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With the\u00a0rapid advancement<\/a>\u00a0of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), teachers have been thrust into a\u00a0new and ever-shifting classroom reality<\/a>.<\/p>\n The public, including many students, now has widespread access to GenAI tools and large language models (LLMs). Students sometimes use these tools with schoolwork. School boards have taken different approaches to regulating or integrating\u00a0tech in classrooms<\/a>. Teachers, meanwhile, find themselves responding to these paradigm shifts while juggling student needs and wider expectations.<\/p>\n The Canadian Teachers\u2019 Federation (CTF) has called on the federal government and\u00a0the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada<\/a>\u00a0to work with provinces and territories to enact enforceable policies that\u00a0protect student privacy and data security, regulate how AI is used in classrooms and promote responsible and ethical use of AI systems<\/a>.<\/p>\n The federation acknowledges AI tools\u00a0have the potential to enhance teaching and learning; it also express concern about regulatory gaps<\/a>\u00a0that leave students exposed to risks like data breaches, algorithmic bias and decline in education standards.<\/p>\n As researchers whose combined work focuses on professional learning and AI in education, as well as professional practice standards and innovations in education, we believe commitments are needed not just in the form of policies, but also procedures and practices which develop AI competencies for teachers. We argue these should span both initial teacher education programs and ongoing professional learning.<\/p>\n AI raises many questions about the purpose of education, including questions around\u00a0academic integrity and how education can uphold fairness and equity<\/a>. Questions include:<\/p>\n Teachers are uniquely positioned to help guide students as they grapple with the existential and social implications of AI alongside practical concerns for their own\u00a0and students\u2019 futures<\/a>. Teachers cannot face this\u00a0complex challenge<\/a>\u00a0alone \u2014 they need support and to feel skilled and empowered to fulfil this important role.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a\u00a0growing international consensus<\/a>\u00a0echoed by\u00a0calls to action<\/a>\u00a0that teachers are essential players as learners develop AI literacy.<\/p>\n The CTF calls for the\u00a0role of teachers \u201cin creating caring, human-centred classrooms\u201d to be prioritized \u201cin all AI policy development<\/a>\u00a0to ensure Canadian students enjoy their right to a quality education.\u201d<\/p>\n As\u00a0provinces establish<\/a>\u00a0their own\u00a0recommended approaches<\/a>\u00a0around\u00a0AI and education<\/a>, education and government agencies are partnering to support innovation and programs for the development\u00a0of AI literacy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Guidance created through government, research and\u00a0not-for profit tech partnerships<\/a>\u00a0or tech company partnerships<\/a>\u00a0can also be consulted.<\/p>\n Despite growing resources, the development of AI technology continues to outpace implementation support and essential training for teachers. This\u00a0widening gap between teacher competencies and the demands of an AI-infused classroom<\/a>\u00a0is unsustainable.<\/p>\n This is not merely about keeping pace with technology; it\u2019s about equipping teachers to guide the next generation in a world\u00a0transformed by AI<\/a>.<\/p>\n A\u00a0holistic approach<\/a>\u00a0to prepare teachers for different issues at stake with AI-enhanced classrooms is needed.<\/p>\n Teachers need:<\/p>\n 1. Supported forums to address critical awareness of AI\u2019s impacts:<\/strong>\u00a0Teacher education and professional development spaces could allow forums for teachers to address issues such as: helping students examine AI\u2019s societal impacts, including the\u00a0ethics<\/a>\u00a0of AI use;\u00a0environmental concerns<\/a>; privacy concerns,\u00a0misinformation<\/a>,\u00a0labour displacement<\/a>\u00a0and bias<\/a>; how AI works within social media algorithms; personalized advertising; social-emotional support chatbots. These conversations are central to AI literacy.<\/p>\n 2. Foundational knowledge of AI:<\/strong>\u00a0Teachers need a baseline understanding of how AI works, including its limitations, biases and design. They don\u2019t need to be computer scientists, but they do need to be aware of what tools are available to them, learn how to make informed pedagogical and ethical choices about potentially using AI and understand\u00a0how to use tools<\/a>.<\/p>\n 3. To be equipped with strategies to meaningfully integrate AI into teaching and learning,<\/strong>\u00a0which requires asking\u00a0why and when<\/a>\u00a0to integrate AI in learning.<\/p>\n 4. Design-based professional learning:<\/strong>\u00a0teachers need time and space to learn from each other. AI is evolving quickly, and teachers need professional learning communities where they can share ideas, design and test new approaches, and reflect on their experiences. Effectively using\u00a0GenAI tools requires varied knowledge<\/a>.\u00a0Research-practice partnerships<\/a>\u00a0where researchers and practitioners work together, and\u00a0professional learning that is responsive to teachers\u2019 specific contexts and practices<\/a>\u00a0hold promise for developing AI competencies. This could look like using AI as a professional learning tool to design activities that foster creativity or exploring using AI to support differentiated learning and promote inquiry.<\/p>\n By empowering teachers with\u00a0skills and confidence<\/a>\u00a0in AI use, they can continue to guide students and shape students\u2019 critical and responsible engagement with this technology.<\/p>\n Teachers cannot do this alone. Successfully integrating AI into education requires a concerted and collaborative effort from all stakeholders within the educational ecosystem. This vital partnership includes governing bodies, school boards and school leaders and teachers and researchers, who are instrumental in leading this transformation.<\/p>\n Together, these partners can help\u00a0establish clear, strategic mandates for AI integration<\/a>\u00a0and dedicate robust funding for essential tools and comprehensive training and research to foster innovative spaces where educators and researchers can experiment and study practices.<\/p>\n Research is needed to assess the broader effects of AI use, for example, on critical thinking and\u00a0cognitive offloading<\/a>, to evaluate and understand the impacts of this technology in education. Supports are needed to ensure that AI adoption is not haphazard, but strategic and equitable across all jurisdictions.<\/p>\n Implementation should also consider\u00a0teacher burnout<\/a>\u00a0and the existing responsibilities that teachers carry. What can be removed, and what robust supports can be provided so teachers can take this on without compromising their well-being or effectiveness?<\/p>\n Professional learning for educational uses of AI is already taking root through informal peer-to-peer networks and diverse formal experiences. These include academic institutions, bodies like the not-for-profit organizations\u00a0International Society for Technology in Education<\/a>\u00a0or the\u00a0Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute<\/a>\u00a0and charitable organization\u00a0Let\u2019s Talk Science<\/a>\u00a0among many others. These existing pathways can be leveraged and scaled with targeted support to bridge the current preparation gap.<\/p>\n It\u2019s time for policymakers to recognize that investing in teachers is one of the most powerful ways we can\u00a0invest in our students<\/a>\u00a0and in a better future for all of us.<\/p>\nMany questions raised for teachers<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Empowering teachers<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Equipping teachers<\/strong><\/h3>\n
A shared responsibility<\/strong><\/h3>\n