The future of learning: embrace AI for better education

By JUNKAI GONG
Posted 11/21/24

Artificial intelligence is no longer just a futuristic dream. It is here and it is going to transform every aspect of our society. The emergence of AI will greatly benefit our society as it will …

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The future of learning: embrace AI for better education

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Artificial intelligence is no longer just a futuristic dream. It is here and it is going to transform every aspect of our society. The emergence of AI will greatly benefit our society as it will revolutionize education by reshaping how students learn and how educators teach.

Education is the foundation of any society. It plays a crucial role in shaping future generations and driving societal progress. However, with our outdated learning methods and lack of assistance for teachers, our current education system is struggling to provide sufficient education for many students and produce adequate education outcomes. If we ignore the issues within our education system and fail to improve the way we learn and teach, we risk leaving future generations of America behind in this constantly progressing world and ruining America’s future. Thus, we need to utilize AI, with its ability to create personalized learning experiences and assist teachers, to provide our education system with a much-needed transformation.

One of AI’s most immediate and visible impacts on education is creating personalized education. Traditional teaching methods often approach education through a “one-size-fits-all” mindset and fail to address the diverse learning needs, circumstances and interests of students, causing some to be left behind while others are held back. In contrast, AI can create adaptive and personalized learning methods that are tailored to individual students, making education more focused on each student. AI can analyze individual students' learning styles, track their progress and adjust lesson plans accordingly to meet their needs.

A great example of AI’s ability to create personalized education is Duolingo, where AI is used to create and modify lessons based on the progress of individual users. Duolingo uses AI to analyze responses to identify a user's strengths and weaknesses, such as grammar mistakes and speech patterns, which then adjusts lessons and exercises to provide targeted learning. This personalized learning method allows struggling students to receive extra support while continuing to challenge advanced students. AI will create an education environment where everyone can progress at their own pace, which will improve the overall education level.

Another important impact of AI on the education system will be its ability to empower teachers. Currently, American teachers are under a lot of pressure. Time-consuming administrative tasks result in teachers being constantly overworked, which inevitably decreases the quality of teaching. According to a study conducted by McKinsey & Company, 70% of teachers in the United States identified the lack of time as a barrier to providing personalized learning for students. AI is a perfect solution for this issue. The same McKinsey & Company study also concluded that AI can help teachers reallocate 20% ~ 30% of their time to activities that support student learning. With the ability to automate administrative tasks such as tracking attendance, grading and analyzing student performance, AI can create more time and freedom for teachers to proactively approach struggling students and work towards solutions. By reducing teachers' workloads and empowering them to engage students in more efficient and personalized ways, AI will greatly improve the quality of education received by students.

AI offers a valuable opportunity to improve our education system by transforming how students learn and how educators teach. By personalizing learning experiences and empowering teachers through taking over time-consuming tasks, AI can improve education outcomes in our society. However, such potential can only be realized if we are open to the change AI will bring to our society and approach it with curiosity and openness. Policymakers, teachers, students and other members of our society must collaborate to discover ways to use AI effectively and responsibly, as we now have a chance to revolutionize education and prepare our future generations for tomorrow.

 AI is the future of education – let’s welcome it.

Editor’s Note: Junkai Gong is a sophomore at Brown University majoring in International and Public Affairs.

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