Since the public release of ChatGPT in November 2022, generative AI tools have become widely accessible to educators, sparking discussions about their transformative potential and the barriers to adoption. Three years post-introduction, experts gathered during Education Week’s recent “A Seat at the Table” webinar to examine the current state of AI adoption among teachers, revealing a landscape marked by both enthusiasm and skepticism.
While AI has proven to be a potent resource for educators, capable of expediting tasks such as creating exams, drafting rubrics, and providing feedback on student assignments, significant hurdles still impede widespread integration. One major challenge identified is the lack of professional development opportunities for teachers. According to a survey by the EdWeek Research Center, only 13 percent of educators reported that their school districts had a clear AI policy communicated to both students and staff. Furthermore, 44 percent of educators indicated that they had not received any training on how to effectively use AI in their teaching.
Melissa Weatherwax, a learning coach and former K-12 teacher, emphasized the precarious situation educators face. “We’re in this really tricky situation where we’re using it a little bit, but we don’t have the depth of understanding of what [AI] could potentially do and how it really could transform teaching and learning,” she noted. Without sufficient knowledge, educators struggle to establish guidelines for responsible AI use in the classroom.
Despite these challenges, some educators are utilizing AI in innovative ways. Enrique Noguera, assistant dean and lead AI strategist at Passaic County Community College in New Jersey, shared how he has effectively employed ChatGPT during everyday tasks. “I put my headphone in and I’m talking to ChatGPT, building content and talking to it about a specific [lesson] design problem,” he recounted. This collaborative approach underscores the potential for AI to serve as a thought partner rather than merely a tool for offloading work.
Yet, the divide remains stark among educators regarding the perceived benefits of AI in education. A survey from last summer revealed that opinions on its impact were nearly evenly split, with 47 percent of respondents expressing concerns about AI’s negative effects on teaching and learning, while 43 percent anticipated positive outcomes.
Barriers to Professional Development
The hesitancy surrounding AI adoption is compounded by insufficient professional development. As Weatherwax pointed out, even teachers who frequently use AI tools may not feel equipped to teach their students about AI literacy. Many educators rely on K-12 specific tools rather than mainstream AI platforms like ChatGPT, leading to a disconnect in understanding how to guide students in a landscape where AI tools are ubiquitous outside the classroom. “It’s the Wild West. They can use anything that they choose once they’ve left our rooms,” she cautioned.
This apprehension often drives educators to resort to detection tools to monitor students’ AI usage, a strategy that misses a critical educational opportunity: teaching students how to engage with AI responsibly. The need for a robust framework that includes appropriate policies and comprehensive training has never been clearer.
Looking ahead, the consensus among educators is that AI is set to reshape the teaching landscape, regardless of personal beliefs about its value. A December 2024 survey by the EdWeek Research Center indicated that nine out of ten educators anticipate AI will change teaching practices, with 42 percent believing the transformation will be significant.
Noguera acknowledged the double-edged nature of AI’s capabilities, citing concerns that it may encourage users to delegate challenging cognitive tasks to machines. He pointed to AI tools like Google’s NotebookLM, which can summarize lengthy texts, potentially eliminating the necessity for in-depth engagement with content. “It did all the heavy lifting, basically preventing you from having to even engage directly with reading the content—which is highly problematic,” he said.
Nevertheless, Noguera argued that even skeptics must familiarize themselves with AI to navigate its complexities effectively. “You can’t really begin to even articulate that as a need unless you actually begin to engage with the tools, and that’s just the reality of it,” he emphasized.
The broader significance of these discussions extends beyond the classroom. As generative AI continues to evolve, its integration into educational practices may necessitate a reevaluation of teaching methodologies, professional development, and policies to ensure that both educators and students can harness its potential responsibly and effectively.
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