Why we are teaching our learners how to use A.I.
A glimpse into our approach at School of Humanity
As the Founder & CEO of School of Humanity, I work with a team of pioneers to reinvent education. Every week, I get to learn from our partner organizations, schools, governments, and most importantly, our learners and parents.
This newsletter is where I share key insights from my experiences.
The Age of A.I. is here, whether we like it or not
With the proliferation of no-code AI tools, including Chat GPT, the education system is experiencing a much-needed transformation.
As students and educators alike have turned to these tools for everything from essays to projects, schools have been left grappling with the cognitive dissonance created by their widespread use. On the one hand, it is hard to deny the productivity gains enabled by these tools. On the other hand, there are concerns about the potential risks associated with their use, such as the potential loss of important human skills and the perception of "cheating.”
This same seismic shift is also happening in the workforce. Predictions about the disruptive effects of AI on the job market have been circulating for years, with the World Economic Forum forecasting that by 2025, 97 million new jobs will be created by technology, while 85 million will be lost to automation.
However, the impact of technology goes beyond automation, as the broader pace of technological progress means that 1.1 billion jobs are likely to be radically transformed by technology in the next decade alone, with over a billion people needing to reskill themselves in order to keep pace.
As a result, the need for ongoing education and upskilling has never been more urgent, as individuals and organizations alike seek to adapt to this rapidly changing landscape and remain competitive in the years ahead.
But even more, it’s become very clear that individuals that know how to leverage A.I. effectively and ethically to create value in society will be more successful and competitive than those that do not.
We need humane and ethical use of technology
We used to have stone tools and now we have Artificial Intelligence.
From the time of our earliest ancestors using stone tools, to the present day, our tools have played a critical role in advancing humanity, and helping us solve complex problems. Now, with the advent of artificial intelligence, we have the potential to achieve even greater progress.
At School of Humanity, we immediately approached the challenge with the recognition to balance risks against benefits. There is a reason that one of our interdisciplinary learning journeys is around “Humane & Ethical Technology” and Technology ethics are deeply ingrained in our core curriculum. It comes from the recognition that we need to equip the next generation with the capabilities to ethically leverage these emerging technologies to contribute to human progress.
These tools also have natural benefits. We have been seeing our educators leverage tools like Chat GPT to reduce administrative and repetitive time, allowing them more time to focus on personalized guidance for our learners. We saw our learners leverage these tools to deepen their research and improve their communication skills.
As our community started to use these tools on a daily basis, we decided to conduct a series of focus groups to establish our use of A.I. policy.
We decided to co-create our approach with our team and learners
First things first, our Chief Learning Officer, Claire Evans organized a focus group with our team on the use of A.I. tools. In this focus group, we examined various emerging tools and the various ways that learners and educators could leverage them to improve their learning and productivity. We also discussed and examined the various risks, as well as scenarios where the use of A.I. may either be unethical or negatively impact the long-term learning journey.
Shortly after the focus group, we consolidated our guiding principles and drafted a use of A.I. policy that was shared with learners and parents:
School of Humanity promotes the use of AI by all stakeholders. The school recognizes that the use of AI can be used to promote inclusion and equity and that knowing how and when to use AI is an essential skill that all learners (and staff) need to work effectively and become future-ready.
SoH is committed to guiding all stakeholders in the correct and ethical use of AI, including how to recognize which AI tool can be used in any given context, how to effectively acknowledge and cite the AI used for any given task, and how to identify the misuse of AI.
SoH policies include clauses to indicate the relevant correct and ethical use of AI and include the following:
Chat GPT3 or other similar A.I. tools should not be used to generate entire essays if they were intended to be written by learners but can be leveraged for research, planning, and proofreading.
When doing research with A.I. tools, the standard plagiarism and citation policies apply.
A.I. should always be cited if it has been used in learner work.
Learners with SLD will be encouraged to use certain AI tools to help them with their learning.
Educators are encouraged to use A.I. to reduce admin tasks in order to increase time and bandwidth for human connections, 1-1 sessions, and personalized guidance.
All stakeholders are responsible for applying critical thinking to information generated by A.I. to ensure objectivity and accuracy.
Without a policy that allows learners to honestly state the tools they used, including AI, they risk being wrongly flagged as plagiarists. This can be particularly problematic as learners may not be aware that using AI is permissible or may not understand how to properly attribute sources. By implementing a policy that provides a space for learners to explain their methods, they have the opportunity to demonstrate that their work is original and properly cited. This can encourage honest and responsible use of AI, while also ensuring that learners are not unfairly penalized for using these tools when it’s useful to them.
We taught our learners how to use no-code A.I. tools
We knew that in order to maximize benefits and reduce risks, we needed to begin to upskill our learners.
In our weekly Skills Lab with learners, which is a skill-focused workshop where we develop various skills to support our growth, we conducted a workshop on the use of no-code A.I. tools. The workshop included:
An introduction to the key history and types of A.I.
Key concepts such as machine learning, neural networks, and natural language processing
Playing with different tools and how they work (such as MidJourney, and Synesthesia)
How to write strong A.I. prompts
How to leverage A.I. in the learning journey
Ethical considerations
This wasn’t the first time our learners were being exposed to Artificial Intelligence, as emerging technologies and no-code prototyping tools are recurring themes in our core curriculum.
For example, last term, in the “Future of Internet” challenge, learners explored the rise of big data, A.I., and ethical considerations. Many learners have also leveraged no-code A.I. tools such as Teachable Machine to develop solutions toward Sustainable Development Goals.
The use of A.I. policy has had a profound effect on our learners, enabling them to be more candid and open with us about their use of tools, as they know we do not intend to penalize them for it.
Additionally, it has considerably diminished the routine and administrative responsibilities of our team, allowing them to focus on more creative and challenging tasks.
A.I. can allow us to scale a meaningful education system for all
As an innovative school, we prioritize learning through real-world challenges, with a focus on making a positive impact on society. Instead of exams, we learn through real-world projects. Instead of a standardized curriculum, we learn through personalized learning journeys. Instead of memorization, we focus on developing our skills, network, and portfolios.
Despite the many benefits of project-based schools like ours, scalability can be a major obstacle. High levels of personalization in teaching historically required significant time and labor to achieve, limiting the ability to serve large numbers of students effectively and affordably.
That is precisely why we are so excited about the potential of A.I. in education. We have seen that the use of A.I. will allow our learners and educators to have a more meaningful learning journey toward future readiness, with more time and bandwidth for human connections.
If applied in the right way, A.I. may just play a role in allowing us to create a more humane education system.
Join us for our next Reinventing Education series on Artificial Intelligence
If this is a topic that is top of mind for you, join us for our next Reinventing Education series on “Shaping the future of AI in high schools”.
We will cover:
🌱 Potential threats and benefits of AI in classrooms
💡 How can we successfully regulate the use of AI tools for both learners and educators
🌻 AI in schools; a real-life example
P.S. I don’t usually write my newsletter articles with A.I. tools - but in the spirit of irony, this article was written with assistance from Chat GPT 😉
Can't tell you how much I appreciate hearing of educators embracing AI... well done to you and your colleagues and community. Look forward to learning more about your journey.