Why Teacher Expertise Will Always Still Matter More than Artificial Intelligence

Sarah Hanawald
Senior Director,
​Association for Academic Leaders

Decades ago, I attended one of the first Anytime, Anywhere conferences at which a few tech companies promoted the idea that soon, every student would have a personal laptop for daily use in school. As I watched videos of Australian children walking into school toting their laptop bags, I had a sense that I was seeing something momentous at its beginning. While I was unsure about the timeline, I persuaded my school’s head to join the movement before the turn of the century and in 1998, our school “went 1:1.” The time to adoption varied greatly among schools, but assuredly, the school GenZ children experienced was vastly different from my own GenX education, in large part due to the technology available. 

​Something that never changed in my 20+ years of working with faculty towards the effective use of classroom technology was that the teacher always brought far more to the table in crafting the student learning experience than the technology ever did. Teachers’ skill sets adapted as technology entered and even occasionally transformed aspects of student learning; and then the adoption of learning technology exploded during the years of remote and hybrid learning. Teachers drew upon their wisdom, discernment, and expertise in forging connections with their students to craft curriculum and rethink pedagogy. The most successful uses of technology happened when academic leaders and faculty focused on a highly curated set of technology resources, “less is more” certainly applied. 

I have the same sense that school is about to change again in watching the emergence of generative AI.  Once again, I’m not sure about the time to full adoption, but I’m positive it’s going to be exponentially faster. Generative AI is a powerful tool that will become ubiquitous in the future lives and work of today’s students. Who will teach these students what they need to know to make generative AI a resource while still developing their intellectual capacity?  It’ll be their teachers and parents, not the AI itself. When social media emerged to become part of the landscape, we (educators) let social media teach students about social media for far too long. We need to do a better job this time around. 

Tom Rochon, Ph.D. President at ERB, wrote a compelling post about how writing instruction should evolve to leverage generative AI while still helping “teach students to write so they are able to formulate and communicate their thoughts.” It’s well worth a read for all educators, not just ELA faculty. Notably, nowhere in his post does Dr. Rochon posit the idea that educators will be less important in the future than they are now!  What he addresses instead is a glimpse into the future of meaningful instruction. What’s essential is that students grow confident in their ability to think critically and deeply, traits that teachers typically assess via writing. Will students who aren’t taught to use generative AI critically succumb to feeling “my writing isn’t as good as AI generated text, so why bother?” It’s never been more important to explain the why of every lesson to students and emphasize the importance of cognitive skill development over producing a final product.

Along with the call for teaching students about generative AI, there are also tremendous implications for how AI can support the professional work of teachers. When generative AI can assist teachers and academic leaders more effectively accomplish various tasks like grading, personalized instruction, and administrative management, what does this recaptured time empower teachers to do more of? In other words, generative AI isn’t going to teach or replace teachers. Teachers are going to use generative AI to better support student learning. Let’s consider some areas in which teachers excel and how having access to AI might further empower them.

Human Connection and Emotional Intelligence
One of the most crucial roles of a teacher is to foster a connection with their students.  Research suggests that the human connection between teachers and students is critical in promoting student motivation and engagement. Leading a classroom is not just about content expertise in a subject matter but teachers’ empathy, insights, and inspiration–and machines cannot match that. AI tools can help provide personalized learning for a student but only when directed to do so by a skilled and empathetic teacher. AI cannot discern emotions beyond a coded response, even a bot “trained” to be supportive will be limited when compared to a human teacher. When teachers leverage AI tools to fast-track their ability to provide personalized instruction in light of each student’s needs, that’s an empowered classroom.

Real-Time Adaptability
Teaching well has never been a one-size-fits-all approach. Teachers are flexible in adapting their approach to their students' varying needs and learning styles, flexing their ability to read their students' emotions and respond accordingly with empathy and support. Unlike AI, teachers can observe their students' progress in real-time, seeing the smallest signals that a student needs support, noticing a furrowed brow long before that student has generated “output” for an AI tool to examine. Teachers are also aware of the outer world impacting students’ ability to learn–is it the night before the state semifinals? The day after a heart-breaking loss in double-overtime? Tech week for the musical performance?  Teachers know and adjust their classrooms to these realities rapidly. AI simply cannot match the adaptability of a human teacher to the emotional and developmental needs of students.

Trust and Ethics
Teaching is far more than imparting knowledge and developing skills; it’s also helping students become responsible, ethical members of society.  Teachers promote trust, honesty, and integrity in the classroom and serve as role models for students to emulate. Thoughtful teachers help students grow their metacognitive skills and develop a growth mindset; these teachers truly inspire students to be their best selves. Further, in specific relation to generative AI, teachers are essential in encouraging students to be critical consumers and thinkers about not just the results of their interactions with generative AI, but about the bias, inequity, and exploitation that might be a part of the tools they are using.

Yes, generative AI can be a valuable tool for teachers in supporting student learning, but it's important to remember that it cannot replace human teachers. Teacher intelligence is far more effective in fostering human connections, providing real-time adaptability, promoting critical thinking and creativity, emotional intelligence, trust, and ethics. It's crucial that we continue to invest in teacher development and provide all faculty with the resources and support they need to become better educators. In conclusion, Artificial Intelligence serves as a support for educators, yet at the end of the day, Teacher Intelligence is still the driving force behind effective and meaningful learning.

---

Join us this fall at the Association for Academic Leaders as we delve into the exciting world of generative AI and explore its impact on education! 

Connect with peers from other member schools at our monthly meetups, designed for focused discussions. On September 20th, Sarah and Bob Weiman, Associate Head of School at St. Stephen's + St. Agnes School, will lead a conversation on the evolution of school policies around AI. 

In October, we'll shift our focus to how generative AI is transforming professional practice in schools. Stay tuned for future topics to be announced each month. And don't forget, you can also opt for role-specific conversations with your peers within our cohorts.

For those looking to take a deeper dive into leading teams, divisions, or whole schools in working with generative AI, we're offering asynchronous one-week courses.

• AI Considerations for Academic Leaders: Intended Audience - Division Leaders, Multi-Division Leaders.
• Assessing Your Assessments in the Age of AI: Intended Audience - Teaching & Learning and Curriculum & Pedagogy Leaders.
• Leading Your Team In Understanding Generative AI: Intended Audience - Department or Grade-Level Leaders, Instructional Coaches.