How we harness the benefits of AI for Wendover Online School
Wendover is a leading online school and is therefore at the forefront of exploring AI in education. ChatGPT and similar tools give us exciting opportunities to generate timetables, tests and presentations using artificial intelligence. This has the potential to free staff from administrative tasks and allow them to focus more directly on helping their students to success.
How do we make sure that our online school makes best use of these exciting new tools? And can we protect student and staff wellbeing as they explore generative AI? In Part 1 of this article, we looked at the impact of AI in education on students. In this Part 2, we consider how we should approach AI as a school, and the benefits it can offer to our teachers.
Empowering teachers to use AI in education
As with every new invention, it can be challenging for individuals in schools to embrace the changes offered by AI. That’s why at Wendover we are following the advice of the Council of Europe to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of AI in learning, so as to be empowered – not overpowered – by technology.
We continue to look carefully at the benefits and challenges of AI in education and will regularly revise our new Policy on AI to ensure that we are not overpowered by these new tools. Our goal is to empower our students to explore using AI safely and transparently; and empower our teachers to do the same, freeing them from administrative tasks to make the best use of their teaching skills.
Guidance on the use of AI in education
The UK Government has published a Policy Paper for schools on AI in education with guidance on how schools can both help and protect those involved. However, AI in Education, a collaborative body set up by schools and colleges to help them navigate the challenges of AI in education, notes:
“The truth is that AI is moving far too quickly for government or parliament alone to provide the real-time advice that schools need.”
Wendover Policy on AI in Education
Artificial intelligence can be used effectively to support education in a number of ways. For school organisations and teachers these include:
• Administrative tasks such as timetabling and setting up reporting systems.
• Resource planning: preparing information summaries and resource lists.
• Fast and effective lesson planning to ensure all topics are fully covered.
• Creative assistance with project ideas, and new ways to inspire students.
• Help with student assessment, from creating quizzes to test papers and identifying areas of strength of weakness.
All such help with educational tasks ultimately benefits our students, by freeing our staff to do what they do best:
Bespoke education planning
Our online school offers students a range of different subjects timetabled to fit in with their sporting or travel needs, or to allow them to pursue other interests. Using AI tools to help plan these complex timetables ensures that we are able to offer maximum flexibility to our students.
More personalised teaching
Whether through more detailed personalisation of topic plans for a specific child, or by finding innovative ways to help students grasp difficult areas, AI can be used to focus even more clearly on helping individual students get the most out of their time at Wendover Online School.
How our teachers minimise the risks of AI in education
Students’ own work
Rather than discourage our students from using AI in any work, we ask them to use AI carefully and honestly. Usually, this means acknowledging if and how they have received any support from AI, so that our teachers can judge more effectively whether they have understood the subject. This also encourages students to be transparent about the use of AI in general, which will benefit them throughout their working lives.
Understanding misinformation and bias in AI responses
It is key, for us, to give our students really clear guidance on the use of AI – not just in education, but in the world more generally. We make time in tutorials, PHSE or other lessons to help our students understand the way large language models work and how fake news, ‘hallucinations’ and human bias can become baked into AI responses.
Education beyond academic success
Our whole ethos at Wendover is around caring for the whole child, giving them the confidence and social skills that will endure for life. Whilst we will share with them appropriate resources for learning, research and revising (including AI tools), we take care to guide them not to rely too heavily on these tools.
Respect for data privacy
We are careful in our use of digital tools across our whole school, protecting personal and commercial information, and we teach our students to be the same.
Harnessing AI to support our education team
Despite the lack of clear national and professional guidance for schools, Wendover is working hard to ensure that we harness the benefits of AI to deliver the best possible online education. Our AI expert Alex Coxall is reviewing the tools currently available to schools and teachers and sharing the best alongside his tips for safe use.
Our AI policy that will guide staff as well as students and parents on AI in education, allowing them to engage transparently and safely with these exciting new tools. We look forward to sharing this with you.
Please get in touch if you would like to know more about our approach to AI in education, Contact us here.
