What teachers need to know about AI — and why it matters

Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept — it’s already changing the way we teach, learn, and think. For educators, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Dr David Parsons, Research Director at academyEX and one of the experts behind our AI Essentials for Educators, and Designing Authentic Assesment in the Age of AI courses, shares why AI literacy is becoming crucial for teachers today.
 

The last few years have not been easy for the teaching profession

Already grappling with the long-term consequences of COVID lockdowns on student achievement, attendance, and well-being, and having major changes to curricula thrust upon them, teachers now have to deal with the arrival of increasingly powerful generative AI tools that are widely available to both themselves and their students.

Since generative AI is now impossible to ignore, all teachers need to position themselves somewhere along the long continuum that runs from ‘AI is an irrelevance’ to ‘AI poses an existential threat’.  Somewhere in the middle of that is a point where we can begin to make sense of what generative AI means for teaching and learning, now in the future. 

AI is not going to go away

A few things are self-evident:

• First, AI is not going to go away. 
• Second, its capabilities are only going to increase. 
• Third, no-one knows exactly what is going to happen in the coming years. 
• Finally, whether we like it or not, as educators we need to deal with AI in a way that ensures we maximise its opportunities while reducing its challenges.

Regardless of what teachers may think about AI, students are going to be using it, so every educator has to know about the types of AI tools that students use, how they use them, and what the consequences of that use might be for their learning.

Equally importantly, teachers need to know how they can use AI tools themselves to increase their efficiency, reduce their workload, and provide more inclusive, adaptive, and equitable learning experiences for their students. 

AI has impacted the roles of educators at all levels

It's a lot to deal with, isn't it? AI has impacted the roles of educators at all levels, the nature of learning objectives and assessment, the process of teaching and learning, and indeed, questions the whole basis of the education system.

These are big themes that we have to tackle as a society, but in the individual classroom, what can teachers do?

Given that the AI genie cannot be put back in its bottle, teachers need to develop a range of AI literacies in themselves and their students to feel confident about managing its role in learning.

They need to know about key concepts such as the impacts of AI, what it is, and how it works. They also need to be able to use AI, developing both cognitive and applied skills.

Equally, they need to develop their AI digital citizenship, developing an awareness of social, cultural, and ethical issues, alongside the potential risks of AI use and the mitigations that can be put in place.

Teachers can’t be expected to manage this on their own

As with the move towards digital learning in the previous decade, appropriate professional development is key.

Fortunately, there is an increasing range of options for teachers to learn about AI in education, including offerings from Tuihono UC | UC Online.

Whether you are concerned, excited, or a bit of both, about the impact of generative AI on education, now is the time to upskill and embrace its potential.

Get to grips with generative AI through our 20-hour short courses for teachers: AI Essentials for Educators, and Designing Authentic Assesment in the Age of AI.