As Principal of SMMIS, I'm thrilled to share insights from our recent Inset Day, where our dedicated staff delved into the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education. At SMMIS, we are committed to staying at the forefront of teaching and learning, ensuring our educators are equipped with cutting-edge tools for our students.
We explored Generative AI (GenAI), powered by advanced Foundation Models like Gemini and ChatGPT, which are dramatically lowering the barriers to building AI applications in education. Tools like Google's LearnLM are specifically fine-tuned with input from educators to become subject matter experts.
Our core philosophy? AI as a "cognitive partner", not a replacement.
AI is a powerful assistant that augments our educators' skills, helping to personalise and enhance learning experiences. For teachers, this means support with:
Creating lesson plans and rubrics.
For students, AI can facilitate deeper exploration and turn study guides into interactive quizzes. We emphasised "learning how to prompt" effectively, using frameworks like PARTS, and explored tools like NotebookLM, which acts as a personal research assistant based solely on trusted, uploaded sources, not the entire internet.
Crucially, our discussions centred on ethical integration. Our guiding principles include:
While AI can process data and manage logistical tasks, it cannot provide the essential "why" or the personal connection that defines true education. "For that takes a teacher's great heart." We are excited to continue this journey, strategically leveraging AI to enhance learning outcomes while cherishing the irreplaceable human element in education.
A huge thank you to Fred Hersch, Tamas Makany, and Julie Schiller, all proud SMMIS parents, who brought their expertise in Innovation, Design Thinking, and AI in Education to inspire our team. We’re excited to keep leading the way in blending human brilliance with technological innovation for the benefit of every student.
