Why AI will never replace the innate curiosity and inspiration - love of learning

We’ll experience more technological progress in the coming decade than we did in the preceding 100 years put together, says McKinsey in 2021.

Understanding the impact these tech trends will have on organizations and on the people whose jobs will be affected, could be key to taking full advantage of all that it has to offer.

ChatGPT

There is a great deal of debate on the new addition to technology ChatGPT developing a uncertainly on how it will impact industry, education and employment.

Some schools have even banned ChatGPT in the classrooms already –however like the internet, it is here to stay and get better and better.

Like any new technology – we can look at it with fear, or embrace it.?Chat GPT is different to Google, in that it is based on artificial intelligence, it can can understand and respond to human language and respond immediately and robotically.

Machine learning has taught it to simulate natural human conversation, and programmed it have knowledge data bases, for all disciplines, Using more than 300 billion words from the internet and sourcing books, Wikipedia, research articles, web texts, websites, and other forms of content and writing.?

It is functional, for example with a mark scheme and a sample student answer, it can mark an exam paper in less than 10 seconds.

It can write lesson plans and design questions for the teacher, content, tasks, exercises, definitions and even base them on Blooms taxonomy.

It can create curriculum documents, translated to any language.

It produces PowerPoints and slides.

The role of the teacher

There is no doubt that if teaching remains as the teacher teaching from the front of the class this new technology will save a lot of time.?It is innovative.

This will exasperate the fear of students being able to ‘cheat’ by Chat GPT writing their essays, correcting their spelling mistakes, if teaching methodology stands still and does not innovate.

Schools have already banned it. Is a ban for students using AI appropriate? Money and resource are be spent on creating AI-detecting tools that detect plagiarism, for our students.

Is this not short sighted and related to traditional teaching and assessment?

If the teacher continues to drive learning through being the person at the front of the class who passes on information using GPT and then produces tests using GPT, then surely students will outsmart the teacher.?There is no way that we can ban the student’s knowledge and ability to use apply technology.?They have been born into it, are excited by it and surrounded by it.?They become masters very quickly.

If students enter a dialogue with ChatGPT about how to improve their work then again this is teacher led - and functional, with AI replacing teacher - so like Google it can help as it more rapidly assists them in for example creating a website, and writing blogs, translating them also and soon students will be able to access ChatGPT on their phones. Its like asking the students to research. Task driven.

And yes, students can ask ChatGPT for personal advice, practice interviews, discuss theories, ask for career ideas - yes this technology is advanced and will get better.

Why AI will never replace deep learning

Although there is no doubt that As AI can free up teachers to focus on students learning it will be even more important to build students’ self-regulation skills and not become dependent on AI, like we are now with Google Maps – and in an area without signal, we are lost, like dependency on the mobile phone, the google translate.

Natural curiosity is nature driven and starts from birth.??The skills of questioning, critical analysis, and application are unique and personal, full of emotion. Even though there is a perception that teachers' lives will be improved, what we cannot do is use AI technology as an excuse for teaching learners to take agency in their learning. Learner agency is not about dependence on technology.

Good learning is about embracing and understanding, good teaching is about students learning...and creating independent and motivated learners. Creating independent learners means them having a clear understanding on what is expected of them - on a personal basis.

Chat GPT will not replace the need for teachers still having a deep and fluent knowledge and understanding of the content they are teaching. This is where the passion in teaching comes from. The best teachers love their subjects, know their material and are passionate about it - and this shows.

The teachers willingness to take input from students prior learning, showing a flexibility in their own conceptual understanding according to the changing environment – this inspiration and passion and passionate is contagious and human.

AI will not replace the importance of a teachers to developing a good relationship?with the students, and inspiring them to interact with each other and with the teacher.

AI will never replace mutual respect, care, empathy and warmth which is always visible where great learning is going on.

Personalising learning?means teachers being positive about each students individual needs, culture and work ethic, or ability to organise themselves and helping them find their own way without negating or demotivating them with perhaps a test culture.

Passing on the responsibility to AI is not inspiring self-regulated learning and independence.

Students rephrasing and understanding what they should be doing and providing a clear rationale, of why and the relevance of what they are learning – without depending on AI is a key skill that we cannot lose, if we use AI as a tool only.

Teaching is about being able to respond and interact according to the individual students?thinking, or background knowledge, experience and understanding and provide advice to guide their learning and opportunities to work through any misconceptions – developing their drive for high expectations in a safe learning environment.?This personal interaction is the magic.

AI can generate questions and dialogue to promote elaboration and cultivate student thinking but it cannot replace the human element which inspires deeper learning.

Human learning

• Students planning, independently, regulating and monitoring their own learning, understand curriculum expectations and using human self and peer assessment to re-activating or check prior knowledge and build connections to current learning.
• Teachers asking deep questions and allowing students to respond to each other - in an orchestrated manner involving all students does not require AI.
• Checking for understanding and allowing students to present or talk / write.
• Students developing self belief - but also the teacher being ready to provide support for difficult tasks, modeling and demonstrating new skills or procedures provides.
• Students?providing personal interpretations and promoting learner motivation developing autonomy.

Good teaching

Good teaching is about impact- where students learn more. Simply understanding how students learn is the key focus to improve learning.

Whatever the curriculum or objectives,?it is?about developing an environment that?empowers learners to chart their own learning outcomes and developments that are relevant, valuable and transformational in order to make a difference in today's very volatile world and can be helped by using AI as a tool, not replacing human learning.

Tassos Anastasiades?