Career – Page 2 – Future Guidebook

Teachers are an essential part of every functional society. Without their effort and skill in education, children would not grow up to be productive, well-adjusted adults. But as AI and robotics continue to make headway in all sorts of industries, the fear that robots will replace teachers continues to rise. Teachers will not be replaced by robots. Guidance from a human educator is needed for children to develop emotionally and mentally. No matter how sophisticated robots get, they will never be a suitable replacement for humans educators. Although they won't replace teachers, computers and robots will play an increasingly influential role in the classroom. This article will discuss how AI and robotics will likely impact education in the coming years. Why children need human teachers Students need to be motivated Most students don't want to do their schoolwork. This is especially true of younger children, as they lack the foresight required to understand how doing their schoolwork will benefit them in the long run. A robot teacher would be ill-equipped to motivate students to succeed consistently. While a robot might be able to explain in logical terms why getting an education is essential, it wouldn't be able to inspire students as a human teacher would. Humans have evolved to look up to other humans, particularly adults in positions of authority. Students need to learn social skills from human teachers While learning is necessary, it's not the only reason kids need to go to school. Children also need to learn how to socialize in a responsible and well-adjusted manner, and there is no better source to learn that from than human adults specially trained to socialize with kids. Learning how to interact with others and behave appropriately in the many environments in which you'll find yourself through life is arguably just as important as the information you learn in school. A good teacher imparts vital qualities that a robot or AI would be unable to teach in a meaningful way. Here are a few examples. Showing empathy Motivating students to be generous Motivating students to open up and communicate with others Motivating students to be helpful and kind Helping students engage their critical thinking skills and solve problems in novel ways Students ask questions that only teachers can answer As much as we like to think of education as a linear activity in which students digest predetermined curriculums and magically turn into model citizens, that's far from how it works. Education is a messy conversational event. Teachers often go on tangents and explain seemingly unrelated concepts to help students understand a particular lesson or instill in them the value of a particular skill. Many of these tangents are directly caused by students asking complex questions to which there is no simple answer. Unless artificial intelligence surpasses the complexity and nebulous intelligence of the human mind, it will be ill-equipped to provide students with satisfactory answers to these hard-to-answer questions. It often takes a human teacher with maturity and life experience to provide useful answers to these types of inquiries. Where robots can be helpful While human teachers will likely always be the centerpiece of the classroom, robots and AI will play an increasingly important role in aiding the human teacher. It will take over tasks that are better suited for computers, freeing the teacher to spend more time engaging students individually and motivating them to succeed. Teaching narrow concepts One of the areas in which AI can be most helpful is in teaching students narrow concepts. Two examples of these concepts are vocabulary and prime numbers. Both are self-contained, straightforward lessons that wouldn't be likely to lead to hard-to-answer questions. For example, imagine a student learning how to spell a set of vocabulary words. An AI teacher designed to teach vocabulary would likely be able to answer any questions the students might have about the lesson: How do you spell this word? (The software could give the correct spelling). Why is this word spelled this way? (The software could give the word's linguistic history). How do I spell the plural version of this word? (The software could give the plural version). How do I spell the possessive version of this word? (The software could give the possessive version). Of course, the most significant barrier lies in the software understanding the many different ways in which a student might ask a particular question. For example, if a student asked, "Which letters are in this one?", the software would have to understand that the student was asking for the correct spelling of the word presently being discussed. Assisting teachers with grading Another area in which robots and AI can help teachers is in grading assignments. Teachers spend a ton of unpaid time at home grading assignments. This hefty additional workload teachers must grind through after a long day of teaching has a few adverse effects: It adds to the idea that teachers do a ton of work for little pay, which makes it harder to attract new people to the profession. The added work gives current teachers more incentive to switch professions. Many teachers neglect other responsibilities and lose sleep to grade assignments in a timely manner. This results in elevated stress levels, poorer performance in the classroom, and worse overall health. A teacher grading assignments doesn't typically provide any more value than if a computer was grading the assignments. Many assignments have a right or wrong answer, and even those that don't (essays, projects, written responses to questions) have elements to them that can be graded by a machine. The future of education While nobody has a crystal ball that can tell us what the future of education will look like, some current trends can give us a pretty good idea of where it's headed. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are free online courses available for anyone to enroll in. These courses are typically video courses taught by experts on the topic. They usually have interactive assessments for students to gauge how well they are absorbing the course material. These assessments are also entirely graded by software programs, which eliminates the need for humans on both the instructional and grading sides of the learning equation. Some of the more popular MOOC platforms include: edX Coursera Udacity Udemy There are also many websites that offer free video courses on an astounding array of topics. These websites don't technically fit the definition of a MOOC, as you're not taking a structured curriculum with assignments and due dates, but they are still valuable resources for anyone who wants to learn something new. Here are some of the more popular video learning sites: Khan Academy Lynda Duolingo Google Primer Code Academy Computer-based learning centers MOOCs are helping millions learn new skills without the need for formal education, but what about schools? Will they embrace computers as much as solo learners are? The answer is a resounding yes. Schools, companies, and nonprofit organizations all over the world have recognized the potential in leveraging computers and software to bring high-quality education to as many students as possible. In India, for example, there is a severe lack of qualified teachers ‒ especially in the poorest areas. The children in these areas are in desperate need of a decent education, but most of the adults around them don't have the training and resources to provide that. Computers can solve this problem. Multiple nonprofit organizations have set up computer-equipped learning centers in these areas, and students can sit down and learn essential skills using video courses and automated assessments. Caring adults in the community staff the centers, which allows them to provide the students with nurturing and support, even though they lack an educational background. Studies have shown these learning centers are having a profound impact on the futures of the students who attend them, and it is likely they will only continue to increase as the number of children in need of a quality education rises.