Over the last few years, it’s been hard to escape the hype around rise of artificial intelligence (AI) within education and its much-touted potential to save teachers time or provide new learning opportunities.
For example, a recent Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) study found that Generative AI can reduce teacher workload by up to 31 per cent, while last year Oak released its Alia tool to help with lesson planning and resources.
Yet, we know many teachers remain unsure of how to use AI, and even those who have embraced it perhaps lack a clear understanding of the risks it poses, around areas such as copyright or safeguarding.
This is why the Department for Education announced last week that it will provide training materials for both teachers and leaders to develop a clear understanding of AI - work we at Chiltern Learning Trust are delighted to be delivering.
The AI learning pathway
Work to deliver these courses is already underway, with five modules being created for teacher training that will be completed by the end of March to then be live and in use by the spring term.
While the content may change based on feedback, this is the current structure we are working towards.
What is generative AI and how does it work?
- Provides a baseline understanding of generative AI, such as how it functions and its key capabilities.
- Aimed at teachers who may not have a strong technical background in AI.
Using and evaluating generative AI
- Focuses on effectively using tools such as writing prompts to get the desired outputs, and the importance of critical thinking and evaluation of AI-generated content.
- Covers potential issues like hallucinations, bias and the need to transform AI outputs.
Practical use cases for AI in education
- Explores use cases for AI in the classroom - from straightforward, entry-level applications to more advanced, innovative uses - to help teachers understand the possibilities of AI in their practice.
Risks and safeguarding considerations
- Delves into the various risks associated with AI in education, such as data privacy, intellectual property and emerging threats like deepfakes.
Maintaining academic integrity
- Focuses on the challenges of academic integrity in the face of AI-generated content
Training with flexibility
The aim is to ensure the sections offer enough flexibility so teachers can self-select their own starting point - for example, a computing teacher may move straight to the section on practical use cases, while someone who has used AI may start on section two.
Each module will be a mix of workbooks that can be downloaded and accessed individually, or delivered by a facilitator in school - and short videos of no more than 10 minutes on various aspects within the modules for teachers to watch, or share at a staff briefing, for example.
As noted, we are engaging with the sector, such as talking with unions and running a survey to solicit feedback on what teachers want from this training, which might mean some of the content changes - but this is broadly the shape it will take.
Teacher accreditation
As part of this work, we have partnered with the Chartered College of Teaching so that any teacher who wishes to can sit an online assessment having completed the training.
If successfully completed, this will provide them with a certificate recognising their achievement.
This certification will also be eligible for continuing professional development (CPD) credits towards Chartered Teacher status.
AI training for leaders
Lastly, we are also creating AI training materials for leaders that recognise that how they approach AI will be different.
To that end, the leader training starts with an introductory video to give an overview of the important things to think about with AI. It then offers a checklist so they can assess how ready their school is for AI, and what they need to do.
It will also provide insights on how to fit AI planning into their school’s overall technology strategy, including resources like policy templates and ideas for training teachers.
The aim of this material is for it to be more flexible so leaders can access whatever aspects are most relevant to them and their school, while the teacher AI training is created to be more of a linear path.
Ready for the future
Overall we know AI has huge potential within education - but like anything, it needs to be considered carefully and introduced with purpose.
As such, providing training at scale - so everyone in the sector has the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills around AI - should ensure it becomes another valuable tool in the teacher’s toolbox and the hype turns into practical, meaningful and useful outputs.
Sufian Sadiq is director of teaching school at Chiltern Learning Trust
Christian Turton is educational technology lead at Chiltern Learning Trust
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