Robot Teachers are Coming - Part 1

I’ll start by saying that these thoughts are very much my own and not linked to any organisation I’ve worked for, currently work for, or may work for in the future. I’m not planning on being controversial, but after 25+ years in education, I’ve formed lots of opinions, as you inevitably do, and they might be seen by some as a bit crazy.

Secondly, I don’t often post things like this.? Indeed, this is my first ever blog like this. This is not because I’m short on ideas (those who know me will tell you I’ve got plenty to say), but I’ve never been entirely convinced that people would want to hear any of them. If 10 people read this, I’ll be over the moon! However, after much encouragement from friends and colleagues (or maybe they’re just politely trying to stop me from talking at them!), I thought it might be time to share some thoughts.

Part 1 – A 5-Stage Model for Robot Teachers

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the role technology could play in education. Well, I say recently, but honestly, it’s been on my mind for years. Anyone who knows me or has worked with me has probably heard me go on about “Robot Teachers” more than once. In fact, I’ve been told more than a few times to give it a rest! (Spoiler alert: I’ve even named some of these robots, but that’s a story for a future part). It’s a topic that seems to come up regularly, whether we’re in the car or just having a chat over coffee. I even remember one late-night conversation at 3am, just after getting kicked out of Pop World - sorry to whoever had to listen to me then!

For the past 15–20 years, I’ve believed that technology will need to play a much bigger role in education. This belief comes down to a few personal beliefs:-

1. Education isn’t going anywhere. It’s always going to be important, and I don’t see that changing.
2. We’re facing a massive shortage of teachers globally. By 2050, the projected numbers are staggering, and it’s hard to see how we’ll meet the demand.
3. Even if we manage to find the people, ensuring high-quality teaching for every child is a huge challenge. Having a teacher in front of the class doesn’t always guarantee the best outcomes for every student.

I’m not suggesting that we replace teachers with robots - far from it! But I do think technology could offer a lot of support.? It’s not also about losing the human element, which I still see as vital, but more about finding ways to enhance and improve what teachers are already doing.

Some years ago, I read about the development of automated driving, which I believe uses a five-stage process to move from human-led driving to full automation. I’ve no idea if this is still used.? It got me thinking though, could we apply something similar in education? So, naturally (why wouldn’t you), I started sketching out a model of my own - a five-stage progression for how technology could evolve in education. It’s not perfect, but it’s been rattling around in my head for a while now, so I thought I’d share it.

Here’s a quick summary of those stages -

Stage 0: No Automation (Traditional Teaching) This is what I see as the standard/classic teaching setup.? Teachers are in full control, doing everything from lesson planning to assessment. Technology is there, but it’s just a tool, like maybe an interactive whiteboard or use of online resources.

Stage 1: Assistance Tools (Teacher Augmentation) Here, technology starts helping with specific tasks, like marking multiple choice questions or tracking student progress. It’s a supportive role, but the teacher is still very much in charge of the learning.

Stage 2: Partial Automation (Greater Blended Learning) At this stage, more teaching tasks are becoming automated. Educational software might deliver lessons or quizzes and adjust based on student progress. The teacher is still crucial, but technology is taking on a bit more of the workload.

Stage 3: Conditional Automation (AI-Led Instruction in Certain Areas) This is where AI starts to lead in some subjects or lessons.? Here I was thinking of certain tasks in my subject, maths or things like language learning. It can assess and personalise feedback, but teachers are still needed to handle anything beyond the AI’s capabilities.

Stage 4: High Automation (Autonomous Subject-Specific Teaching) AI can now take full responsibility for teaching entire subjects, assessing students, and managing feedback. At this stage I see teachers shifting into more of an advisory role, especially where creativity or emotional needs are needed.

Stage 5: Full Automation (Fully Autonomous Teaching) In this final stage, AI (our Robot Teachers) can handle everything - teaching, assessments, feedback, and even social and emotional aspects of learning. There’s no need for human teachers in this scenario (although I’d imagine there’d still be some areas where people would prefer some human TLC!).?

I’m sure someone out there will tell me that a 5-stage model like this this already exists for education. ?Sorry if I have missed it. To be honest, it’s just something that’s been floating around in my head, and I haven’t fleshed out every detail yet.? Please don’t ask any tricky follow up questions ?? I simply took a model that is used in a different context and tried to see how it might fit in education.? I appreciate that this does not always work.

Now, whether we’ll ever get to Stage 5 is still up for debate. A few years ago, I’d have said I wasn’t entirely convinced, but with the advancements in generative tools I’ve seen recently, I’m starting to believe that just about anything is possible. We will see. At the moment, I’d say most schools in England are sitting somewhere between Stages 0 and 3, and that’s perfectly fine. There are some really exciting developments happening in educational technology that fit within this framework.? Who knows too, maybe we’ll see progress through the stages sooner than we think.

So there it is! Hope you enjoyed it and it gave you a bit to think about; In future parts, I’ll share more about the robots and their personalities and also how Stage 5 might one day be possible and what (in my head) it might look like.