The Role of AI in Education: Navigating the Benefits and Limitations
Key Points
- AI can help develop soft skills, but they are uniquely human capabilities
- AI’s transformative role in accessibility
- Educators are more comfortable than students when it comes to AI use
- For more news on AI in education, visit eSN’s Digital Learning hub
Should I Let My Kids Use AI as a Learning Aid?
As the father of an elementary school student, I’m one of these parents. I want my child to be a successful learner, so how do I offer effective, meaningful academic support? Should I turn to AI for tutoring when my child struggles? Because I have experience in the edtech industry, I have some thoughts on what I think the key question should be: How can I nurture a genuine love of learning?
AI’s Role in Education
We know that students today are still struggling academically, and research shows that tutoring can have a strong positive impact on student learning outcomes. We also know there are three essential instructional skills that support effective learning: the ability to personalize teaching, foster critical thinking, and inspire a passion for learning.
How AI Can Help
AI can provide these skills to some extent, but there is a limit to how useful artificial intelligence can be in each of the essential three areas. Here’s what we know about how AI can be helpful–and where it’s not:
Personalized Tutoring
- Helpful: AI can adapt content delivery to suit your child’s individual learning style, whether they are a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner.
- Not helpful: While AI can adjust content, it cannot fully tailor its teaching methods in the same way a human tutor can.
Fostering Critical Thinking
- Helpful: AI can present challenging problems and scenarios for your child to solve, encouraging them to think critically.
- Not helpful: AI struggles to foster deeper critical thinking and problem-solving skills that require nuanced understanding and interactive discussions.
Inspiring a Love of Learning
- Helpful: ChatGPT and its competitors are moving beyond simple, text-based interactions to more complex interactive abilities.
- Not helpful: Algorithms, however, lack the lived experiences that can inspire in your child a true love of learning.
The Limitations of AI
Unlike AI, human tutors can identify what excites and motivates your child. This individualized attention can significantly boost a student’s confidence and motivation. Effective tutors also encourage in their students a sense of accountability, and this makes learners more likely to engage and persevere to find answers on their own. Finally, tutors can draw upon their experiences and passions to inspire a love of learning in students.
Supervising AI Use
For AI to serve as any kind of support for learning, instead of simply as a tool for getting answers, parents also need to know their child’s skills and typical behaviors. These three questions can clarify the situation for you:
- Can your student create the kinds of prompts needed to foster learning?
- Are they able–and willing–to actually use those prompts or will they simply ask the AI for answers?
- If the answer to either question is ‘no’ or ‘maybe not,’ will you or another adult be able to step in to assist and supervise?
Conclusion
As we navigate a rapidly changing world, our kids are going to need high-level 21st century skills. These include problem solving, creative thinking, and collaboration. Although artificial intelligence can help develop these soft skills, they are–and will probably remain–uniquely human capabilities. And this type of deep learning is best supported through meaningful, human interactions between children and their tutors, teachers, and parents.
FAQs
Q: Can AI replace human tutors?
A: No, AI is not a replacement for human tutors. While AI can provide some support, it lacks the individualized attention and nuanced understanding that human tutors can provide.
Q: How can I ensure my child is using AI responsibly?
A: By supervising your child’s AI use and ensuring they understand how to use it effectively.
Q: Can AI help my child develop a love of learning?
A: While AI can present engaging content, it is unlikely to inspire a true love of learning in your child. This is best supported through human interactions and experiences.
