Education Week: Teacher AI Use Hasn’t Budged in a Year Here’s why and why not.

Dan Meyer

Math Worlds

Nov 13, 2024

Summary: Education Week: Teacher AI Use Hasn’t Budged in a Year
Dan Meyer, November 13, 2024

A recent Education Week survey reveals that despite advancements in AI technology and increased training for teachers, the adoption of AI tools in classrooms has stagnated. From December 2023 to October 2024, the percentage of teachers using AI tools dropped slightly from 33% to 32%, highlighting the challenges of integrating AI into education.

Background on AI Uptake in Classrooms

In December 2023, only 2% of teachers reported frequent use of AI tools, while 37% stated they had no intention of using them. However, 33% claimed to use AI at least occasionally. Many attributed this low adoption rate to three factors: the need for better AI models, more teacher training, and time to adapt to the new technology.

Advancements in AI and Teacher Training

Over the past year, significant progress has been made in these areas:

• Major companies like Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google released more sophisticated AI models.
• 43% of teachers received at least one training session on AI, a 50% increase compared to 2023.
• A summer break allowed teachers more time to familiarize themselves with AI tools.

Despite these efforts, AI usage among teachers did not increase.

Challenges to AI Adoption

The survey highlights two main factors influencing AI usage:

1. Training Improvements Without Increased Usage:
   The share of teachers who cited lack of training as a barrier decreased, suggesting that training is no longer the primary obstacle. However, this did not translate into higher AI adoption rates.

2. Perceived Inapplicability of AI:
   The percentage of teachers stating that AI tools are not relevant to their subject or grade level rose by 6%. This indicates a growing sentiment among educators that current AI tools do not align with their teaching needs.

Implications for EdTech

Meyer argues that edtech developers and educators should focus on three critical questions:

1. What do teachers and students need now?
   Tools must address immediate classroom challenges, rather than hypothetical future scenarios.

2. What can technology do to meet those needs?
   Solutions should align with real-world teaching practices and avoid overpromising capabilities.

3. What can’t technology do?
   A deeper understanding of the limits of AI in supporting the social, cognitive, and complex aspects of teaching is essential.

Opportunity for Growth

Rather than relying on AI as a one-size-fits-all solution, Meyer suggests leveraging AI to provoke a more nuanced understanding of teaching and learning dynamics. The stagnation in AI adoption reflects the gap between what AI offers and what teachers find meaningful for their classrooms.

Conclusion

The stagnation of AI adoption in education underscores the importance of designing tools that align with the realities of teaching. While training and technological advancements are critical, edtech developers must engage directly with teachers to create tools that address real needs and challenges. By doing so, the education sector can better leverage AI as a transformative, rather than tangential, resource.

Original Article

------------------------------

Prepared with the assistance of AI software

OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (4) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com