The Scene
In today's educational landscape, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into our classrooms has become both inevitable and exciting. Recently, I had a fascinating encounter with three doctors who were also former high school classmates. They approached me with the ambitious goal of establishing a school as a legacy to their hometown. Intrigued by the possibilities AI could offer, they sought my advice. After dinner, our conversation drifted to my AI for Academics course. Jokingly, one inquired: "What’s a nice OD and AI guy like you doing in a course like that?"
The Teacher and the OD Practitioner
Our very first exposure to OD practitioners was through our kindergarten teachers. Through their leadership by example, we learned the basics of planning, organizing, team learning, motivation, a sense of community, and so on (). Both OD practitioners and teachers share a common goal of empowering learners to reach their full potential and contribute positively to society. They are alike in several ways: (a) both cultivate a supportive and inclusive environment, fostering trust, collaboration, and mutual respect; (b) they employ evidence-based practices to enhance learning outcomes, drawing upon research and best practices; (c) they apply effective communication and interpersonal skills that are crucial for both roles in facilitating discussions, giving feedback, and resolving conflicts within their workplaces or classrooms; and (d) they provide mentoring support for coping with changes in learners’ environment, habits, lives, and attitudes. Finally, whether they know it or not, both use and create data, information, and insights (digital assets).
AI Learning Dynamics
Then last year, AI invaded (almost enveloped) workplaces and classrooms, subtly and quietly yet pervasively. As expected, both teachers and students relied on informal, organic, peer-led learning processes commonly used but almost invisible among educators. Teachers learned from their co-teachers via grapevines, being careful to avoid being misbranded as intellectual risk-takers. Students learned from their peers, individually (via TikTok or YouTube) or among their learning groups. The first to adopt (the Champion!) immediately earns bragging rights and instant respect. And as with other learning methods (calculators, games, apps, practices), this is how new techniques spread like wildfire in the classroom, even faster than gossip can. Nothing is wrong here. Individual learning and self-discoveries are powerful learning methods and could usher in emergent learning and innovations. Interestingly, the diffusion and adoption of AI as a new learning method seemed much faster among the students than their teachers.
The Challenge
For OD practitioners, this is a challenge. Inadequate infrastructure and learning synergy deprive both students and teachers of accessing and benefiting together from the internet’s massive and most recent knowledge base. In a casual conversation, a teacher informed me that the still pervasive use of printed textbooks and modules is our poor students’ only learning resource. Old, out-of-date, and expensive, it widens the digital disparities in access and resource use among students and teachers.
While AI holds immense potential for revolutionizing learning from personalized learning platforms to automated grading systems, it offers a myriad of possibilities for enhancing teaching efficiency and student outcomes. However, its integration into the classroom presents both opportunities and challenges from an OD perspective. This requires deliberate OD strategies and supportive frameworks. It appears that the school's learning ecosystem is failing to encourage the use of AI. As of last month, only a handful of universities and schools have openly adopted AI in their classrooms. The learning processes in schools need to fully utilize the learning synergy among students, parents, administration, and stakeholders in creating a sustainable learned future citizenry.
OD Interventions
As both teachers and students navigate the journey into the complex terrain of AI, several OD interventions could hasten the seamless blending of AI in the classrooms.
1. Teacher Development: Encourage schools to invest in comprehensive professional development programs tailored to equip teachers with "practical" skills and useful habits to leverage AI effectively in their classrooms. Encourage peer collaboration and experiential learning opportunities to foster a culture of continuous improvement.
2. Curriculum Integration: Integrate AI-related content into existing curricula across diverse subject areas, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches and real-world applications. Empower students to use AI-driven platforms, become active participants in their learning journey by incorporating AI-driven projects and activities that promote critical thinking and real-world problem-solving skills.
3. Infrastructure and Access: Prioritize equitable access to AI technologies and digital resources, particularly in underserved communities. Advocate for investments in infrastructure, such as high-speed internet connectivity, AI mentors and chatbots, and device accessibility, to ensure that all students have the opportunity to benefit from AI-enabled learning experiences.
4. Ethics and Responsible Use: Foster conversations around ethical implications and responsible use of AI in the classroom, including issues related to privacy, bias, cyberattacks, and algorithmic transparency. Empower learners to critically evaluate AI applications and make informed decisions about their use in promoting responsible digital citizenship.
AI for Academics
Finally, I shared the features of my forthcoming 3-day AI for Academics Course aimed at teachers, educators, and school administrators. Essentially, the course will: (a) share an overview of AI and machine learning, (b) examine the changing roles of teachers and students, (c) share prompts for teachers (prompt engineering), (d) guide teachers as AI users and content creators (text, images, research, presentations, and videos), (e) introduce special AI platforms for academics and discoverable AI applications, (f) build a private AI-bot (as a 24-hour class mentor or coach), and (g) demonstrate use of responsible AI in the classroom.
Indeed, the integration of AI into classrooms heralds a new era of learning innovation and opportunity. By embracing change, fostering collaboration, and prioritizing equity, teachers and OD practitioners can harness the transformative power of AI to create enriching learning experiences that prepare students for the challenges of the future.
Just before they paid the bill, one asked: "When do you plan to focus your OD lens and AI flashlight on health organizations and medical enterprises (HOME)?
Aha…!"
NOTES
1. ODPN Conversations. Coming this year. 3 transformative themes that will redefine how you engage, innovate, and thrive in your organizations.
Theme A: Recharge Your Workforce (March - April)
Leap into the digital era with Organizational Engagement for Our Post-Pandemic World. (a) Ride the wave of the Gig Economy and its transformative influence on your team's spirit and culture on Wednesday, March 14, with DLSU Professor Raymund Habaradas and freelance writer, Ms Claire Agbayani, via zoom; (b) Decode the hush-hush whispers of Quiet Resignation and turn them into roars of commitment in April and (c) Master the art of Leveraging Emotions to fuel a passionate and high-performing organizational heartbeat in April.
2. For those interested to go in depth in OD, ODPN offers our in-person OD Courses led by our OD Experts:
(a) Essentials of OD - Ms Milalin Javellana and Ms Tita Puangco
(b) Diagnosing Organizations - Dr Joy Teng-Calleja - June 20
(c) Designing Effective OD Interventions - Dr Miel Reyes - September 5
(d) Process Observation and Analysis - Dr Josephine Perez - November 28
3. ODLab24 will happen on July 4 to 5 in the City of Smiles, Bacolod City. Save the date. Watch for more announcements in this space.
4. Ed Canela Courses:
1. 4th Data Analytics for MSMEs. 3 Saturdays (March 9 to 23) In-Person hands-on at the University of the Philippines Institute for Small Scale Universities (UPISSI, ON-GOING).
2.AI Unveiled: Harnessing the Benefits with Mindful Safeguards, Zonta International in the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia and Thailand (by Invites Only), 13 April 2024.
3. Webinar on Transformative Leaders: Lead to Learn by Legacy 17, 5-7 May 2024, Lund, Sweden. SAVE THE DATES! Visit: LinkedIn OR Facebook.
4.2ndAI for Academics. 3-day hands-on webinar for educators, administrators, professors, researchers, trainers, facilitators and teachers to explore the convergence of AI with OD and education. Sept 5, 6 and 9, 2024 at SAIDI from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM via Zoom. E-mail or call: Cynthia Cruz at cecruz@saidi.edu.ph or 8-5545373.