3 Education AI Myths Put to the Test

Introduction

As AI makes its way into classrooms, myths and misconceptions can create unnecessary confusion. Let’s challenge three prominent AI myths and explore the real impact of AI in education.

Myth 1: It’s Wrong for Teachers to Use AI if Students Can't

Fact: It’s perfectly reasonable to say that AI will help you facilitate learning, but it may not help students learn.

If you’re anything like me, you have a strong sense of justice.

You may get squeamish asking your students not to use AI, finishing class, going back to the staffroom, and spending the next 30 minutes creating resources with AI.

I get it. On the surface, it looks like a contradiction.

But there’s one key idea that makes this contradiction vanish, and it’s this:

Teachers and students have two fundamentally different goals.

The teacher is there to facilitate learning.

The student is there to learn.

There may be any number of things that help a teacher facilitate learning but don’t help a student learn. The obvious example would be the 3 cups of coffee I have some mornings, but we won’t go there… During every lesson, there will be ways that I use my:

• computer

• authority

• voice

• tech

in a way that would be inappropriate if a student did it.

It’s perfectly reasonable to say that AI will help you facilitate learning, but it may not help students learn.

If that’s triggering your hypocrisy radar, feel free to recalibrate your device - it’s a false positive!

Myth 2: AI is Only for Tech Enthusiasts

Fact: AI is exciting not because of the tech, but because of the possible benefits we can give our students if we use it wisely.

Let me start with a confession:

I’m not a tech person.

Even though I have a tech company, consult with schools about tech, and have written a book on emerging technologies, I don’t get that excited about technology.

I’m not lining up for the latest iPhone or smart watch. It just doesn’t excite me.

But I do get very excited about AI. 

Not because of the technology, but because of the impact.

With only an hour or two of training, very teacher can use AI to put their students in a more tailored, personalised, feedback rich environment than ever.

We can use AI to benefit our learners, how exciting is that!

I’m not a tech enthusiast, but I am a student-benefit enthusiast!

To see this yourself, just think of all the simple adjustments that took so long in the pre-AI world:

• Text differentiation

• Chunking instructions

• Creating adjusted assessments

• Writing content for students with auditory processing disorder

What once took hours can now be done in minutes with AI.

This means more learning for more learners - I know that kind of thing gets you excited!
Have a look at this process in action in MyTeacherAide

Myth 3: AI Requires Radical New Classroom Changes

Truth: We don’t have to use new tech to do new things, we can use new technology to do the basics better.

Every teacher (yes - even you!) has a bag of tricks.

We have certain patterns, rhythms, phrases, and teaching moves that we lean on regularly.

It’s a big part of what makes us, us.

It’s easy to think that if we start to use new technology then we have to put this bag in the bin. Many teachers recoil from this. I don’t blame them; no one wants to start over!

Thankfully, you don’t have to.

You see, using new tech isn’t about doing brand new things in the classroom. It’s not about

• Crypto class reward systems

• Virtual reality field trips to Saturn

• Career counselling in the metaverse

Instead of using new tech to do new things, we can use new technology to do the basics better.

We can use AI to do the things we know work more often for more learners

Things like:

• Text differentiation

• Task specific rubrics

• Differentiated teaching

• Retrieval practice quizzes

You can see this principle in action as I use MyTeacherAide:

Conclusion

I hope that I’ve been able to take the leaf-blower of truth and scatter the fog of change.

These are by no means the only AI myths out there.

Can you think of any others?

Why not send them through? I’ll write about them in the next few weeks.

Until then,

Happy Teaching!

Paul Matthews, CEO & Co-Founder of MyTeacherAide