Teachers to be collaborators in AI-powered classrooms

Editor's note: Artificial intelligence is reshaping education. Xiong Zhang, a professor at Beihang University, spoke to China Business Journal about how teachers should adapt to the rapid rise of AI technology. Below are excerpts of the interview. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

China has adopted a top-level national strategy to advance AI education across all stages of learning and promote AI literacy among the public.

On the one hand, this can cultivate specialized talent in the field.

On the other hand, it can equip the broader society with the capabilities needed to manage AI-induced risks and turn challenges into opportunities. It moves beyond the outdated exam-oriented and utilitarian path to a more innovative approach.

To ensure the sound and orderly integration of AI into education, it is essential to enhance the competency of teachers.

The integration should encompass all disciplines and stages of education, and involve every student and teacher. All education professionals should upgrade their AI capabilities.

Under the traditional model of education, teachers are responsible for classroom instruction, transmission of knowledge and assessment of students.

But in the AI-enabled education ecosystem, many repetitive tasks, such as making lesson plans, grading assignments, analyzing student performance and answering basic questions, can be performed by AI.

This means teachers need to redefine their roles. Rather than serving as transmitters of knowledge, they need to become designers of learning experiences, planners of educational scenarios and integrators of resources. Students should assume greater responsibility for their own learning and teachers should work alongside them as collaborators.

At the same time, teachers should strike a balance between technology and humanity. Their roles should evolve from being authoritative figures imparting knowledge to guides and companions who help students develop sound values, healthy personalities and aesthetic tastes, and strengthen their mental well-being.

Additionally, single-subject instruction should give way to more integrated teaching approaches. Teachers need to connect different disciplines so that AI technology can be effectively integrated into moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic and labor education.

There are some misconceptions schools and teachers need to avoid when applying AI in education. Viewing AI as "futile" and refusing to learn the new technology is no more helpful than regarding AI as "omnipotent" in a way that will weaken the teachers' guiding roles.

Schools and teachers should recognize that integrating AI in education is not a task only for information technology teachers. It is interdisciplinary, and requires all teachers to enhance their knowledge and upgrade their capabilities.

To develop a teaching workforce that meets the requirements of the AI era, it is vital to improve the evaluation system. AI-related indicators, such as participation in AI training courses and AI literacy, should be factored into the evaluation of a teacher's performance.

Teachers with humanistic grounding, technical proficiency, innovative thinking and ethical awareness will be essential for striking a balance between AI empowerment and human-centered education. They can help nurture highly competent young people suited to the intelligent age.