Pulitzer Center’s Post

Joshua, a teacher from Santa Ana High School, emphasizes that true success lies in dedication and hard work over the long haul. This dedication extends beyond personal goals and into the realm of education, where educators, similar to students, require sustained support and long-term commitment to truly thrive. Here in Orange County, educators are taking a thoughtful approach to AI in education. They recognize the limitations of one-off training methods and advocate for a more enduring approach that empowers teachers, not just delivers information. Many educators, like Joshua, argue that the current focus on pre-made AI curricula neglects its true potential as a tool for creativity. They envision a future where AI can assist in sparking teacher creativity. This forward-thinking approach prioritizes long-term support for educators, fostering their creativity and innovation in the classroom. By empowering teachers, we empower the future of education.

I’m stoked to share some news: This week I started a new role, leading communications for aiEDU.org, an organization at the center of AI readiness and education. To maybe state the obvious, AI is changing the world we live in. And this technology brings with it a mix of incredible potential and also some peril. Incredible potential to expand the field of opportunity to more people, unlock creativity, and solve generational problems. And some peril in that, if we don't improve AI readiness for all, and approach rapid change thoughtfully and forcefully, we risk widening gaps that already exist. I’m excited to step into a role where I can take these issues head on. aiEDU works in the K-12 space and builds AI readiness and prepares students to thrive in the age of artificial intelligence.  As I met with the team, including Alex Kotran, Loni Mahanta, Ally Kupcewicz-Goldberg, Emma Doggett Neergaard, and Christian Pinedo it became clear both that we’re at a critical moment — and that I can make a difference in achieving this important mission. As I embark on a new adventure, I’m pumped that I’ll be able to deepen my work in the world of education and policy — and grateful for my experience the last 4.5 years at Guild. (I will also continue to teach this Fall at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Fight on!) Thank you to so many, many former colleagues — particularly Rachel Romer, Bijal Shah and my friend for all-time Terrence Cummings — for welcoming me into this space, always pushing me, and unlocking my passion for education and creating opportunity. I asked Chat GPT for the best way to end a LinkedIn post like this, and it had a lot of options (including a Walter Cronkite-esque signature sign off, which, somehow, I don’t I have). Three suggestions *did* make sense though, so I’ll list them out: 1. A strong call to action — please check us out: https://www.aiedu.org/  2. An invitation to connect — hit me up if you’d like to learn more, catch up, or talk through ai and education. 3. A thank you — thank you for reading — I'm grateful, appreciate you, and I’m excited to get to work!

Every school we work with these days seems to have a few things in common when it comes to artificial intelligence: • Students seem to generally be ahead of the teachers (for K-12) in understanding and using AI. Teachers are busy, but students have both free time and motivation to learn AI. • K-12 schools still have a long way to go in catching up to avoid academic dishonesty. • K-12 schools have an even longer way to go in giving students a well-rounded technology literacy that prepares them for a world where they will have to compete with A.I. in their professional lives. • One of the most essential challenges for K-12 going forward will be how to impart the fundamental core competencies including reading, writing, mathematics, speech, and media literacy. This is where A.I. is a double-edged sword. It empowers more effective teaching methods, but also makes it easier for students to avoid learning these essential skills altogether. The takeaway is that no school is dealing with this on an island. These are difficult issues and it is significant to recognize that other schools are vying with these same challenges. More than ever before, it is imperative that there is an inter-school dialogue.

Reducing teacher workload while increasing student learning (that’s the mission)... We're very excited to hear that Verso’s new AI tool, 'Claire' is saving teachers hours each week.  With the click of a button 'Claire' helps teachers generate more specific and measurable learning intentions, challenging success criteria and single point rubrics as often as they need them. These new resources have been designed, built and trained using Verso’s unique and authentic datasets from the classroom coupled with the leading evidence-based high-impact teaching practices. Verso's 'Claire' not only saves teachers time, she significantly reduces the cognitive load used in developing challenging learning journeys for all students. We are looking for teachers and schools to work with 'Claire' in the lead up to the holidays. If you’re interested in learning more, send an email to colin@versolearning.com.

