Following my attendance at the IAPS Heads’ Conference in Wales last week, I find myself reflecting on the remarkable potential AI holds for enhancing education in our schools. We had a fantastic series of presentations, seminars and workshops on tech and its place in a modern forward-facing prep school, and I also found myself sharing a couple of reflections with a couple of mums on the gate on Monday this week. Tech, and its place in schools (let alone family life!) can set pulses racing (nothing wrong with that of course).
Whatever your view as a parent (and please, I am always happy to hear what that might be) AI can offer unprecedented opportunities to tailor learning, provide personalised feedback and help to identify areas where additional support may be required. These advancements promise to elevate both teaching and learning, and I suspect will become not just a feature of how and what children learn over the coming years, but a ‘baked in’ part of it. I am firmly of the view that we are on the cusp of an exciting era where technology can complement further the incredible work our teachers already do here, making our classrooms even more dynamic and engaging. AI is here to stay (we were told last week anyway…!)
While AI is set to bring many advantages, we must not forget the irreplaceable value of human connection in education; relationships matter a great deal to me on both a personal and professional level. The intuition, empathy, and personal connections fostered between teachers and pupils are, in my experience, fundamental to nurturing a well-rounded, happy child. We are thinking carefully here about how to use technology as a tool to support, rather than replace, the rich and meaningful interactions that lie at the heart of our educational ethos and therefore everything we do at our school.
