What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “artificial intelligence” or AI? The more imaginative among you might think of powerful thinking machines that may or may not be out there to take over the world. A more grounded reality would be that of deep learning or neural net software that helps with so many different modern fields, from mathematics and scientific research, to self-driving cars and smart homes.
AI, in short, has a multitude of applications, and it’s starting to make its way into education, and may forever change the way pupils are taught in classrooms and beyond.
In today’s blog entry, we explore the various aspects of education that AI has started to impact, and what this may mean for your child’s future.
Personalised, Individualised Learning
Perhaps the cornerstone achievement of AI up until this point is the use of data-driven techniques to understand human preferences. This is how social media and marketing are able to deliver highly targeted content to a large number of users, and how Spotify, Netflix, and other content providers can determine what recommendations to give to you.
Similar AI-based techniques used to determine these preferences can be used to make learning more personalised than ever for students. By testing students for their aptitude levels and preferences, AI will be able to provide highly personalised and individualized curricula for each student, which will optimize the learning experience for them. This is of particular importance to SISD, as we believe that student-centered learning environments are the key to maximizing student learning.
Automation For Mundane Tasks
Teachers spend far too much time doing administration tasks. All the paperwork and grading leaves teachers with much less time to do classroom instruction, where the development truly happens.
An AI assistant in the classroom can not only take the burden of grading multiple-choice tests off teachers’ shoulders, but even analyse scores and use the data to further assist in developing each student’s individual learning profile.
As AI gets better at natural language processing and understanding handwriting, it may well become possible for AI to understand more subjective grading such as essays. While AI will likely never replace human teachers when grading essays, it may be possible for AI to categorise essays and check for plagiarism in real time, taking away the time-consuming processes and allowing teachers to focus on the quality of student work.
Individualised Tutoring
It’s impossible for every teacher to be able to tutor each of their students on-on-one. But an AI that understands every student’s curriculum, their difficulties and their strengths may be able to serve as a suitable tutoring program. By providing students with more thorough testing and helping them walk through tougher problems, AI will be able to provide students with the personalised, individual help they need.
A Future-Forward School
At SISD, we believe in the power of technology in school. Our style of education has already taken the logical step forward into the Information Age, and embraced a curriculum that focuses on analytical reasoning and creativity over rote memorization, in a time of free and open access to information.
If and when AI makes changes to the way that students learn, the way teachers instruct, and the way entire educational platforms are planned and carried out, then you can be assured that we’ll be at the forefront of this.
