This post originally appeared on Brainly’s blog and is republished here with permission.
In the U.S, teachers are outnumbered on average 16 students to 1 teacher in the classroom (though this number can be as high as 23 to 1 in states such as California). According to a recent study, this ratio has stayed stable for years, but teachers are under more pressure and are working more hours than ever before – an average of 52-58 hours per week. So, what is the root of the problem, and what can we do about it?
One issue facing teachers is the seemingly never-ending stream of curriculum changes and standardization. The drive to deliver ever more content and to do so consistently across classrooms is well-intentioned. However, when combined with high student to teacher ratios, it is difficult, if not impossible, for teachers to provide individualized support for their students.
To hit the curriculum goals, teachers must set a pace for their classes that aims to hit specific lesson delivery targets during the school year. However, students often struggle individually with different topics and lessons and cannot always keep pace with the rest of the class. Teachers can’t slow down the lesson plans for the entire class to accommodate a few struggling students, and can’t provide individualized attention to all the students who need it to stay on track.
The situation is made even more challenging by the lack of suitable feedback mechanisms to help teachers understand who is struggling in class and to help them quickly find the root cause of the student’s challenges. Most tools that teachers have for this purpose are lagging indicators such as tests, quizzes, and homework. These lagging indicators exacerbate the issue of lack of capacity. With better feedback mechanisms and more support, teachers could adjust their lesson plans, teach in near-real time, and deliver the help when it’s needed – without slowing down or backtracking the entire class to help the small group of students struggling with that day’s lesson.
With many states facing a teacher shortage, smaller class sizes, or increased support in the classroom aren’t viable solutions to the challenges teachers face. Enter generative AI (GenAI).
AI in the classroom
Since its meteoric rise with the release of ChatGPT less than two years ago, AI has been seen as more of a challenge for schools than a solution. Worries about using AI for academic help and answering questions led to many discussions on its role in the classroom. As time has passed, it has become more apparent that rather than being a problem for schools, if used correctly , AI can potentially play a huge role in improving both teachers’ and students’ school experiences.
Our work with teachers has identified six areas where AI can have the most impact in the classroom:
- Data analytics for preventative intervention: AI-powered data analytics can help identify students who may need additional support before they fall significantly behind. By analyzing patterns in students’ grades, attendance, participation, and other behavioral indicators, AI algorithms can predict potential academic risks and learning disabilities. This will allow teachers to intervene early with tailored strategies to help every student succeed, ensuring minor setbacks don’t become major obstacles.
- Improved personalization, collaboration, and gamification features: AI can customize learning experiences to match each student’s individual needs, preferences, and learning paces. It can facilitate collaboration among students in different locations through intelligent matchmaking based on skills and interests. Additionally, gamification features, enhanced by AI, can make learning more engaging and enjoyable by incorporating game elements into educational activities, and motivating through rewards, challenges, and interactive storytelling.
- Immersive scenario-based learning: AI can create realistic and interactive scenarios for students to explore, making learning more engaging and effective. Students can be placed in simulated environments to practice language skills, solve complex problems, conduct experiments, or understand historical events as if they were there. This immersive approach can enhance comprehension and retention by providing practical, hands-on experience and allowing students to learn by doing.
- More intelligent tutoring systems: AI-driven intelligent tutoring systems can offer personalized instruction tailored to each student’s learning style and pace. These systems can assess a student’s current level of understanding and adapt in real-time to provide challenges that are neither too easy nor too difficult. AI-enabled tutoring systems can guide students through complex concepts, provide hints, and explain solutions in multiple ways, effectively mimicking the benefits of one-on-one tutoring. This can significantly enhance learning outcomes by ensuring students receive the support they need to master the material.
- Automated grading and feedback: Automated grading systems powered by AI can significantly reduce teachers’ time evaluating assignments and exams. Beyond just grading, these systems can provide personalized feedback on students’ work, highlighting areas of strength and suggesting improvements in areas of weakness. This immediate feedback can be invaluable for learning, allowing students to quickly understand and learn from their mistakes while also freeing up teachers to focus more on in-class instruction and individual student support.
