How ChatGPT and other AI tools are changing the teaching profession

For her sixth-grade honors class, math teacher Ana Sepúlveda wanted to make geometry fun. She figured her students, "who live and breathe soccer," would be interested to learn how mathematical concepts apply to the sport. She asked ChatGPT for help. Within seconds, the chatbot delivered a five-page lesson plan, even offering a theme: "Geometry is everywhere in soccer—on the field, in the ball, and even in the design of stadiums!" It explained the place of shapes and angles on a soccer field. It suggested classroom conversation starters: Why are those shapes important to the game? It proposed a project for students to design their own soccer field or stadium using rulers and protractors. "Using AI has been a game changer for me," said Sepúlveda, who teaches at a dual-language school in Dallas and has ChatGPT translate everything into Spanish. "It's helping me with lesson planning, communicating with parents and increasing student engagement." Across the country, artificial intelligence tools are changing the teaching profession as educators use them to help write quizzes and worksheets, design lessons, assist with grading and reduce paperwork. By freeing up their time, many say the technology has made them better at their jobs. A poll released by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation found that 6 in 10 U.S. teachers working in K-12 public schools used AI tools for their work over the past school year, with heavier use among high school educators and early-career teachers. It surveyed more than 2,000 teachers nationwide in April. Respondents who use AI tools weekly estimate the tools save them about six hours a week, suggesting the technology could help alleviate teacher burnout, said Gallup research consultant Andrea Malek Ash, who authored the report. As schools navigate concerns over student abuse of the technology, some are also introducing guidelines and training for educators so that teachers are aware of avoiding shortcuts that shortchange students. "We want to make sure that AI isn't replacing the judgment of a teacher," said Maya Israel, an associate professor of educational technology and computer science education at the University of Florida. This article was provided by The Associated Press.