Teach Secondary 14.4

Bringing AI TO HEEL The benefits of AI for teachers will only be fully realised once schools have put appropriate regulations and safeguards in place, says Kirsty Treherne ... E arlier this year, as part of its AI action plan, the government pledged £1m in funding support for 16 edtech companies currently developing AI tools for use in education. Thoughmodest in comparison with broader AI initiatives in other sectors, it was a clear indication that the government is committed to integrating AI into the work being performed by the nation’s schools. The government has claimed that AI will guarantee that, “ Every child and young person, regardless of their background, can achieve at school ” while enabling teachers to, “ focus on what they do best: teaching. ” AI’s huge potential when utilised for educational purposes may seem undeniable, but its increasing adoption raises some important questions. What can AI realistically do to support teachers, and where does it fall short? Which AI-driven tools are genuinely useful in an education context, and which should be approached with caution – especially when placed in students’ hands? And crucially – how should AI be regulated so that it enhances, rather than undermines the teaching and learning experience? AI’s strengths Even prior to the government’s investment plans, we’ve already seen howAI tools are enhancing a education in a host of different ways. One of the most promising applications is in formative assessment and feedback. Research has shown that while high quality feedback significantly boosts student performance, teachers often struggle with the time-consuming nature of marking. AI tools, however, can cut the time teachers spend on formative assessment by up to 50%, enabling them to spend more time on teaching and engaging with students directly. Marking aside, online platforms such as Canva Magic Studio and MagicSchool are allowing teachers to quickly create interactive lessons and appealing instructional materials. Right now, many teachers are successfully using AI to support their lesson and curriculum planning, complete administrative tasks and create lesson activities. In tandemwith other technologies – such as text-to-speech and speech recognition software – AI’s visual recognition functions can also be used to make lessons more inclusive, and help students with SEND access materials that might have otherwise been unavailable to them. AI’s ability to personalise learning can additionally help to keep students engaged by tailoring content to their individual learning needs and progress – though this doesn’t mean that teachers should rely on it to create entire lessons from start to finish. Instead, we’ve learned that it can be used to support and speed up the kind of everyday processes that keep many teachers working far beyond the hours they’re paid for. The automation of labour- intensive tasks can free up teachers’ time, but it’s just as important to always maintain teacher oversight and judgement of the processes being undertaken by AI. The human element What AI cannot – and indeed should not – do, however, is replace the human aspects of teaching. Social and emotional development, critical thinking, interpersonal skills – these all require real human interaction. If AI tools are used without careful oversight, there’s a risk that teacher-student relationships could suffer. The DfE has shared some further concerns of its own regarding the propensity for some AI platforms to serve users misinformation, and some students’ growing over- reliance on AI software to do their thinking and responding for them. The ultimate goal is to encourage responsible and regulated use of AI technologies in ways that support teaching, rather than replace traditional methods. As such, we cannot ignore the accompanying risks. The government has urged schools to consider AI’s “ Possible impacts “Social andemotional development, critical thinking, interpersonal skills – theseall requirehuman interaction” 60 teachwire.net/secondary