Will AI replace Teachers? — Views from Australia and Slovenia
Written by Mrs Juliette Bentely (Australia) and Ms Lenka Žigon (Slovenia)
This article is part of a series on the topic “Will AI replace Teachers?” written by the participant teachers of #ASEFClassNet15 Conference, coming from 51 #ASEM countries. Check out the introduction essay here! Find more information about the conference here!
Australia
Australian teachers generally accept that education has changed from an industrial model of fixed outcomes to a paradigm of flexible outcomes and uncertain futures. They also recognise that AI goes beyond the binary yes-no, right-wrong substitution (SAMR Model: Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition) and is moving best practice toward the more complex models. These complex models will better leverage teachers’ capabilities so that greater engagement with creating new knowledge replaces regurgitating prior knowledge.
The fear of being replaced is a whisper of a shadow rather than a fear-inducing nightmare. We must design AI to add value to life and learning, not replace and ‘dumb’ down human capabilities. A sustainable future demands that we act quickly to educate our learners in terms of the “soft skills” that support our survival such as; compassion, collaboration, communication, commitment, conscience, resilience to productive failure, self-awareness, and self-efficacy. AI cannot do this, making face to face teacher-student engagement critical in teaching and learning. AI, by replacing time-consuming tasks that do not require a teacher, and diagnostic data collection, allows an educator to craft learning experiences that use information readily available in more meaningful ways. The data gathered on our learners can be better applied toward designing authentic learning experiences that measure them holistically and fairly across all demographics. In teaching what it means to be human, teacher’s jobs are secured.
Slovenia
Slovenia has a large student population aged 19 to 24 years. Practical knowledge is very important for the development of wider society, especially when we have in mind that students’ knowledge, both gained through formal and informal education, needs to fit the labour market. However, we still do not find much correlation between what is accomplished in formal schooling and the workplace.
The technological development has a great impact on schools and their pedagogical frameworks. When we consider the importance of AI in education, we think about the personalisation of the educational process, supporting different educational methods, and rebuilding classical learning tools.
AI can partially and effectively replace the teacher in routine procedures (e.g. assessments, exams, checking homework, language learning, etc.), and certainly virtual tutors such as Duolingo can teach some simple content and support language acquirement.
So, recognising that teachers will not be replaced, the main question is: how can teachers be better prepared for this ever-evolving teaching and learning context? How can universities educate future teachers on such new roles? AI goes beyond adjusting classic learning tools such as books, visual texts, computers, and phones. Content across all disciplines should become more integrated, interesting and supported by informed and discerning AI praxis. The application of AI goes beyond the bounds of STEAM teachers. It is incumbent upon all teachers to engage with best practice which means universities need more future thinking in their teacher training; and those already in schools need the patience, support, trust, and encouragement of school leadership.
AI will not completely replace teachers as basic human interactions are crucial in teaching and learning process. AI will, however, certainly support teacher’s work. This support will increase in the future technological development for society.
Bibliography
Holmes, W. B. (2019). Artificial Intelligence In Education. Boston: The Center for Curriculum Redesign.
NSW Department of Education. (2017). Future Frontiers Education For An AI World. (Loble, Creenaune, & Hayes, Ed.) Sydney, NSW, Australia: Melbourne University Press.
About the authors:
Mrs Juliette BENTLEY, Teacher and Technology Implementation Mentor Mt St Michael’s College, Ashgrove, Australia
Juliette is an Adobe Education Leader who conducts practical professional development workshops both nationally and internationally. She presented at the 2017 & 2018 Adobe AEL Summits in Sydney and attended the 2019 conference. She led an introductory workshop at the ALEA 2016 Conference in Adelaide, introducing English teachers to the Write the World (WTW) global platform for student writers. Her students contributed to the WTW Young Voices Across the Globe 2016 and 2017 journals. She has given workshops at several local and state conferences by the English Teachers Association of Queensland (ETAQ), at the Creating Future Libraries Conference 2016, and was interviewed about her student writers group on 612 ABC Radio in Australia. The Educational Reporter and The Australian Teacher publications have run stories on the impact of the group. Juliette is an ASEFEdu alumnus. Juliette is an alumna of the ASEF ClassNet.
Ms Lenka ŽIGON, Teacher of Chemistry & Ecology Biotechnical Centre Naklo, Slovenia
Lenka Žigon is teaching Chemistry and Ecology at the Biotechnical Centre Naklo. She has completed her Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and her Master’s degree in Chemical Education at the University in Ljubljana. She began her career as a Teacher Assistant at Unesco’s Centre for Chemical Studies in Ljubljana. Her research interests focus on education (formal and non-formal), teacher education, and STEM programmes. Her pedagogical work is also connected with different fields of Sustainable Development — especially ecology (e.g. Invasive species in the environment, Clean water protection, etc.) She has participated in several national and EU funded projects (e.g.: Comenius, Erasmus+, eTwinning, Pestalozzi, WWF, KulturKontakt programmes, EGU — European Geoscience Union (GIFT), etc.).
NOTE:
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely by the author(s) and do not represent that of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF).
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