Building Better Classrooms with AI
- Published on: August 23, 2024
- |
- Updated on: November 6, 2024
- |
- Reading Time: 6 mins
- |
-
Views
- |
Every morning, fourth-grade teacher Anne watches her students walk into the classroom.
Sean bounces in with excitement, ready to learn something new. Maria sits quietly, worried about today’s math lesson. And Eric slumps in his chair, feeling like he’s already behind.
“How can I help each of them learn in their own way?” Anne often wondered.
But everything changed for good when Anne’s school introduced a new learning assistant. This AI-powered learning assistant was designed to help teachers like Anne to create learning plans unique for each student. Anne incorporates it into her lessons and regularly assesses if this is helping her students who need a little extra help. The result? A classroom that was excited and curious to learn more.
Stories like Anne’s are becoming more common thanks to smart technologies like AI. In a recent podcast conversation, Sunil Gunderia, Chief Innovation Officer at the Age of Learning talks about this very change that is helping students learn better. He explains how AI in education bridges the gap between a teacher’s goals and a student’s needs by offering a learning experience that adapts to each student in real-time.
Why Do Schools Need Help?
Sunil pointed out that as per NAEP scores, over 60% of fourth graders aren’t reading or doing math at grade level. For many students, especially those from low-income families, lack of support in these key areas often leads to struggles in later grades. Nearly 9 million young students face these difficulties, increasing their likelihood of dropping out of school and resulting in fewer job opportunities and lower wages.
Building a System That Really Works for Every Student
To make AI effective, it needs to do more than simply “know the answers”. It has to understand how students in a, let’s say, Anne’s classroom learn. That’s where adaptive learning technology steps in, tailoring content based on each student’s needs and pace.
Sunil explains that developing AI tools for early education takes more than just advanced software. These systems need to be designed with educational knowledge and real-time tracking. It involves using backward design, creating knowledge maps, and applying learning sciences to make sure these products meet the needs of young learners.
Supporting Parents and Teachers
Sunil discusses that involving parents in their child’s education can be tricky. An underutilized resource that wants to help but fears they will negatively impact their child’s learning. To change this, we need to simplify the process for parents, reduce their anxiety, and help them support their child’s learning journey in meaningful ways.
The focus should shift to providing extra help, more time for learning, and fair funding for schools in disadvantaged areas. With the right research and technology, schools can solve these problems effectively. For example, Benjamin Bloom’s research on mastery-based learning suggests that one-on-one tutoring is the most effective way to achieve better educational outcomes.
Another great example is adaptive learning technology. It can personalize instruction to enhance student engagement and understanding. This also helps educators to provide targeted support and tailor teaching methods for struggling students.
Vygotsky’s idea of the Zone of Proximal Development backs this up, showing how important it is to teach students material that fits their current knowledge level. Adaptive learning systems do this by using ongoing assessments to find out what each student is ready to learn next.
However, using AI in early education isn’t without challenges.
Building a Bridge Between Evidence and AI with Early Education
K-12 education requires careful attention to how students grow and what teaching methods work best. When we try to mix AI into this wide world of education, we face some challenges, like needing detailed knowledge and accurate data about students.
That’s why companies need to design fun, interactive tools that keep young learners excited about learning. AI can also help parents understand how their child is doing in school. Here’s how:
- AI can automatically send parents and teachers updates on how a student is progressing, showing learning milestones and areas that need improvement.
- AI can help calm parents by providing clear reports on their child’s progress and offering personalized tips on how they can support learning at home.
- AI can suggest special activities or resources based on what each student needs, helping teachers and parents fill in any learning gaps.
- AI can create simple dashboards filled with the most important information. These dashboards are designed with input from teachers, making sure they meet the needs of the classroom.
AI can also provide practical tips for parents to reinforce what their child is learning at school, making lessons come alive at home. This kind of support keeps parents informed and encourages them to be active participants in their child’s education.
Future Trends of AI in Education
Looking ahead, AI is about to change how we teach kids. It will make learning more personal, making sure each student gets what they need to succeed. With AI, school can become more fun and exciting, and it can also make things easier for teachers.
One big way AI will help is by using information about students. By looking at how kids perform, AI can show teachers the best ways to teach. This means teachers can change their lessons to fit the needs of their students. When this happens, students will learn better, and teachers will become even better at their jobs.
In early education, AI will make learning just right for each child. It will help create fun games and tools that make learning enjoyable. Plus, AI will keep track of how kids are doing and catch any problems early. This way, parents will get helpful information to support their child’s learning at home.
AI will create personalized learning paths for each student based on their needs and interests. By tracking engagement, AI will improve learning experiences and keep students interested. It will also help schools use resources wisely and offer scalable support which will make quality education more accessible.
Advice for Edtech Developers
Sunil shares one more key insight for those creating these AI tools: it’s essential to focus on real-world impact. Drawing from ideas in Todd Rose’s book The End of Average, he emphasizes the importance of moving beyond one-size-fits-all education to a model that values each student’s unique strengths.
For developers, this means:
Define Your Theory of Change
Developers should clearly articulate how their educational technology will lead to desired outcomes. This means outlining the steps and processes through which their product will improve learning and meet students’ unique needs, rather than following a one-size-fits-all model.
Measure Impact Effectively
It’s important to have methods for assessing how well the technology is working. This involves collecting and analyzing data to determine if the product is meeting its goals and benefiting students.
Leverage Existing Research
Build on the current body of research in education and technology. By incorporating proven strategies and findings, developers can create more effective and evidence-based solutions.
Aim for Broad Impact
The goal should be to create technology that has a wide-reaching positive effect. This means designing products that can adapt to various educational contexts and benefit a diverse range of students, rather than focusing on narrow or niche applications.
Coming Full Circle
Today, Anne’s classroom feels different. Maria now raises her hand confidently during math. Eric reads with a smile on his face. And Sean finds new challenges that keep him excited about learning. Parents are happier too. They can see how their children are doing and know exactly how to help them at home.
At Magic EdTech, we want every classroom to be like Anne’s. We’re dedicated to working with education providers to ensure every child gets the support they need to succeed. To learn more about our services, visit our website today.
Dipesh is an experienced revenue professional with a knack for Sales, Marketing, and Presales leadership. But he's more than just a title – he's the driving force behind growth, fueled by his commitment to putting customers first. Dipesh's expertise isn't just in numbers; it's in building meaningful connections and solving real challenges across K-12. Whether it's product growth, improving learner and teacher relationships, or relationship management, he's your go-to person for making genuine connections and driving success.
Get In Touch
Reach out to our team with your question and our representatives will get back to you within 24 working hours.