UK college class uses AI instead of human teachers

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Category: Education/Family

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Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. bespoke / bɪˈspoʊk / (adj.) – made or designed specifically for someone
    Example:

    The dress was bespoke to Marie, fitting her body perfectly and matching her favorite color.


  2. fallible / ˈfæl ə bəl / (adj.) – capable of making mistakes or being wrong
    Example:

    He is a great leader, but he’s still fallible. We shouldn’t expect him to be right all the time.


  3. inert / ɪnˈɜrt / (adj.) – does not or cannot move; not active
    Example:

    The old machine was inert, so they had to replace it.


  4. dehumanize / diˈhyu məˌnaɪz / (v.) – to lessen or remove human involvement or interaction in something, such as a process or place
    Example:

    Many companies are dehumanizing the workplace by replacing personal interactions with chatbots and automatic replies.


  5. bleak / blik / (adj.) – describing something that looks dark, sad, or without hope
    Example:

    Without any vision or new ideas, the company’s future could seem bleak to its employees.


Article

Read the text below.

A private college in the U.K. is about to start its first class taught using artificial intelligence instead of human teachers.


David Game College in London is offering an alternative program of study for 20 GCSE students starting September. GCSEs are the general examinations that all students in the UK take at the age of 16.


The platforms learn the strengths and weaknesses of each student and then adapt their lessons accordingly. Strong topics are moved to the end of the term so they can be revised, while weaker areas will be tackled more immediately. This means each student’s lesson plan is bespoke to them.


“There are many excellent teachers out there and we have many here at the college, but we’re all fallible. If you really want to know exactly why a child is not learning, I think the AI systems can pinpoint that more effectively,” says John Dalton, Co-principal at David Game College.


GCSE students have been testing out the new tech.


“Teachers don’t know exactly, precisely what I’m unable and able to do, where the AI can just figure out just by a few questions what I’m weak in and what are my strong points,” says GCSE student Michael.


But some say removing teachers from the equation will harm students in the long run. Chris McGovern was a head teacher and an educational adviser to the U.K. government. Now he campaigns against this new type of education style.


“Children will lose a great deal from that AI experience. They need to have teachers. They need to interact with other children. And that’s fundamental. The problem with the AI in the computer screen is that it is a machine and it’s inert. So you’re straight away dehumanizing the process of learning. It’s a soulless, bleak future if it’s going to be on the AI path only,” he says.


The U.K. government announced a new project in August to help teachers use AI more precisely. A bank of anonymized lesson plans and curriculums will now be used to train different educational AI models, which will then help teachers mark homework and plan classes.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • Chris McGovern says using AI teachers dehumanizes the process of learning. In what ways do you think using AI teachers dehumanizes learning? Do you think students would miss out on anything important if they were taught by AI instead of human teachers? Why do you say so? Discuss.
  • What did you like about your teachers when you were in school? How do you think your experience would be different if you had an AI teacher? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • The AI teachers learn the strengths and weaknesses of each student and then adapt their lessons accordingly. How important do you think it is for lessons to be bespoke to each student’s strengths and weaknesses? Do you believe all students should have access to personalized learning plans? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Some say removing teachers from the equation will harm students in the long run. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? How do you feel about teachers using AI to help with tasks, like grading and planning lessons? Would this make teachers more effective? Discuss.