Teach-Primary-Issue-19.1

68 | www.teachwire.net BE T T PRE V I EW Professor Rose Luckin on the future of AI in education, and why giving teachers a voice is the key to success VISIONS OF THE 2040 CLASSROOM Teach Primary: What will the primary classroom look like in 2040? Rose Luckin: It’s incredibly hard to predict, but we’re seeing a lot of enthusiasm across the English education system about AI. Obviously not from everybody; there are still a lot of people who are not engaging with it, understandably, because they’ve got far too many things on their plates. But there is engagement. However, for many educators, the key is having an understanding of howAI works and its implications, because it’s incredibly difficult to leverage it, both for their pupils and for themselves, if they don’t have that skillset. TP: So CPD is the cornerstone of this development? RL: Yes. We knowAI will be a factor, there’s no stopping that, so it’s essential for people working in education – across the sector, but I think particularly in primary – to have a say in, and a knowledge of, how this technology is used. We also need to make clear that the things our educators are really good at – those human connections – are still hugely valuable, perhaps more than ever. And, actually, how they work with tech tools can emphasise that expertise; we don’t want to use AI to automate or enhance processes that don’t work well. And it’s the educators that knowwhat works and what doesn’t. TP: How far should teachers engage with the ethical side of AI? RL: Training and support will be essential, not only so teachers can meet their pupils where they are, but also to empower educators to really have a voice in what AI should and shouldn’t be able to do. What do they think is acceptable? There are risks. Safeguarding risks already exist, of course, but AI will make thembigger andmore significant. There are also more subtle risks if AI is allowed to do too much. For example, with some consumer AI tools, we’re already being told they’re going to make our lives effortless. As an educator that’s not a message I’mvery comfortable with, because learning isn’t effortless. And that’s a really important argument for why teachers need to be part of the conversation, because we don’t want a slew of products out there telling learners they don’t need to work hard anymore. In reality, I think that intellectually, we’ll have to workmuch harder. TP: And what role does Big Tech have in all this? RL: Unfortunately, there is already a huge advantage gap between what independent and state schools are reaping from these technologies. That’s not an indictment of either, but that’s the way it is; there’s so much that AI can do, but it will take significant investment. Big Tech can help with that – they will gain an awful lot from selling their products in the education sector, so they could help us with some of our key challenges, such as creating tools to address the SEND crisis. Our system is under incredible strain, and they could step up to assist. Rose Luckin is professor emeritus at UCL, and founder and CEO of Educate Ventures Research Limited. See her discuss visions of the 2040 classroom at 14:15 on 22 Jan in the Bett Arena . RECOMMENDS Lights! Camera! Action! Visit HUE at stand SM60 to discover how the company’s award-winning HUEAnimation Studio and HUE HDPro visualisers can bring any lesson to life. Teach topics like climate change or maths with stopmotion animation, magnify tiny wonders, or record lessons for CPD, all with tools designed tomake creativity effortless in the classroom. Be the first to glimpse top-secret product releases and enter to win #HUEcameras. You Bett-er not miss HUE at stand SM60... BBC Teach BBC Bitesize offers curriculum- linked, self-study and home learning for primary pupils. There are thousands of simple, impactful learner guides with videos, activities and quizzes to help children learn step by step. Plus, there are educational games for maths, English, science andmore. The BBC Teach website is packed with short curriculum-linked videos bringing the best BBC content into your classroom; assembly plans; and education campaigns. Look out for newLive Lessons in 2025marking keymoments in the school calendar including Safer Internet Day, World Book Day and ScienceWeek. Join us on stand SS71 to find out more.