Revolutionizing Education with AI: The Emergence of Teacher-Aid Chatbots
As the educational landscape evolves, the advent of AI chatbots presents a novel opportunity for teachers. This September marks a pivotal moment as students in the U.S. embark on a school year equipped with AI tools like ChatGPT and Bard. Despite scepticism among educators about these tools, mainly due to concerns about facilitating cheating, a transformative approach is emerging.
Two pioneering groups are developing AI chatbots designed to democratize access to peer-reviewed educational research, often confined within expensive academic journals. They aim to create tools surpassing general-purpose AI like ChatGPT, particularly in handling research topics with conflicting findings. The goal is to bridge the gap between complex academic research and practical classroom application, making high-quality research a routine element in teachers’ workflow.
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) introduced ‘Stretch AI’, a chatbot grounded in content approved by ISTE and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. This tool, currently in beta, promises to integrate external, peer-reviewed education research in an understandable and meaningful format, as per ISTE’s CEO, Richard Culatta.
Another significant endeavour is from The Learning Agency, which is leveraging the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse to provide evidence-based education advice. This initiative aims to transform academic research into practical guidance for educators.
These AI tools are designed to overcome the challenges teachers face in accessing, understanding, and applying educational research. By providing concise, reliable summaries and actionable insights from academic studies, these chatbots could significantly impact education, addressing long-standing issues like adherence to unsubstantiated educational fads.
In essence, these AI-driven initiatives represent a promising stride towards enhancing educational practices by integrating evidence-based research into daily teaching methodologies. As these tools evolve, they hold the potential to revolutionize the way educators access and utilize academic research, paving the way for a more informed and effective teaching approach.
Source: Toppo, G. (2023, September 11). How new AI chatbots could help teachers with their toughest problems. Fast Company.
