Artificial Intelligence might seem quite alien, but it will have a huge impact on education and educators, and it is becoming increasingly clear that we will need to keep upskilling to use this new technology.
A tailored learning experience
Until now, teachers and schools had to adopt a one-size-fits-all approach, and treat students as a collective rather than as individuals. But research shows that if you give personalised content instead of one-size-fits-all material to different students, the student will grow faster both intellectually and personally. They will acquire new knowledge faster, they will progress at their own pace, and learn about their individual strengths.
Working with Machine Learning
Now, thanks to Machine learning, the branch of AI that finds patterns in data, teachers can gain actionable insights from student performance and make informed and efficient decisions in helping steer them in the best direction. When we add AI into the mix it becomes possible to make predictions about learning outcomes, retention and attainment.
Artificial intelligence is also able to analyse and evaluate written or spoken answers from students, and answer their questions. Multiple-choice and fill-in tasks are also easy to assess by an AI – so teachers can devote their time to other activities.
How do teachers fit into all of this?
Human teachers will always be needed to manage the classroom environment and to give students the encouragement they need. A large part of education for children is teaching them social-emotional skills. While artificial intelligence programs have proven, they can teach students to read or do math, teaching social and emotional skills is more complex. That requires the human touch and empathy, which only teachers can provide.
What does Artificial Intelligence mean for TeachPitch?
Over the next upcoming months, I, as Product Owner, will be leading the team in this research area and investigate how we can use machine learning applications and algorithms to improve our platform. Working with the EDUCATE team at UCL we will be able to develop features which can provide a more tailored and customised experience for you, the users of TeachPitch, so that content can be recommended based on your individual preferences and previous actions.
How has your school used artificial intelligence? Do you think artificial intelligence is the future of education? Let us know in the comment section below or send us your questions via info@teachpitch.com .
Written by Deji Olonilua
Sources cited:
http://www.talenteconomy.io/2016/09/02/what-skills-are-artificial-intelligence-students-learning/