Commentary: Artificial intelligence in the classroom

As the debate about the role of artificial intelligence carries on, teachers once again find themselves at the forefront of a discussion about the impact of new technologies on education. For many teachers, the outlook isn’t great.

As one teacher wrote in a recent survey we conducted, “I don’t know whether teachers or students will be relevant in the future.”

Yet not all teachers’ attitudes towards AI are so bleak, and there may be some evidence as to what can help teachers use these tools in a way that centers student learning.

In May of this year, as faculty members working with Central Washington University’s College in the High School program, we surveyed 222 high school math and English teachers. The survey asked teachers a variety of questions about their attitudes toward AI, institutional policies, professional development opportunities, their own AI use, and student AI use.

Teachers reported significant differences in their attitude towards teaching since AI has appeared depending on academic discipline; 57.0% of English teachers reported that their overall attitude towards teaching has worsened since AI appeared, while only 37.6% of math teachers reported a similar change in attitude.