Elsa Angel Rose
National Teacher’s Day is nearing Sept 5. Teachers who educate, guide, and mentor are always valuable. They shape countless lives. The rise of AI use for educational purposes by students is gradually changing the role of a teacher and demanding a lot more, or novel, skills from educators. Well, teachers are adapting to these changes and bringing their own bright light to teaching. “I believe the future classrooms will involve the partnership between AI and teachers, where one provides the content and the other facilitates the process of teaching and learning. Thus, the famous proverb, ‘two heads are better than one’. Complementing rather than conflicting will make the teaching-learning process fun and easier, where teachers do the emotional affective role, and AI generates resources, develops tasks for learning, and more. Thus, combining the strengths of both will go a long way,” shared Dr Aida Dourado, Sociologist/ Teacher from Nuvem, Salcette.
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“I would definitely choose an excellent teacher over an AI tutor. We saw AI teaching us, and the results were poorer than we had imagined. AI can teach us, but it can never explain things the way a teacher does. The examples teachers give, the way they explain, and how they make us relate to a concept make learning far more meaningful and easier to understand,” said Ambika Morajkar, a 20-year-old student writer and poet from Fatorda. Many lessons require not just rote memorising, but the student developing a connection to the concerned topic of learning. “AI can help us with almost anything academically, but not with everything. Sometimes, lessons don’t need notes or simply memorising; they need us to find a connection with the concept. I believe AI was created by humans to help us, not replace us. In any field, AI can help us, but a teacher’s presence can never be replaced,” said Ambika. Ambika shared a sweet memory etched deeply in her heart: “Several teachers have helped me and changed my approach towards a lot of things in life, but the one who helped me become who I am today is Tr Leanne D’Costa, my fifth-grade teacher. I loved speaking on the mic, but I had stage fright. I still remember her telling me, ‘Own the stage as if it belongs to you.’ My approach didn’t change overnight, but over the years, it did. Today, I still get nervous, but I’m not afraid to grab opportunities anymore, and that’s the teacher I will always be grateful to.”
“I occasionally use AI to brainstorm innovative ways of teaching a given text. These include theory as well as practical exercises to conduct in class, besides key terms and points that students should comprehend. I also remind students to think for themselves. Sometimes I give them time based tasks to be completed in class itself. I ensure they do not access their phones during this period,” shared Jude Fernandes, English professor from Panjim. According to the professor, reading, verifying, and critically reflecting on AI-based responses rather than accepting them as the gospel truth is highly pertinent. “If they merely read these responses aloud in class, I deliberately ask them to paraphrase the explanation in their own words. Traditional homework and assignments do not make sense if students simply copy-paste content without bothering to acknowledge the source text, proofread or understand what they’re submitting. The curiosity and enthusiasm to keep learning are the most important skills a teacher can develop in the AI era.”
“Before AI came into use by the students, as a teacher I would be mostly providing the information, or the content on the topic dealt with. Now all of this they can access, so my role here is to guide, mentor and help students as to how or within what limits they can use AI. In short, I can say, from a provider, I am now taking over the role of a discerner for my students in the age of AI,” said Dr Aida. Commenting on whether AI can understand a student’s emotions or what they are going through in reality, Dr Aida noted, “Certainly not. Teachers can understand the struggle the child goes through through their interaction and body language that is displayed by the student. Human touch, personal connect and understanding are very difficult to replace by AI.”
