The Case Against AI in education

There is much that has been said and written about when it comes to artificial intelligence, and not all of it is good. Some have gone as far as to even say that AI will lead to the death of education itself, due to the ways in which students are misusing websites such as ChatGpt to complete graduate-level assignments, which itself raises ethical questions. This also brings into question the integrity of work that is being submitted. There exists the argument that as AI continues to evolve, students as young as those students in primary school will start to use artificial intelligence to complete homework assignments with little, if any, human input.

Revised Thinking

To such a damning and compelling argument, a possible alterative solution emerges if educators and students work with artificial intelligence in a collaborative manner, using it as an assistive tool to aid them in their roles as practitioners and seekers of knowledge. There are various AI-informed tools that can be used by educators to create bespoke resources and tailored pathways for students, as well as by students themselves, to create revision material for themselves using classroom resources. What remains important is the approach taken, as it is of tantamount importance that the teacher remains in control to the AI-assisted tool being used, and not allow themselves to become subservient to it.

Responding to the growth of AI in education, researchers Ning et al. (2024) bring to light their AI TPACK framework, which represents a ‘nuanced and specialized form of knowledge that emerges from the intersection of’ what they categorize as ‘disciplinary knowledge’, ‘pedagogical knowledge’ and ‘artificial intelligence’. This framework is key to us being able to revise our understanding of the place of artificial intelligence in education. This framework can help teachers to develop their understanding of how AI can enhance instructional strategies, as well as engaging students in the classroom. It also enables teachers align AI with their existing pedagogical practices, the consequence being of course that it then allows the teaching to become not only more personalized, but also more data-informed.

Personalised Learning

There is strong support in both pedagogy and practice that we are at this moment on the precipice of change, and are on the cusp of using artificial intelligence to digitally transform education in a way that it becomes more personalized than it already is. As Harry (2023) notes, ‘artifical intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize the way we learn and teach, making it more personalized, engaging, and efficient’. As for the way in which this can be done, then it must be through school managers and leaders giving every teacher AI-informed assistive tools that are there to assist them in order to help them personalize learning for all students.

One such assistive tool is a website called Gradescope. This is an assistive tool that, if used correctly, can be used to grade student work, and give the teacher diagnostic analysis of the questions their students need support with on an individual basis. Such analysis can then be used directly by the teacher to create a tailored, and personalised learning pathway for the student, also informing one-to-one feedback conversations with students following the completion of a term paper or assessment. AI-assisted marking tools such as Gradescope can quickly identify where a student needs specific support. On the note of responsive and adaptive teaching, this then allows the teacher to adapt their teaching resources in order to meet the specific needs of the students in front of them. This is one step closer to personalized learning and bespoke teaching.

Some educators have already started doing this, with Srinivasa et al. (2022) stating that ‘as a result of machine learning and adaptability’, in some schools, ‘curriculum and content has been customized and personalized to meet students’ needs, promote uptake and retention, and ultimately improve students’ learning experience’.  We need more teachers and educators around the world to take such pioneering steps in reshaping their teaching practices.

When it comes to the creation of revision resources or even resources for the classroom, teachers across both primary and secondary school are often overstretched due to timetable demands, and sometimes, a teacher may need a resource to be created on a topic quickly and efficiently. Teacherbot, an AI-informed website that allows teachers to create resources to then adapt at the click of a button can help those busy teachers. The brainchild of Katie Hasselstrom, this application has created over 40,000 resources for 15,000 teachers around the world, who have used the resources created by Teacherbot and then adapted them for their students accordingly.

Moreover, such AI-assisted tools are not limited to teachers, and resources such as Jungle AI can help students to autonomously create their own revision material using the resources their teachers have used with them in the classroom. For students with Special Educational Needs, AI-informed text-to-speech software such as Cockatoo and speech-to-text applications like Smart Noter AI can be used by those students to access the material in front of them, and demonstrate their understanding accordingly.

Creating A Culture Of Responsible Use

Ultimately, what it comes down to is the approach that is taken towards AI by both teachers and students, and the classroom culture that is created with regards to its use. As educators, we have to create a culture wherein we do not take a knee-jerk reaction to the uses of AI and ban it completely. Rather, we need to create a culture where we do encourage its use in ethical and responsible ways.

The answer to the question related to its ethical use lies in the approach taken by the teacher, and how we model the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom by using it ourselves within our classrooms, and then talking students through that use. As educators, we need to train ourselves and then our students to use artificial intelligence as an assistive tool. The applications mentioned above are just the tip of the iceberg, as the possibilities that lie ahead are as endless as they are promising.

Works Cited

Harry, A. (2023). Role of AI in Education. Interdisciplinary Journal & Humanity (INJURITY), 2(3).

Ning, Y., Zhang, C., Xu, B., Zhou, Y., & Wijaya, T. T. (2024). Teachers’ AI-TPACK: Exploring the relationship between knowledge elements. Sustainability, 16(3), 978.

Srinivasa, K. G., Muralidhar Kurni, anKuppala Saritha. “Harnessing the Power of AI to Education.” Learning, teaching, and assessment methods for contemporary learners: pedagogy for the digital generation. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore, 2022. 311-342.