by Angela Guess
Sarah Cassidy recently wrote in The Independent, “Artificial intelligence should be used to provide children with one-to-one tutoring to improve their learning and monitor their well-being, academics have argued. One-to-one tutoring has long been thought the most-effective approach to teaching but would be too expensive to provide for all students. However, in a paper, academics from University College London’s Knowledge Lab argue that AI systems could simulate human one-to-one tutoring by delivering learning activities tailored to a student’s needs and providing targeted and timely feedback, all without an individual teacher present. Instead of being examined in traditional ways, children could be assessed in a more complete manner by collecting data about their performance over a long period, providing employers and educational institutions with a richer picture of their abilities.”
Cassidy goes on, “The report argues that AI could radically transform our education system for the better – but it is being held back by funding. Proposals to use AI have been controversial. Professor Stephen Hawking and other leading scientists have warned of the dangers of it becoming ‘too clever’, and there are concerns about data security and privacy. Some teachers also fear their role could be diminished by this technology, or that it could be used as a ‘classroom spy’ to monitor their performance. But the report’s authors believe there are huge potential benefits – and they argue it is essential the teaching profession is involved from the start.”
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