1. Angela Newton &
Peter Gravell
United Kingdom
Te a c h m e e t B E T T 2 0 2 3
AI: exploring the brave new world and its
impact on education
#BETT2023
2. AI: exploring the
brave new world
and its impact on
Education
Peter Gravell
| Co-Founder Real Fast Reports
| Full Stack Developer
| Former Physics Teacher
linkedin.com/in/petergravell
Angela Newton
| Co-Founder Real Fast Reports
| Education Policy/Delivery @DfE UK
| Former Chemistry Teacher
linkedin.com/in/newtonangela
3. Hands up!
Who has….
1. Heard of ChatGPT?
2. Tried ChatGPT or AI tools?
3. Used ChatGPT or AI tools
regularly as educators?
4. What is AI?
“Artificial intelligence (AI) is the ability of a computer or a robot
controlled by a computer to do tasks that are usually done by humans
because they require human intelligence and discernment.”
Face ID Social media Email Google
Alexa /
google home
Banking Amazon Netflix
Common AI you probably already use:
5. So why the recent increased
media attention on AI?
● OpenAI launch of ChatGPT, a Large
Language Model (LLM)
● Huge leap in LLM capabilities (effectively
passing the “Turing test”)
● Increased awareness of potential for AI to
impact every corner of our lives
… which presents both opportunities and
challenges for society, in ways we can’t fully
envisage yet!
6.
7. The opportunities
for education are
wide reaching…
Enhance access
to learning
materials in the
classroom
Maximise
learning
progress at
home
Reduce teacher
workload
Tailor
assessment to
needs of learner
Redesign
curriculum
with focus on
skills for the
future
8. But there are
challenges to
consider too
…
Concerns of
over-reliance on
AI tools
Inaccurate
picture of pupil
progress
Outputs need to
be used with
caution
Assessment under
controlled conditions /
adapted emphasis?
Lag in
curriculum
catching up
9. ● The electronic calculator changed the way
maths was taught, learnt, and assessed.
● It was also used by teachers (and everyone)
to make their lives easier.
● Teachers and exam boards had to consider
when calculator use would/would not be
“cheating”.
10. Where does that leave us?
Thanks for listening!
● Anticipate huge changes for society at large
as result of rapid AI development and
integration into our lives over the next 2-10
years
● AI likely to transform our current teaching
and learning practices too - presenting both
significant opportunities and challenges
across the education landscape. The next
paradigm shift is here!
Editor's Notes
Quick intro and caveat this is a huge topic, impossible to do justice in 5 mins. Aim to give you a flavour
Take qus in turn to get sense of base understanding and engage audience
Recent headlines give us a flavour of some of the threats
Pupils using AI in the classroom - e.g. POSITIVES using tools to enhance and improve access to learning materials - e.g. applications for reading support, translation tools, text to speech, speech to text, text to image etc.
Students using AI at home -
E.g POSITIVES using tools such as chatbots, AI tutors and personalised learning platforms (CENTURY TECH) to get access to the support they need to maximise progress in their learning home
HOWEVER comes with risk of AI embedding misconceptions or inaccuracies (AI not 100% error and bias free) AND risk of teachers not necessarily having an accurate picture of pupil progress
Teachers using AI e.g.
E.g. POSITIVES.huge potential to reduce teacher workload (and for UK to contribute to stemming the flow of teachers leaving the professing due to burnout/overwork). E.g. applications for AI in lesson planning, creating resources, marking, writing reports etc. Potential to enable teacher to refocus energy on high value aspects of the role, and reduce admin burden
AI in assessment (formative and summative) -
E.g. POSITIVES - opportunities to tailor assessment type and difficulty to individual learner AND hugely reduce the marking burden on teachers and assessors
AI in the curriculum - how do we design a curriculum that prepare students with the skills they need for an AI future?
E.g. POSITIVES - opportunities to redesign curriculum to i) better integrate digital literacy across all subjects ii) encourage development of critical thinking, problem solving and other higher order thinking skills necessary to thrive in future jobs market
Pupils using AI in the classroom -
HOWEVER - concerns over negative impacts on student learning, safety and accuracy of content. E.g. New York City Public Schools network has blocked access to ChatGPT completely. If students rely excessively on ChatGPT for answers and solutions, they may become less motivated to learn independently, thus diluting human intelligence over generations.
Students using AI at home -
HOWEVER comes with risk of AI embedding misconceptions or inaccuracies (AI not 100% error and bias free) AND risk of teachers not necessarily having an accurate picture of pupil progress
Teachers using AI e.g.
HOWEVER, as for student use of AI tools, no AI is perfect, and teachers need to be critical of AI generated output in terms of accuracy and bias (e.g. gender/race). ChatGPT has all the flaws of humanity - i.e. overconfidence
AI in assessment (formative and summative) -
HOWEVER - risk of students using AI to generate assessed work for them, unless produced under controlled conditions. Calls into question the purpose of assessment, which will differ depending on assessment type - to assess students’ written communication? To assess memory recall of knowledge? To assess students’ ability to score marks on a mark scheme?
This ties in directly with….
AI in the curriculum - how do we design a curriculum that prepare students with the skills they need for an AI future?
HOWEVER - risk of curriculum change taking too long, leaving a skills gap for current cohorts. Onus on teachers to take action with the levers they have within their own classrooms and schools. AND risk of exacerbating disadvantage - students without access to reliable internet and capable devices left further behind their more fortunate peers.
Arguably AI has the potential to have a *much* more significant impact than electronic calculators
But the point still stands that the world didn’t come to an end, and maths education was not abolished as a result of the electronic calculator