Taking a closer look at adaptive learning environments

Kia Ora,

Last month, alongside our friends at AI Forum, we hosted a webinar on artificial intelligence and its impact on education. Over 700 people registered to attend! If you missed out, you can watch it here. It started a topical conversation on how we can help support learner outcomes with the growing popularity of ChatGPT (generative AI). One aspect of the conversation that stood out was the idea of using this technology to improve critical thinking skills, and to redefine where our energy within education lies – a familiar nod to when calculators were introduced to the classroom. 

This raised the idea of being able to truly dive into an adaptive learning environment, where a learners experience is personalised and based on accurate learner data to improve outcomes of the individual learners. However, an adaptive learning practice has many things to take into account for each learner – their strengths, weaknesses, learning style, cultural background, as well as their own individual interests. We want our ākonga to be engaged in their learning experience, to make it unique and special and to create an environment that excites them to become a life-long learner. However, as many of us can admit, this is a heavy ask to place upon teachers who manage multiple students in one given day. 

An adaptive learning environment requires thoughtful planning, evidence, and ultimately time to curate activities and projects of work that is unique to each learner. By utilising generative AI platforms, such as ChatGPT, it can shift where our time is spent and where we place our value. Instead of placing valuable time in researching topics, analysing data, and producing unique activities of work, a teacher can now spend the time building meaningful relationships with their ākonga to gain insights into their interests and engage in critical thinking activities to deepen a learners experience.

The emergence of ChatGPT is an exciting era of education. Instead of viewing it as the end to assessments and writing essays, let’s see it as a tool to redirect where we place our value in education and broaden what we can achieve in a classroom and throughout a learners journey. 

Next month on 27 April, we will be continuing this conversation at our Connect Event in Auckland. We will be joined by AI expert Prof. Ian Watson who will be sharing his professional and academic insights to artificial intelligence in education. You can register to attend here. 

Ngā mihi 
The EdTechNZ Team

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Read full news here: EdTechNZ March Newsletter

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