Bucks &amp; Oxon


<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="714" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/02/BEACON-PD-1728-Edit-HIGH-Copy.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-157175" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/02/BEACON-PD-1728-Edit-HIGH-Copy.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/02/BEACON-PD-1728-Edit-HIGH-Copy-800x571.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/02/BEACON-PD-1728-Edit-HIGH-Copy-400x286.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tell-me-about-how-teachers-are-using-ai">Tell me about how teachers are using AI</h2>



<p>I first saw something about ChatGPT on X &#8211; AI was billed as this thing that would change teachers’ lives. Type in that you want a six-week geography unit on volcanoes for Year 5 and it will produce something that’s useable. But, that comes with a big caveat &#8211; AI make mistakes and sometimes it spews out nonsense. You can’t assume it will be ok. The respected Education Endowment Foundation has just launched a study about whether ChatGPT can help relieve teacher workload so we&#8217;re awaiting their findings with interest.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-are-the-boys-at-the-beacon-are-using-it">How are the boys at The Beacon are using it?</h2>



<p>If we’re using it as teachers, then we have to assume pupils are, and we need to be savvy about that. Any school that thinks this isn’t the case will be left behind.&nbsp;There are definitely boys who have experimented with using ChatGPT to do their homework. It’s difficult to manage but as a teacher, you know your students. I&#8217;m confident in the level my boys in Year 8 are working to in English, so if there’s a sudden change in that, you smell a rat! </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-would-you-ever-encourage-use-of-ai-for-homework">Would you ever encourage use of AI for homework?</h2>



<p>I have read a bit about teachers specifically telling students to use ChatGPT then edit the answer. I can see the value in that. But unless homework has been set with AI in mind I would suggest parents discourage children from using it. Copying and pasting information that may or may not be accurate? That’s not learning. Homework should help a child cement and consolidate their learning.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-it-safe">Is it safe?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kids-AI-computing-1000x639.jpg" alt="kids AI computing" class="wp-image-89193"/></figure>



<p>It’s a classic example of the technology advancing at a faster pace than we can put the necessary safeguards in place. The same thing happened with social media 25 years ago &#8211; and now we are dealing with the issues that have arisen from its misuse because we’re aware of mental health implications when it goes wrong. Giving children an unpoliced world where they can connect with people at will &#8211; not necessarily a good thing.</p>



<p>We&#8217;re encouraging our staff to try new tech but to be careful. It’s not always best to be ahead of the curve -sometimes be just behind the curve and learn from other people’s mistakes. &nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-do-parents-need-to-skill-up-nbsp">Do parents need to skill up?&nbsp;</h2>



<p>I do think there’s more upskilling for parents to do to keep up with this and monitor use. The number of parents who effectively give children a smart phone and leave them to it is much too high. We’ve all seen examples of how that can go terribly wrong. There’s more need for parents to take proper ownership of what children are doing online and their digital footprint.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-does-ai-differ-specifically-from-tech-in-classrooms">How does AI differ specifically from tech in classrooms?</h2>



<p>I think it’s about how far you can go with it. The latest OpenAI release is a video tool called Sora. It will generate a video based on what you request. It’s advancing all the time but the issue is not knowing what’s real.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-and-how-do-you-decide-what-to-use-in-school">And how do you decide what to use in school?</h2>



<p>There isn’t guidance yet from the government on AI &#8211; the tech always develops before the safeguards. The government has only just discussed banning phones in school. It’s an illustration of how far behind they are about this. It’s a worry for educators.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-could-ai-replace-teachers-one-day">Could AI replace teachers one day?</h2>



<p>I was at a conference in October and a guy said that within five years every child will have a personalised AI bot on their phone that will educate them for free. That may be true &#8211; but I don’t see teachers being redundant. This is an Industrial Revolution-scale change for education but in terms of human contact and pastoral care, teachers still have much value to impart. It’s the nature of being a teacher that will change. My son in Year 11 has to learn so many facts for his GCSEs and yet in his pocket he carries around a smart phone with the sum total of human knowledge available in it. After these exams he won’t require that level of recall across a wide range of subjects. There’s a lot of change and some pain ahead for educators and exam boards.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-the-future-for-exams-nbsp">What’s the future for exams?&nbsp;</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/08/exams-1000x1000.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-149087" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/08/exams-1000x1000.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/08/exams-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/08/exams-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/08/exams-525x525.jpg 525w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/08/exams-500x500.jpg 500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/08/exams-1100x1100.jpg 1100w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/08/exams.jpg 1501w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>No one really knows. GCSEs are largely hand written because the government can’t fund exams for every child on computers. Sitting down to write essays for three hours is something that children will never need to do as an adult. I do still believe in the importance of handwriting though and we want boys to leave here able to write well and with correct spelling and grammar. It’s an artistic skill to have but more work on devices means less handwriting, which can only lead to one conclusion &#8211; it’s an inevitable part of the change we’re seeing.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-so-what-to-teach-them-if-it-s-not-all-facts">So what to teach them if it&#8217;s not all facts?</h2>



<p>Many schools are using tools like Atom, which is an online platform that tests aptitudes, problem solving and reasoning; it’s useful and gives us plenty of data about that child’s strengths. But we also talk to our boys about real life skills &#8211; the world of work they will enter and the careers they have will be very different to careers people my age have. In the future things like AI will massively disrupt the status quo of careers where people train for a job and then do it for 40 years. Many jobs will be rendered obsolete. Our boys growing up will need to be adaptable  &#8211; good listeners, collaborators, team players &#8211; and have transferable skills and understand where their strengths lie. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-ai-used-to-collect-data-about-children-s-attainment-and-ability">Is AI used to collect data about children&#8217;s attainment and ability? </h2>



<p>It’s not something we do at the moment because we feel that we need to be careful about the information you put into an AI like ChatGPT. If you use it to write reports on a child and input their data you don’t know exactly where that will end up. Organisations are beginning to have their own ring-fenced AI so that’s one way to go.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-ai-of-any-benefit-to-wellbeing-pastoral-care">Is AI of any benefit to wellbeing/pastoral care?</h2>



<p>I read an article yesterday about people using AI to create avatars of their dead relatives to have conversations with them &#8211; where do you even begin to start with something like that?! The whole pastoral care thing is something we can tap into but we need to be so careful &#8211; human contact is so important for support and help. If you’re getting that from an AI and not a real person, who knows where it will lead.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-about-diagnosing-and-supporting-send-students">How about diagnosing and supporting SEND students?</h2>



<p>Right now if a child goes for an assessment it can take a lot of time for an educational psychologist, but using tech can cut waiting lists and costs and lead to quicker diagnoses &#8211; so that&#8217;s definitely a good thing.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/02/PD-4285-BEACON2023-Edit-HIGH.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-157171" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/02/PD-4285-BEACON2023-Edit-HIGH.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/02/PD-4285-BEACON2023-Edit-HIGH-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/02/PD-4285-BEACON2023-Edit-HIGH-400x267.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p><strong><em>Simon Detre is Senior Deputy Head at The Beacon School. Want to find out more about the school&#8217;s approach to tech and beyond? </em></strong></p>



<p><strong><em>The next <a href="https://www.beaconschool.co.uk/admissions/open-mornings/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Open Morning</a> is 10 May or you can book a private tour with the admissions team (<a href="mailto:admissions@beaconschool.co.uk">admissions@beaconschool.co.uk</a>&nbsp;or 01494 432764).</em></strong> <strong><em>Read our Muddy review of The Beacon <a href="https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/the-beacon-school-amersham-review/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.</em></strong></p>


What does AI mean for your child’s education?

You may also like