- Virtual assistants for teachers: Leveraging AI, virtual assistants can handle a variety of administrative tasks for teachers, from scheduling and communication to the organization of educational materials and student records. These AI assistants can also help teachers create lesson plans by suggesting content, activities, and resources tailored to the class’s needs. By automating routine tasks, teachers can dedicate more time to engaging with students, planning innovative lessons, and focusing on professional development.
Each of these applications of AI in the classroom has the potential to significantly enhance both teaching and learning experiences, making education more efficient, personalized, and accessible for students everywhere. The real-world impact of these new tools and capabilities will be determined by how these new products are used, integrated, and adopted by teachers and schools. They don’t remove the fundamental need for teachers and students to do their part, and ultimately, success will be determined, as it always has been, by the teachers who care about their profession and their students and who inspire and motivate students to learn. However, they have the potential to help those same teachers focus on what they do best and to enable students at all levels to maximize their potential.
How fast is this AI revolution likely to appear in the classroom? The simple answer is that it’s already starting to happen, with tools like paper.co, a good example of initial offerings. The more important question is, when will these tools become ubiquitous in schools?
The answer is far faster than we have previously seen technology impact education. The reason for this is two dynamics we are seeing play out that create a situation unique in my time in education.
First, outside-in. Everyone involved in education saw the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on schools and the stress tests it placed on the use of technology in education. Investors and entrepreneurs, politicians, and the public-at-large all finally started paying attention. As a result, the discussion about the opportunity and role of technology in the classroom and the need for new and modern ed-tech solutions became a mainstream conversation. Because of that, money has finally started pouring into ed-tech resulting in lots of innovation, new ed-tech companies, and new ed-tech product offerings.
Then, inside-out. AI technology has been advancing for a while, but it got really good in 2022. These advancements made applying the technology much easier for builders like me who need this technology for the products we’re building. In addition, public awareness of the new capabilities went viral with the release of ChatGPT. People saw the utility and potential of a tool like ChatGPT for various purposes, including ed-tech. For the first time in my career, I heard educators asking how they can use AI in their classrooms.
This has created a unique situation – more interest and investment to fund those who want to build ed-tech, more interest from those who work in education to get modern, advanced technology into the classroom, and more advanced tools and technology than ever before to build education technology. The result is that over the next 5-10 years we’re likely to see more meaningful ed-tech solutions available to choose from and more of these solutions integrated into our classrooms than ever before.
Only the beginning – Where AI takes us next
Those of you keeping score may have noticed only six items in the list of AI tools above. Great as the positive impact these tools can have on classroom teaching, they represent the beginning of the changes AI will have on education, not the end-state. The seventh and final way AI will impact classroom teaching is perhaps the most important.
The rise of AI will drive a recalibration and serious reconsideration of what we’re teaching children. AI will continue to become more capable and will likely change the nature of many jobs. If education is intended to prepare a student to become a functioning and productive member of society and the workforce, we must recognize that some of the things we’ve held as education staples may no longer be relevant in the workforce of the future.
There’s currently too much uncertainty around AI’s impact on society to know how to start that conversation or where to take it – but at some point, it will need to happen. We can’t close our eyes to the changing world and stubbornly stick to antiquated ideas about what education should be. We must recognize that education is a system with a purpose and adapt that system as the world changes. We may even have to redefine the purpose of education.
I am optimistic that when the time is right, a thoughtful redefinition of the purpose of education and how our education systems serve that purpose will happen. It can be argued that such a redefinition is overdue but until this time we haven’t had a big enough change agent to force this conversation to the forefront of political and societal consciousness. AI will finally force that conversation – for the good of teachers, students, and society.
Related:
Enhancing learning through AI and human educators
Teachers say AI usage has surged since the school year started
For more news on AI in education, visit eSN’s Digital Learning hub
