourages critical thinking, problem-solving, and AI-related digital literacy skills.
It's reported in the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report that 85 million jobs may be replaced by automation, but 97 million new roles are projected to emerge. This highlights the evolution of skills needed in the workforce and the relationship between human, machine and algorithms. Judging from the near future’s projections, schools should begin embracing and investing in AI tools.
In conclusion, integrating AI into education brings numerous benefits that warrant celebration. It is not a battle between technology and teachers, rather a collaboration that ultimately benefits the students. By personalizing learning, enhancing accessibility, reducing administrative burdens, providing data-driven insights, preparing students for the future workforce, and fostering innovation, AI has the potential to revolutionize education. As we continue to explore and harness the capabilities of AI, it is essential to embrace and celebrate its contributions to creating a more effective, inclusive, and forward-thinking educational system.