Title: 9 AI-enhanced Elephants in the Classroom

Reading this article by Will Richardson made me think these 9 points somehow have to factor into the equation. Are these not 9 facts we know to be true? The elephant in the classroom? The question then is, how are we addressing this in our schools? And if not, shouldn’t we?

1. We know that most of our students will forget most of the content they “learn” in school. As Matthew Lieberman from UCLA notes, “For more than 75 years, studies have consistently found that only a small fraction of what is learned in the classroom is retained even a year after learning.” This is even more relevant in the age of AI, where information retrieval is instantaneous. The focus should shift from memorization to critical thinking, problem-solving, and effectively leveraging AI tools.
2. We know that most of our students are bored and disengaged in school. According to a recent Gallup survey, only 32% of high school juniors reported being “involved and enthusiastic about school.” Even worse, only 17% said they have fun in school, the same number that said they “get to do what they do best” in school. Is anyone ok with that? We need to integrate AI-powered personalized learning experiences that adapt to individual students’ interests and learning styles to boost engagement.
3. We know that deep, lasting learning requires conditions that schools and classrooms simply were not built for. When we look at the things that each of us has learned most deeply in our lives, the same certain conditions almost always apply: Among other things, we had an interest and a passion for the topic, we had a real, authentic purpose in learning it, we had agency and choice, deciding what, when, where, and with whom we learned it, and we had fun learning it even if some of it was “hard fun.” AI can help create these conditions by offering personalized learning paths, real-world problem-solving opportunities, and adaptive challenges.
4. We know that we’re not assessing many of the things that really matter for future success. The reality in K-12 schooling today is that most of what we assess, content, knowledge, and basic skills, is the easiest to assess, not the most important. It’s much more difficult to assess the literacies, skills, and dispositions that are required to succeed and lead a healthy, happy life, especially in a world where answers are everywhere via the technologies we carry in our pockets and AI assistants are readily available. We need to develop new assessment methods that evaluate students’ ability to work alongside AI, their digital literacy, and their capacity for creative problem-solving.
5. We know that grades, not learning, are the outcomes that students and parents are most interested in. This system has caused generations to develop an unhealthy obsession with grades instead of learning. With AI’s ability to provide instant feedback and continuous assessment, we have the opportunity to shift focus from traditional grading to a more holistic evaluation of learning progress and skill development.
6. We know that curriculum is just a guess. The way we talk about “The Curriculum,” you would think that it was something delivered on a gold platter from on high. In reality, it was pretty much written by 10 middle-aged white guys (and their primarily white, middle-aged friends) in 1894 called “The Committee of Ten.” In the age of AI, we need to regularly update our curriculum to include emerging technologies, ethical considerations of AI use, and skills that complement rather than compete with AI capabilities.
7. We know that separating learning into discrete subjects and time blocks is not the best way to prepare kids for the real world. School is the only place in the world where we do math for 45 minutes, and then science for 45 minutes, and then Shakespeare for 45 minutes. That’s an efficiency that serves the system, not the students. AI can help us create more integrated, project-based learning experiences that mirror real-world problem-solving scenarios.
8. We know (I think) that the system of education as currently constructed is not adequately preparing kids for what follows if and when they graduate. This is especially true in the rapidly evolving landscape of AI and automation. We need to prioritize teaching adaptability, lifelong learning skills, and the ability to work effectively alongside AI systems.
9. We know that learning that sticks is usually learned informally and that explicit knowledge accounts for very little of our success in most professions. Instead, tacit knowledge and the ability to learn from others at the moment, both face-to-face and in networks, are vastly more important and effective. AI can support this by providing just-in-time learning resources, facilitating connections between learners, and offering personalized learning experiences.
10. We know that AI is reshaping the workforce and society at large. Schools must prepare students not just to use AI tools, but to understand their implications, limitations, and ethical considerations. This includes fostering skills like critical thinking about AI-generated information, understanding AI biases, and learning how to effectively prompt and interact with AI systems.