Experts named the reason for parents' concerns about the use of AI in their studies
About 46% of Russians are not ready to allow children to use artificial intelligence to complete school assignments, another 30% allow such an opportunity only in certain subjects, according to a VTsIOM study. At the same time, Ekaterina Markelova, co—owner of the network and managing partner of the Discovery school, and Victoria Boeva, founder and co-owner of the network, believe that the main task of the school in the new conditions is not to ban neural networks, but to teach children to use them as a tool for developing thinking. All the details are in the Izvestia article.
The main concerns of parents are not so much related to the technology itself, but rather to a possible decrease in children's independence. Adults fear that with constant access to ready-made answers, students will stop looking for solutions on their own, read less and less often face the need to correct mistakes.
At the same time, some of the worries are related to the fact that parents themselves do not always understand the limits of acceptable use of AI in their studies. If many people are familiar with checking regular homework, then it can be more difficult to determine the difference between the useful help of a neural network and actually doing the work for a child.
AI as a learning tool
Experts note that it is no longer possible to completely exclude artificial intelligence from the lives of schoolchildren. The question is whether children will be able to use it as a tool for development, rather than as a way to quickly get a ready answer.
"It is important for parents to change their optics: to perceive artificial intelligence not as a competitor to a teacher or a threat to children's thinking, but as a tool that also requires competent management. You can allow the child to ask the neural network to explain a complex topic, but then offer to retell the material in their own words, find confirmation of the information and give their own example. This is how AI ceases to be a "button for a ready answer" and becomes a reason for real intellectual work," Markelova noted.
According to her, what matters is not the fact of accessing the neural network itself, but what part of the work the child transmits to the algorithm. AI can help explain a complex topic, offer additional examples, or point out mistakes, but completing the task completely deprives the student of the learning process.
The school will evaluate more than just the answer
Experts believe that the spread of AI will gradually change the approach to education. If earlier the school was mainly focused on memorizing information and reproducing knowledge, now analysis, argumentation and the ability to apply the information gained will become increasingly important. For example, in history lessons, a neural network can be used to prepare different points of view on controversial issues. Students can compare AI responses with textbooks and sources, find errors, supplement information, and form their own position.
"In education, not only the result is important, but also the path to it. AI makes the final answer available, so the school will have to pay more attention to how the child thinks, asks questions, checks information and argues his position," Boeva said.
According to experts, the role of the teacher will also change. The teacher will gradually move from the function of the main source of knowledge to the role of a mentor who helps students analyze information and develop independent thinking skills.
At the same time, teachers themselves also need to be prepared to work with new technologies. According to the survey, 81% of teachers would like to receive training on the use of AI in their professional activities.
Which skills will become more important
With the development of neural networks, it will not be enough for students to simply know the correct answer. The ability to verify information, understand the logic of a decision, and explain your own position will become increasingly important.
"Education will move towards greater personalization. Each child has their own pace, level of preparation, and way of perceiving information, and technology allows these differences to be taken into account. But the more digital tools appear in education, the more important it becomes that they cannot replace: live interaction, joint problem solving, the ability to negotiate, argue one's position and create something together with others," Markelova noted.
Experts emphasize that with the development of digital tools, the importance of skills that cannot be transferred to algorithms increases: independence, creativity, communication, and decision-making ability.
"A child should have areas where he consciously works without the help of an algorithm: reads, writes, counts, argues, experiments, engages in creativity, sports, communicates with other children. It is in such situations that independence, perseverance and the ability to make decisions are formed," says Boeva.
Thus, artificial intelligence will not replace the learning process, but it can change its format. The main skill of a student of the future will not be the search for a ready answer, but the ability to correctly pose a question, evaluate information and use technology to solve problems.
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