Even during summer holidays, Ontario High School teachers Jamie Mitchell and Tamara Phillips know that many of the conversations that come with their colleagues focus on the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom.
Mitchell, who teaches mathematics, and Phillips, who teaches English, are also leaders, meaning they advise and guide their colleagues on professional development.
Mitchell says he longs for guidance on how teachers can use AI in their classrooms.
“Overall, there is a group of educators who feel they need to support ways to manage all the new issues that are happening with AI,” he said.
Since ChatGpt, the chatbot for Tech Company Openai, I first developed my student's work mind almost two years ago. From research to office work, the increasing salience of AI means that conversations have changed to whether or not they allow it in the classroom, or the best way to use it for educational purposes.
“The binary thinking about 'Is it good or bad' should be tempered by the idea that it's really important to learn and gain knowledge about the tools you have at hand,” Phillips said.
As artificial intelligence becomes a more popular tool, many Canadian teachers are looking for clearer instructions and policies on how to effectively use it in the classroom.
The teacher is “struggling on his own”
Earlier this summer, tech companies Microsoft, Openai and humanity announced they would invest $23 million in AI Instruction, an initiative developed in collaboration with the second largest teachers union in the United States. The American Federation of Teachers says the program aims to support 400,000 educators for more than five years.
According to the Canadian Federation of Teachers, Canada's largest teachers union, the educators here don't have that, and certainly not ones available uniformly across the country.
Speaking to CBC from Ottawa as president of the Canadian Federation of Teachers, Heidi Yetiman said: Her tenure ended last month.
In Canada, places like Alberta and Quebec are rolling out AI guidance for schools, focusing primarily on what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable use. Yetman says the guidelines are “mish mash” and “all over.” She says the guidance is not specific enough and does not provide true meaningful education for teachers on the potential and pitfalls of AI in the classroom.
CBC News contacted states and localities to ask about the level of support provided to teachers regarding AI and received a patchwork of responses.
British Columbia said while the state provides general guidelines, “school districts are developing their own local policies and approaches.”
Newfoundland and Labrador Education Bureau and early childhood development, in addition to general guidelines, states that “about 2,000 NLSchools staff have participated in AI specialized learning sessions to date.” We noted that more training will be added to accommodate the rapid evolution of AI technology.
Information Radio-MBHow AI is changing the way students learn, and how teachers teach
The role of teachers is reduced
Teachers may also need the peace of mind that AI is still playing a role in the brave new world that is part of education.
“In other words, can you use AI to replace teachers? And I hate to say that, but I think we're heading in that direction,” Yetman said.
Johannathan Woodworth, an associate professor of education at Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax, says anxiety about AI can change how teachers perceive themselves.
“For example, many teachers say, “If I integrate AI, am I actually a teacher who owns this? Who is in charge of education?”
Woodworth, who specializes in training aspiring teachers, specializes in how technology can be integrated into education, but says that whatever shape AI education for teachers takes for them in the future, they need to consult with teachers.
Do I need to train my teachers with AI?
One thing that teachers, unions and teaching professors seem to agree on is who should not pay for training teachers. He has expressed most concerns about the motivations of the US tech giant who invests in teacher training and doesn't want to see it happen in Canada.
“When creators of various AI platforms are deploying learning, we don't necessarily embed what we're talking about as humanized pedagogy and the practices needed in the classroom to build integrity and AI literacy in that learning,” said one Ontario teacher.
Research suggests that many students use generative artificial intelligence for their jobs, and found that Canada's KPMG says that nearly 70% of students using AI say they are not learning as a result.
She and her colleague Mitchell say teachers are finding their own ways to use AI ethically. Mitchell was an early adopter of ChatGpt and he incorporated that into his lessons.
“One way mathematics teachers use AI is to teach students how to tutor chatgpt with a very intelligent prompt, and to arm them with the ability to ask for mathematics help when they are at home when they have no access to a mathematics teacher,” he said.
Mitchell says it's too late for AI to not infiltrate any aspect of education.
“The reality is that today's AI is the worst AI that students have ever used,” he said. “And if teachers don't have the skills to work ethically and honestly with those students, we're doing something wrong.”
