Teachers in the Perham-Dent School District are using AI technology to improve student learning and increase opportunities for interactions.
During the school board meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 8, Perham High School Principal Ehren Zimmerman explained that two years ago, a few staff members “dove into” understanding how AI could be used in the teaching profession.
“AI doesn’t need to be a curse in secondary education, it can be a very positive tool,” he said, adding staff development days include education on how to use the tool.
English teacher and speech coach Kasey Wacker is at the forefront of using AI technology in the classroom and provided the board with a presentation on how AI is currently being used in the district.
For teachers, she explained that a multiple-choice test may be given to students. Instead of a teacher going through to check which letter the student marked as an answer, AI can be used for automated grading, she said.
Teachers may also create a rubric to grade an assignment. Essentially, the teacher would input important learning points or concepts into the AI program the district uses. When a student turns in an assignment, AI can check it to ensure the student learned those key concepts.
AI can also provide feedback to the students, which must be approved by the teacher, Wacker said.
“It gives the student comments where it sees fit, and I can go through and read their essay or read their work that they submitted and cross check it before I accept or approve of any of those comments,” Wacker said.
Barbie Porter/Perham Focus
She noted that without AI, teachers sometimes keep commentary short due to time constraints. A teacher may write “good job” on a paper, but not explain specifically what the student did to get that remark. Using AI may provide more insight for the student on what they did well and where improvements could be made.
Wacker said AI can also help teachers create assignments or quizzes that can incorporate a game or interactive lesson to help keep students engaged. She noted that when using AI to assist in lesson plans, it can also quickly reword a question or provide hints to a student to help them learn the material.
“That’s really valuable to our students who are using it, but also to the teachers who don’t have to sit and try to come up with another way to explain that,” Wacker said.
Teachers can also see in real-time how each student is progressing with an assignment, and determine if face-to-face assistance would be helpful, and where it might be needed.
Wacker added that AI chatbots also provide an opportunity for every student to have a personal tutor. She noted the chatbot would notify a teacher if the assistance was not deemed successful or if a student interacts with the chatbot inappropriately.
“And then monitoring student progress is also another thing,” she said. “We have better insight on how a student is performing overall.”
For example, after a student gives their first speech in her class, the insight from that speech can be stored and referenced in the future. Wacker said that information provides a teacher with good comparative feedback on how a student’s skills have progressed throughout the year.
“It’s really, really beneficial,” she said.
While teachers are seeing a great deal of benefit from utilizing AI, Wacker said students are also becoming familiar with the tool.
“We’re preparing them for the future,” Wacker said. “They’re learning and understanding how AI is embedded in their lives. They will not be able to get away from it. None of us can. So, we need to learn how to harness it and use it effectively so that they can be more productive and successful humans outside of our building.”
Barbie Porter is a reporter for the Perham Focus. Email story ideas to Barbie at bporter@perhamfocus.com or call 218-844-1447.