Teacher support is the key to unlocking the potential of AI in the classroom

Key points:

Advances in large language models like ChatGPT have great potential to improve K-12 teaching and learning. LLMs can personalize learning, reduce administrative burdens on teachers, and provide more adaptive and insightful assessments. However, according to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org/learning/the-value-of-ai-in-todays-classrooms” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>survey 2024 According to Impact Research, 51 percent of K-12 teachers report that they do not use ChatGPT regularly for their work. So it's worth asking: why aren't teachers making the most of this innovative new technology?

Turns out, it's not because teachers fear or want to avoid ChatGPT entirely. Rather, the reason most cited by teachers for not using ai more in their classrooms is that they have not received enough training to use it effectively. Teachers want to do the right thing for their students and know that to use LLMs appropriately and for the full benefit of their students, they need support and guidance.

The best educational policies, practices, and tools will only have an impact on students if teachers can implement them. Teachers have the power to leverage ai in their classrooms or not.

It is up to political leaders at all levels to prepare educators for success.

Policymakers at the state and federal level have not kept pace with the speed of ai. At the local level, ai rules are a patchwork of policies that vary from district to district, if at all. At the state level, only about a third of state education departments have developed ai guidelines for their teaching workforce. At the federal level, Congress has not passed any significant legislation to take advantage of the opportunities and mitigate the risks of ai, neither in education nor in any other sector. The new proposal from the US Department of Education <a target="_blank" href="https://tech.ed.gov/files/2024/10/ED-OET-EdLeaders-ai-Toolkit-10.24.24.pdf” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>ai Toolkit for Educators It's a thoughtful step toward improving teachers' ai knowledge, but more resources, training, and support are needed to help teachers confidently leverage ai.

The 2024 Impact Research survey on <a target="_blank" href="https://8ce82b94a8c4fdc3ea6d-b1d233e3bc3cb10858bea65ff05e18f2.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/bf/24/cd3646584af89e7c668c7705a006/deck-impact-analysis-national-schools-tech-tracker-may-2024-1.pdf” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>ai chatbots in schools sheds light on K-12 teachers' perceptions and use of LLMs. Of the more than 1,000 K-12 teachers surveyed, 49 percent reported using ChatGPT in their teaching roles at least once a week. Of all the groups surveyed (teachers, K-12 students, college students, and parents), teachers represented the smallest group expressing confidence in using chatbots, and that's just confidence in using chatbots in general, not how to use them appropriately in a classroom. . Only a quarter of the teachers surveyed had received any training in this area.

It's not just a lack of training, but also school policies around ai in the classroom that hold many educators back. Only 32 percent of educators surveyed reported that their school has a policy outlining how ai chatbots can be used for school work. Without clear expectations about what is appropriate and what is not, it is not surprising that a large portion of teachers would prefer to stay away from ai rather than expose themselves to potential professional risk. Teachers are already under a lot of scrutiny and pressure. Of course, many are not comfortable experimenting with new technologies, as they have not received training or policies from their schools or districts.

This is where state leadership is needed. State education agencies should ensure that schools and educators have guidance on how to implement ai in classrooms. Otherwise, they will be navigating the ai ​​challenge and opportunity blindly. According <a target="_blank" href="https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/edcentral/implementation-resources-for-ai-in-education/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>this compilation Building on New America's ai and educational resources, a handful of states, both red and blue, have released ai guidelines for their schools. From Mississippi to California, educators in 16 states are benefiting from state-level ai frameworks and toolkits. But most states have yet to provide the guidance teachers say they need.

With state guidance, district leaders can tailor it to their community and focus on providing teachers with the resources and professional development they need to use ai effectively. Large districts, such as Boston and Los Angeleshave published guidance. Even a few small districts, such as St. Cloud, MinnesotaThey are offering their schools ai guiding principles and policies, but they are outliers.

Federal leaders also have a role to play. While most educational decisions are made at the state and local level, the federal government has the power to direct critical resources to solve national educational challenges. The lack of training and support for educators to implement dynamic, fast-moving technology with the potential to transform education is a national problem worth solving.

The NSF ai Education Act of 2024, introduced in both the <a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/4394/text?s=1&r=2&q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22NSF+ai+Education+Act+of+2024%22%7D”>Senate and Home and which has already received a favorable report from the commission, would address this issue by expanding ai professional development opportunities for teachers and student teachers. This legislation would allow the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award grants to undergraduate and graduate students training to teach artificial intelligence skills to K-12 students (and students at other levels). The bill would also support competitive awards awarded by the NSF Director to promote research on how to better prepare incoming and current teachers to integrate ai into preschool through 12th grade classrooms.

This is the kind of bill that has bipartisan appeal and could pass before the year is out, especially if it is part of a broader package on ai policies.

Right now, ai in the classroom is a promising idea that is only implemented in certain sectors of the country. Making federal and state investments in ai literacy and frameworks for educators will increase teachers' ai knowledge, skills, and confidence and bring the best of ai to more classrooms across the United States.