When generative AI first burst on the scene in late 2022, teachers responded with a mix of excitement and dread. Gen AI promises to automate many of the mundane tasks associated with teaching and learning, and free students to be creative and develop higher-order thinking skills by providing instant access to information. On the other hand, gen AI can allow students to skip learning altogether and let technology do their classwork.
K-12 teachers already face enormous challenges, including low salaries, heavy workloads and staff shortages. Safety is an ever-present concern, as well as bullying and social media issues. K-12 schools grapple with inadequate budgets and politically driven mandates over curriculum and divisive speech.
Not surprisingly, K-12 teachers experience the highest levels of burnout of any profession in the U.S. Almost half (44 percent) of teachers say they always or often feel burned out. Ninety percent of teachers say burnout is a serious problem, and more than half say they will leave the profession sooner than they had originally planned.
Teachers have also seen technology hype cycles come and go, most of which failed to “revolutionize” teaching. As with any technology, it’s important to understand where and how gen AI can add value.
Gen AI Use Cases in K-12 Education
Automation
Teachers spend a lot of time responding to emails from parents, reading internal memos and attending staff meetings. Gen AI tools can automatically draft emails and announcements and generate meeting notes, saving time and effort and enabling teachers to focus on their students. Administrators can use gen AI to analyze data and gain actionable insight into trends, budgets and more.
Personalized Learning
Savvy teachers are using gen AI technology to generate content and curriculum and create a more personalized learning experience. Gen AI tools can quickly create graphics, visual aids and homework prompts, and help guide students through lab experiments. Teachers can also tailor assignments and materials based on each student’s reading level, and modify generic learning materials with references that relate to the students’ experiences. In the classroom, gen AI can jumpstart group projects by generating creative work that the students can then rework and present to the class.
Preparing Students for the Future
There’s no question that AI will have a dramatic impact on the futures of today’s students. When used appropriately, gen AI can enable more equitable learning, foster digital literacy and achievement, and prepare students with the skills they’ll need in tomorrow’s workforce. AI literacy provides students with the knowledge they’ll need for safe and ethical technology use.
Gen AI Challenges in K-12 Education
Any instruction involving gen AI should emphasize its value as a tool to support students’ efforts. It can be all too easy to become over reliant on AI, reducing critical thinking skills and students’ ability to fully grasp learning materials. Teachers must develop the skills they need to effectively evaluate materials generated by AI materials for accuracy and relevance. Schools must also take steps to ensure that sensitive information is not exposed,
AI bias is a well-known problem. Training data that contains inherent biases can perpetuate stereotypes in educational materials. Teachers must be aware of the potential for bias and also take steps to ensure academic integrity and promote responsible use of AI tools.
How Cerium Can Help
Gen AI can benefit K-12 education, but its adoption and use are fraught with potential pitfalls. Schools can maximize gen AI’s value and reduce risk by partnering with Cerium Networks. Our team has successfully deployed gen AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot in a wide range of public- and private-sector organizations. We also help organizations ensure the security and privacy of data and develop policies and procedures around AI use.
Let Cerium help your schools leverage gen AI to create a future-forward teaching and learning environment.
