Are we teaching the right things?

A common question in education is “Are we teaching the right things?” Some believe the fundamentals never change and others believe we are dealing with an ever-moving target. Including AI chatbots in the classroom is a notable way to keep up with the times. Schools are no longer the gatekeepers of information. Any attempt to keep AI out of students' minds is futile and will result in contempt for the teachers who oppose such an obviously helpful resource. We lived through reluctant schools getting technology into the hands of students too late and are faced with major learning loss across the board. Here is our chance to rectify that failure. 

Creating Global Citizens

AI lends itself nicely to cross-disciplinary connections. In all courses, students can study the opportunities, risks, and hazards of AI. A school year where all students and staff tackle the question “How will AI shape our future world?” allows students to collaboratively act as global citizens rather than isolated learners. Additionally, teachers can use AI to build supplemental materials outside of their specialty area. 

Executing a school-wide shift towards global learning of this caliber would require a great deal of teacher retraining. It will challenge pedagogy, as well as attitudes and dispositions. Teachers often feel too overworked to implement anything new in their classroom, instead defaulting to “what has worked in the past” With an already alarming teacher shortage, I worry that advancement in the field towards AI integration may scare off more staff.

"Just another tech tool"

Some may even argue that any attention to AI whatsoever is a waste of time. Many districts across the country are battling an achievement gap. Does it make sense to take any time away from core instruction for another “tech tool” when students are struggling with math and reading? Only with good results to back it up.