Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy | Linkedin
A Teacher Tapp survey has revealed that educators prefer to determine how artificial intelligence (AI) is utilized in classrooms, expressing skepticism towards federal government-led AI training initiatives. This announcement was made in a blog post on the Teacher Tapp website.
According to the findings, nearly half of teachers across elementary, middle, and high schools believe that individual teachers should decide on AI usage in classrooms rather than external bodies like school districts or the federal government. The data showed similar opinions among teachers regardless of their confidence in using AI. This reflects broader concerns about top-down approaches to educational technology adoption, as highlighted in broader education policy discussions.
Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy, has promoted the use of AI through the development of "Khanmigo," an AI-powered tutor designed to assist students and help teachers use AI responsibly in educational settings. Khan has advocated for AI as a support tool to enhance personalized learning while emphasizing the importance of human oversight. Khan Academy reports that over 8,000 students and teachers have piloted Khanmigo during its initial rollout.
Teacher Tapp also found that 19% of high school teachers feel 'very confident' in their AI skills compared to 16% of middle school teachers and only 11% of elementary school teachers. Despite these differences in confidence levels, teachers across all levels consistently prefer that decisions regarding AI be made by educators themselves rather than by external administrators. In terms of decision-making, 48% of elementary teachers, 44% of middle school teachers, and 47% of high school teachers believe educators should take the lead.
The data from Teacher Tapp indicates a significant majority of teachers are skeptical about the federal government’s ability to design effective AI training. Specifically, 69% of high school teachers, 63% of middle school teachers, and 62% of elementary school teachers responded "not at all confident." Familiarity with AI does not appear to affect this skepticism toward government-led initiatives. This suggests a broad lack of trust in centralized approaches to AI implementation within education.
Teacher Tapp is a daily survey app gathering insights from thousands of educators to provide real-time data on trends, opinions, and challenges within education. Founded in the United Kingdom, Teacher Tapp has expanded internationally and regularly publishes findings to help inform policymakers and educational leaders. The platform reports insights from over 9,000 educators daily.
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