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Thinking about AI in the classroom brings up two common refrains from educators: “Are they trying to replace me?” and “Oh great, something else to incorporate into my work day.”

According to experts on the edLeader Panel “Harnessing AI to Empower Educators for Professional Growth and Student Success,” neither one of those is true. Instead, the goal of AI in the classroom should be to create efficiencies for teachers so that they can spend their time on educating and supporting their students.

Here are six key ways that AI can assist educators in doing so:

1. Reduce administrative burdens

Educators have to complete many daily tasks where AI could prove helpful. For instance, educators receive many requests throughout the day—most of them asking similar questions about project due dates, holidays, field trips, etc. Instead, posited the panelists, imagine that an AI tool could gather and draft responses for review. Then, the teacher would just need to double-check that the questions were answered accurately and send the responses rather than composing each individual correspondence.

2. Identify students who need intervention at all levels

Schools have many programs collecting data on student performance, and they also have performance indicators for when a student needs intervention. But, it’s often up to the teachers to analyze the collected data and make decisions. AI could assist with collating the data and presenting educators with reports that show student strengths and weaknesses. That would allow teachers to focus on developing customized intervention plans. Moreover, it could help create IEPs for all students so that every learner has a personalized education.

3. Provide continuous professional development

Although there are nuances to evaluating teacher performance, many districts have a rubric and guidelines that can provide baseline feedback for teachers. The panelists envisioned teachers recording their lessons and getting real-time insights into their methods rather than waiting for an administrator to make a monthly visit to their classroom.

4. Enhance communication with multilingual families

Districts increasingly have families who speak a multitude of languages and dialects. While they are doing their best to communicate with the families, the panelists believe that AI could help educators take it a step further. Instead of select communications being translated, AI could facilitate ongoing conversations in native languages. It could also help choose images and talking points that are culturally relevant. In other words, the teacher will still be the one initiating the communications, but AI could help them make sure all families can understand and relate to the message.

5. Reimagine scheduling

One barrier to providing all students with differentiated, personalized instruction is time. With advanced scheduling, AI can help schools rethink the flow of the school day for students and educators. Even without constructing new schedules, using AI could let teachers reorganize their classroom time so that, while AI provides continuous feedback on skills like grammar, the teachers can focus on higher-order thinking skills, moving students forward, and creating new learning pathways.

6. Promote critical-thinking skills

Like other educational technology, AI is a tool that students will need to learn how to use effectively. The goal is not to have students drop information into an AI program and have it give them a final answer. Actually, what students should be doing is examining the information provided by AI and deciding what works, what needs refinement, and how they can improve their interaction with AI. Part of being a good steward of AI is using it and being critical of it.

Although the panelists advocated for adopting AI into K-12 classrooms, they cautioned against using generic, out-of-the-box programs. They emphasized the special requirements of education, including data privacy, and why schools should work with a reputable AI education provider to develop a tool that works with their system and meets the specific needs of their community.

Learn more about this edWeb broadcast, Harnessing AI to Empower Educators for Professional Growth and Student Success, sponsored by Varsity Tutors.

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Article by Stacey Pusey, based on this edLeader Panel