In this episode of Ed-Technical, Owen and Libby speak with Becky Allen, co-founder of Teacher Tapp, a survey tool that polls a representative sample of teachers about what's happening in their schools, classrooms, and lives at the end of every school day. The conversation covers a range of topics related to AI and education, including how teachers are currently using large language models, the potential for AI to address the "lockstep problem" in education (that all students are expected to progress together, despite their differences) and the future role of technology in schools.

Becky shares insights from Teacher Tappp surveys, revealing that many teachers are actively using AI tools for tasks like lesson planning and content creation, particularly in English and upper upper primary education. She discusses the challenges of personalissed learning and the importance of considering teachers' preferences when implementing new technologies. Becky also offers her perspective on the future of AI in education, suggesting that while independent learning may see significant changes, the structure of classroom instruction is likely to remain largely unchanged due to the complex social dynamics of schools.

“You've got about a third of the teachers that seem to be actively using large language models during their work. What they said about how they're using it, some of it isn't surprising, like things that we would call kind of admin of some description. But the thing I didn't expect is the extent to which now teachers are using it for lesson planning and by lesson planning I'm talking about a massive kind of broad range of things that has to happen before the lesson can take place.” Becky Allen

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Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design