I agree with this synthesis from Wendy Jones and Jennette Vanderpool that K–12 schools looking to adequately prepare students to participate successfully in a rapidly changing economy can no longer avoid artificial intelligence. According to the Office of Educational Technology’s release on the plan, this includes “dynamic applications of technology to explore, create and engage in critical analysis of academic content and knowledge.” I would add an important clarifying point necessary in these AI discussions - that allowing students and teachers access to "dynamic applications of technology" does not mean that all learning needs to happen through these methods. The pencil, the playground, the studio, the soccer field... remain just as relevant, perhaps, more, than they ever have. The CAIS is hosting a network talk on May2nd that explores how schools might plan for and approach the complexity of educating young people for the AI-enabled world they inhabit. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gYAv9tHv https://lnkd.in/g7f_ZDaF.

AI is revolutionizing education with the concept of a "school with no teachers." At Alpha School, founded by MacKenzie Price, each day kicks off with two hours of personalized learning guided by an AI system 😮 Children not only acquire academic knowledge but also essential life skills such as public speaking, financial literacy, programming self-driving toy cars, and ample outdoor playtime. In the learning space, adults take on the role of "guides," earning between $60,000 to $100,000 annually—distinct from traditional teaching. The students at Alpha School have achieved remarkable academic success, scoring in the top 2% nationwide. However, this innovative approach comes at a cost, with annual tuition reaching $40,000. The scalability of this model raises questions about its widespread adoption without significant changes. What are your thoughts? Is this a glimpse into the future of education? 🤔 Source: KVUE News in Austin

Recent PISA results are not telling something new: we need to improve our students’ math understanding. The solution is to enhance teachers’ capacity to create more effective learning environments. We have a prototype professional development program with promising results! We created a program using AI technologies that interacts with teachers and provides personalized feedback to enhance their knowledge and skills for teaching math. We found that teachers who completed our program indeed increased their students’ math performance. For a brief summary of the program and our findings, check out this article! https://lnkd.in/gEj8uRg2

An analysis of 100,000 hours of audio from K-12 classrooms showed that students spoke for only SEVEN SECONDS for each hour on average. And some companies are leveraging AI to help change that. TeachFX, a company that provides AI-powered instructional feedback for teachers, conducted that 100,000-hour analysis. With TeachFX, teachers can get a private, on-demand classroom observation to help them understand and reflect on parts of their instructional practice. After the session, they get a report that includes: ➡️ Classroom talk ratios (student vs. teacher talk time) ➡️ How long students spoke for on average ➡️ What types of questions were being asked ➡️ And more… Keara Phipps, an elementary school teacher from Atlanta, used TeachFX to reduce her classroom talk time, achieving a 50:50 teacher-to-student talk ratio, emphasizing that "students should be equal participants in their learning.” In a recent pre-registered randomized controlled trial involving 523 Utah mathematics and science K-12 teachers, researchers found that automated feedback with TeachFX increased teachers’ use of focusing questions by 20%. “Focusing questions" probe students’ thinking by pressing for explanations and reflection. Similarly, a recent Stanford-led study found that another automated feedback tool (called M-Powering Teachers) improved instructors’ use of a practice known as uptake, where teachers acknowledge, reiterate, and build on students’ contributions. “When teachers take up student contributions by, for example, revoicing them, elaborating on them, or asking a follow-up question, they amplify student voices and give students agency in the learning process”, wrote the authors of the study. Based on these studies, it seems like there’s still a lot more to be done to make the platforms better. But, in a world where schools are struggling to hire and retain teachers, it’s encouraging to start to see how AI can provide teachers with immediate support in a scalable way.

📣 Our top 5 articles from 2023 are here! With topics ranging from #GenAI to student engagement to #accessibility in the classroom, see what was the most important to #HigherEd readers this past year ⤵️

Gain insights from our survey of 1,872 education professionals, as we delve into AI's impact on classroom teaching, research, and student experience. Learn about personal practices, institutional applications, challenges, and exciting opportunities on the horizon. https://lnkd.in/gkuDyRwq