AI in Teaching: How teachers use AI in schools and classrooms

Singapore is leaning into the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation across all sectors, and education is no exception. Why the big push? Because it offers some incredible opportunities to make learning more effective, engaging, and even personalised for our students.

GovTech is right there in the thick of it, constantly exploring and innovating on its AI capabilities to better support our educators. Think of it as tools that can help teachers understand their students better, create more tailored lessons, and even automate some of those time-consuming tasks.

So, what does this look like in our schools and classrooms? This article will give you a peek into the practical ways AI is already making a difference and what the future holds.

The role of AI and automation in the education sector

It's clear that AI’s role in education is really taking off, and for good reason. Think of it less as replacing our teachers and more as equipping them with new tools. From crafting more personalised learning journeys to unlocking deeper insights from student data, AI has the potential to truly transform both the art of teaching and the experience of learning.

This evolution has even gained momentum in recent years, particularly when remote learning became the norm during the pandemic, underscoring the vital need for the kind of flexible and adaptable educational environments that AI can help us build.

Benefits of using AI in the classroom

AI opens up some fantastic possibilities to enhance the learning experience for everyone involved. Let's dive into some of its key advantages:

Refining assessment and analytics in education

Imagine having tools that can analyse student performance in a much more detailed way, going beyond just grades. AI can help teachers gain deeper insights into individual learning patterns, identify areas where students might be struggling, and even predict potential challenges. This allows for more targeted support and intervention.

Personalised learning content and real-time feedback 

Think about lessons that adapt to each student's unique pace and learning style. AI makes this possible by curating personalised content and providing immediate feedback. This means students can get the support they need, right when they need it, leading to more effective learning and a greater sense of accomplishment.

Supporting digital literacy

In today's world, being digitally savvy is crucial. AI tools can play a big role in helping students develop these essential skills. From interactive learning platforms to AI-powered tutors that explain complex concepts, these technologies can make learning about and navigating the digital world more engaging and accessible.

Productivity and efficiency through automation

Let's face it, teachers have a lot on their plates. AI can step in to automate some of the more time-consuming administrative tasks, like grading basic assignments or scheduling. This frees up teachers to focus on what they do best: connecting with students, creating engaging lessons, and providing personalised guidance.

How teachers can use AI

So, how can teachers actually start using AI in their day-to-day work? There are already some existing tools that can make a real difference. Here are a few examples:

• Adaptive learning systems: These platforms use AI algorithms to adjust the difficulty and content of learning materials based on a student's performance in real-time. It's like having a personalised tutor for each student, ensuring they’re challenged appropriately and receive support where they need it most.

• AI-powered assessment tools: Beyond just grading, AI can analyse student responses to identify common misconceptions and provide teachers with valuable insights into the overall understanding of the class. This helps teachers tailor future lessons to address specific learning gaps more effectively.

• Intelligent tutoring systems: These AI-driven systems can provide students with personalised guidance and support on specific subjects. They can answer questions, offer explanations, and provide targeted practice, acting as a virtual teaching assistant that's available 24/7.

• Automated administrative tasks: AI can help automate tasks like generating basic quizzes, scheduling parent-teacher conferences, or even organising learning resources. This saves teachers valuable time, allowing them to focus more on direct student interaction and lesson planning.

3 key AI applications in Singapore’s education sector

It's not just theory – AI is already making waves in our schools! Here are three key areas where you can see it in action, promising to reshape how our students learn and how our teachers teach.

Automated English marking systems

As part of Singapore’s national AI strategy, the Ministry of Education is working on rolling out automated systems to help mark English language assignments in primary and secondary schools.

These AI-powered are designed to spot tricky language errors – grammar, spelling and how sentences are put together (syntax). This frees up teachers to focus on higher-level concepts, from ideas and content to overall tone. MOE believes this will give teachers back valuable time that they can then use to create even better lessons and strengthen relations with students.

Another benefit of the system is its ability to collect data on common grammar mistakes so that teachers can work on these areas with their students.

But don’t worry, the ministry isn’t planning to use these systems for marking exams, including critical assessments like the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE).

Adaptive learning systems for mathematics

MOE has been trialling an adaptive learning system enhanced by machine learning to keep an eye on how students are doing in real-time and then adjust their learning pathways accordingly.

In one school, students completed maths modules before class, and teachers received reports on their performance. This means that when they were in the classrooms, the students could ask much more focused questions and discuss how maths could be used in real-life situations.

The teachers could also mix students of different abilities together so that they could do peer learning and teaching.

