Beverly Clarke Consulting

As a school leader you are currently going through one of the biggest technological shifts, with Artificial Intelligence (AI), changing the way in which we work. 

The promises around AI are big, such as reduced workload for all, personalised learning support to support each pupil in the best way for them, automated marking, with results that can be fed back into systems to improve lesson plans and also potentially becoming part of a global classroom, with barriers such as language differences removed, allowing for faster communication and more collaboration opportunities.

One of the big challenges is taking staff (along with pupils and their parents/guardians) on the AI educational journey. In this article, I share tips to support taking your school on an AI journey.

• Shared Vision – start with this, explain the why and link it to the school development plan and departmental visions.  Ensure that all policies reference the usage and deployment of AI as necessary. Within policies ensure that risks of bias, data privacy and also ensuring equitable access to AI tools are addressed.
• Invest in Staff – share a training plan to take all staff along on the AI journey, for example AI for admin staff, AI for school business managers, for Senior Leadership, for teachers. 
• Invest in Pupils – with staff trained, also consider pupils, where and when will they be using AI, in every subject area.  Also link back to your policies, for example your safeguarding policy and AI usage policies.  Ensure that pupils, their teachers and parents are all on the shared AI journey.
• Consider Pedagogy – AI should be used to augment teaching, not to replace great teaching.  Human beings are very essential in the age of AI.  Consider how teachers will teach with AI, for example asking a pupil to summarise while they have access to AI tools is not learning since summaries can be done at the click of a button.  Instead, asking pupils to put forward points based upon an article and have a debate, would allow for developing a range of skills, such as communication and critical thinking.
• Infrastructure – ensure that your school IT systems can support the AI tools that will be deployed. The school IT Manager or organisation that manages school IT services is essential on this journey.  Ensure that areas, like hardware, network capacity and data security systems are in place.  Additionally ensure that the selection of AI tools meets data protection standards.
• Progression and Impact – have key checkpoints to measure the progress, you are making as a school, and departmentally with deployment of AI. Get regular feedback from all involved, and consider if AI is having the desired results, such as reduced workload or improved personalised learning.

Across the school year celebrate your AI successes and share them with other schools locally and nationally.  Currently, the evidence base of AI deployment is not huge, many more examples of use and impact are required. Also be transparent with where challenges are encountered and how you dealt with them. 

Above all remember that the integration of AI into education is not “just another IT system”, but rather a fundamental shift in how we lead, teach, learn and care for pupils.  By starting with a shared vision and a good training base for all staff and pupils, along with continuous review, the outcomes and promises of a better future for all in education through AI use will be possible.