Dear Editor,
“Education will be profoundly transformed by AI”; “Teaching tools, ways of learning, access to knowledge, and teacher training will be revolutionized.”- UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.
Many boys are turned off from the formal education system. For many boys, they have identified less stressful and more lucrative pathways to provide for themselves and their families than to engage the education system. The truth is, the education system is not attracted to boys. This disconnect is rooted in many variables.
Unfortunately, policy makers continue to push an education system which by default caters more to girls. This gendered divide from the formal education system has antecedents in the period of colonialization. Boys by design are more tactile learners while girls are more auditory or visual-based learning, often a result from their overall socialization and specifically gender socialization.
The sit, talk and chalk approach that is predominant in our classrooms favours girls more than boys. Girls are more prone to remain in their classrooms for extended periods of time. Consequently, there are some subjects such as English Language, where girls outperform boys at all levels of the education system.
Undoubtedly, educators need to do more to motivate our boys to perform better academically. This call to action is not new and changes to which we seek will not magically happen. Of particular concern is the fact that boys in general do not like to write. How can we expect boys to write in their English Language classes when they do not read in their leisure time? For many boys, younger boys in particular, reading is often times associated with a negative stimulus.
However, all hope is not lost regarding boys’ underperformance specifically in English Language. The emergence of Artificial Intelligence AI offers a myriad of opportunities and solutions.
Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to computer systems capable of performing complex tasks that historically only a human could do, such as reasoning, making decisions, or solving problems.
The term “AI” describes a wide range of technologies that power many of the services and goods we use every day from apps that recommend TV shows to chatbots that provide customer support in real time.
AI is used in education in numerous ways that enhance different aspects of teaching and learning. For example, adaptive learning platforms customize content for individual students.
Ironically, an education system which should be rescuing our boys is now facilitating their demise.
Educators and administrators can now leverage AI to analyse vast amounts of data, providing insights that drive informed decisions and strategies. Additionally, AI is breaking down education barriers thanks to tools that support students with different needs and learning styles.
The integration of technology into education is no longer a futuristic concept, but is a present-day requirement. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) argue that the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) spans across all economic and social sectors, including education. AI has the ability to close the gap concerning access to information which at particular junctions could only be accessed by the upper class in society. UNESCO adds that AI can ensure inclusive and equitable access to education.
Since the release of OpenAI’s free ChatGPT programme in November 2022 there has been an increase in generative artificial intelligence (AI). Yes, we are aware that AI generated content can be biased and inaccurate.
Houman Harouni, lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, believes that getting school students and those in higher education to engage with virtual worlds is essential.
Educators must “help the next generation face the reality of the world and develop instruments and ways of navigating this reality with integrity,” Harouni says. Students are well aware that technologies such as ChatGPT exist, and are already experimenting with them on their own, but they need guidance about how to use them responsibly.
One frequent concern about generative artificial intelligence is that students will use it to cheat and avoid the hard work of thinking for themselves, but Harouni says that tools like ChatGPT should really challenge teachers and professors to reassess the assignments they give their students.
There is an urgent need to empower students to learn how to learn, so they can independently adapt to their future. Students should be able to communicate effectively with AI by asking thoughtful, focused questions and writing clear, structured prompts.
The reality is many of our students are already using various apps to create or edit content. The student who sits in class rather bored, will show more interest in those lessons where there is a fusion of technology.
AI, if applied properly, will transform many classroom experiences which were once unimaginative into an oasis conducive for teaching and learning. Boys will once again exhibit that passion and yearning for knowledge. There will also be fewer instances of maladaptive behaviours by boys, once this vision is supportive of transformational leadership.
Students in general should be allowed to use AI during formal teaching and learning sessions. As we try to get boys more interested in English Language specifically, the teacher should set boundaries regarding the percentage of AI material that will be allowed in extended writing.
The introduction of generative artificial intelligence will be the foundation for the educational revolution across the globe. AI can enhance the 21st century skills of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. Schools should start teaching AI at the primary levels where students are curious and yearning for knowledge. An education system which embraces AI facilitates co-learning where both the teacher and the students collaborate effectively to enhance learning outcomes.
Boys learn differently from girls. Michael Gurian, co-founder of Gurian Institute and author of The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons From Falling Behind in School and Life states in general, more areas of girls’ brains, including the cerebral cortex (responsible for memory, attention, thought, and language) are dedicated to verbal functions. The hippocampus a region of the brain critical to verbal memory storage develops earlier for girls and is larger in women than in men. “That has a profound effect on vocabulary and writing,” Gurian says.
In boys’ brains, a greater part of the cerebral cortex is dedicated to spatial and mechanical functioning; so boys tend to learn better with movement and pictures rather than just words.
With an AI supportive teaching and learning environment, boys will no longer fear writing or shy away from their English Language classes. The harsh reality is, many boys are searching for that one educator who will motivate him to think beyond the ordinary to realize his full potential. AI literacy is a must.
Yours sincerely,
Wayne Campbell
