Yet 60% of teachers still don’t use it. 🤔
Spoiler alert: it’s not their fault.
Plenty of past EdTechs have claimed they will revolutionize teaching. Most have failed. Remember filmstrips? Interactive whiteboards? The list goes on and on.
The difference with AI, as I’ve argued in past posts, is that no other EdTech can replace thinking. Whether or not you’re impressed by GenAI’s output (and yes, plenty of its output is unimpressive), it demonstrates a kind of intelligence never before seen in any EdTech.
Students are already hard at work leveraging that intelligence.
Educators must not ignore it!
Recent teacher surveys show a lack of adoption or even a lack of interest in learning about AI.
A December 2023 EdWeek survey showed 37% of teachers have no interest in ever using AI in the classroom, while another 22% have vague plans to start at some point in the future. The following 21% use it “a little.”
Said another way: 60% of educators have not tried AI in the classroom in the 14 months since ChatGPT made its public debut, and the next 20% have barely scratched the surface. 80% of teachers are barely or never using AI. 😬
The same EdWeek survey examined the reasons for this lack of use. While the top reason listed is “other priorities,” many of the responses cited lack of knowledge of how to use it effectively. 😬😬
There are some deeply compelling use cases for AI in education. Most of them boil down to one fact: when used well, AI frees time to focus more on students.
AI can be a teacher’s partner for brainstorming or lesson planning, or a student-facing tool for learning or creation that allows the teacher to focus on individual student needs. MagicSchool AI is one commonly listed AI solution, but even lowly chatbots like ChatGPT or Claude can be amazing time savers when used well.
There is huge potential for AI in education.
But only if teachers know how to use it.
It’s up to school and district leadership to support their teachers in learning how to use these new tools. Teachers need release time and training to incorporate AI. It can’t be just another expectation on top of grading/e-mails/planning/etc, or it just won’t happen.
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