Those working on the AI system are now taking in teachers’ feedback, such as the need for more localised examples and the ability for students to enter their mathematical work into the programme.

AI-enabled learning companion

Another project from the Smart Nation initiative is the development of an AI-enabled learning companion. The idea here is to create a digital buddy that can support holistic learning by motivating the student while they’re doing a challenging task, encouraging them to reflect on what they've learned, and even suggesting what they should explore next.

While using artificial intelligence as a learning companion is still pretty new territory, there are promising areas to explore. For example, AI could potentially gauge how engaged a student is with the educational material by tracking their eye movements and how long they spend on different parts of the document.

When it comes to maths problems, the companion can know exactly where a student is getting stuck and then offer targeted hints, resources, or prompts for an alternative method.

Of course, while AI has a lot of AI’s potential as a learning companion, it’s also important to acknowledge its limitations. For instance, interpreting a student’s behaviour during the learning process can be quite complex. Can AI correctly read a student’s facial expression and tell if they’re concentrating or simply spacing out?

Upskilling teachers to use AI

AI@NIE: National Institute of Education's initiative

With technology rapidly evolving, teachers must keep up with changes and upskill accordingly. The National Institute of Education announced in May 2022 that it would step up efforts to train teachers to employ AI in teaching.

By 2026, topics about artificial intelligence in education will be offered for trainee teachers at all levels, including undergraduates, post-graduate and in-service teachers. As part of a five-year plan called AI@NIE, the institute will also invest in research and innovation to use artificial intelligence for education.

Building collaborations to drive AI adoption in education ahead

It's a team effort to make AI work wonders in education, and that's why GovTech is actively joining forces with our educational institutions and some of the brightest minds in private tech. The goal is to create and roll out AI tools that genuinely make a difference in our classrooms. 

We're also encouraging our teachers to jump in and explore these digital products developed by GovTech – they're designed to help you work smarter, not harder, and ultimately enhance your teaching. So, if you're an educator, a student with bright ideas, or an ICT vendor with cutting-edge solutions, we want to hear from you! Let's collaborate and harness the potential of AI and these GovTech platforms together.

Addressing limitations of AI in education

While AI opens up some truly amazing possibilities in education, it's also crucial to be realistic. Just like any tool, AI isn't perfect, and here are a few important things to consider about the limitations of AI:

• The human touch: AI can analyse data and personalise learning paths, but it can't fully replicate the empathy, nuanced understanding, and inspirational connection that a human teacher provides. Those "aha!" moments often come from a teacher’s ability to read a room and connect with students on a personal level.

• Bias in algorithms: AI systems learn from the data they're fed. If that data contains biases, the AI can inadvertently perpetuate those biases in its assessments and recommendations. Ensuring fairness and equity in AI tools requires careful attention to the data we use to train them.

• Over-reliance and critical thinking: If we're not careful, an over-reliance on AI could potentially hinder the development of students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Learning often involves grappling with challenges and figuring things out independently.

That's why it's absolutely crucial to maintain human oversight in AI-driven educational environments. Teachers are the navigators, guiding how these tools are used and ensuring they complement, rather than replace, the essential human elements of teaching and learning.

Looking ahead: The future of AI in education

Looking down the road, the next 5 to 10 years hold some truly exciting possibilities for how AI will continue to shape education. We're likely to see even more personalised and adaptive learning experiences, AI that can provide more sophisticated feedback, and tools that can help predict student learning outcomes to enable earlier interventions.

Keep an eye out for these emerging AI technologies that are poised to further transform education:

• Natural language processing (NLP): This will enable more sophisticated AI tutors and learning companions that can understand and respond to students in a more human-like way, offering richer explanations and engaging in more natural dialogue.

• Learning analytics and educational data mining: We'll see even more powerful tools that can analyse vast amounts of learning data to provide deeper insights into student progress, identify effective teaching strategies, and even predict potential learning difficulties early on.

• Explainable AI (XAI): As AI becomes more complex, the ability for it to explain its reasoning and recommendations will be crucial for building trust and allowing teachers to understand and validate its insights.

AI as a complement, not a replacement

Even as Singapore explores ways to increase AI’s usage in education, experts and officials have reiterated that technology will never fully replace the crucial role that teachers play in educating and guiding students.

After all, teachers are not just repositories of facts and figures that are regurgitated to students. They nurture, inspire, and encourage young minds to stretch their curiosity. They also provide human communication and support as youngsters mature and find their place in the world. These are roles that AI won’t be able to take on.

As Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation initiative, Vivian Balakrishnan said: “At the heart of education is interaction… I do not believe that AI will ever replace teachers.”

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