The Covid pandemic has had an undeniable impact on students’ learning. School closures and remote learning over the last 2 years are now showing up as learning gaps. With rare exception, students have fallen behind in core subjects like as Mathematics, Language Arts, and Science.
And the problem has been exacerbated by staff shortages across many U.S. states. A number of schools have had to shut classrooms because of a lack of available teachers. Teacher shortages and difficulties filling openings have been reported in Tennessee, Texas, Michigan, New Jersey and South Dakota. And this problem is not uniquely American, with other parts of the world reporting similar staffing challenges.
Schools and school districts are currently working with students, teachers, and parents to close learning gaps. McKinsey in the Summer of 2021 estimated that students were on average five months behind in mathematics and four months behind in reading at the end of the 2020 -2021 school year. Another alarming statistic: High schoolers have become more likely to drop out of school entirely, and high school seniors (especially those from low-income families) are less likely to go on to college. Attempts are being made on all fronts to help students to catch-up on unfinished learning due to the many pandemic-related disruptions.
When students fall behind in essential subjects, tutoring is often the fastest path to catching up. However, with the combination of lockdown restrictions, school closures, and teacher shortages today’s students are experiencing a perfect storm.
Solutions may be found in using Artificial Intelligence. New learning opportunities are being created for students using developing A.I. technologies at a very fast rate. A.I. tutors are already being used to teach students complex math concepts, which is helping students to fill gaps in their knowledge.
The $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act CARES ACT and subsequent relief monies that Congress apportioned over the past two years is funding many opportunities for after-school tutoring. And schools and school districts can also use these monies to offer tutoring programs as an extension of the teacher and teacher’s aide. School funding is often data driven and A.I. tutors are a practical solution to bridging the learning and the data gap.
According to a recent survey, after school programs and tutoring rank as top priorities for school districts as solutions for their CARES and ESSER spending. Additional school funding and emergency relief will go towards instructional materials. It is clear that school districts and state level leaders acknowledge that these are areas of great need.
Innovative educational companies are already using such technologies to provide personalized learning and immediate feedback to students, teachers, and parents. A.I. programs can provide updates on the child’s progress and areas of weakness that need improving, as well as provide that additional teaching support when one is not readily available.
The pandemic has shown us that now more than ever, students need personalized learning experiences, and trained programs using A.I. can provide just that. That’s why school districts are taking advantage of these innovative technologies as they provide an immediate solution to a real problem.
The use of A.I. in education is an ever-expanding area to watch closely. PrepAnywhere.com is a solution specifically tailored to Middle School and High School math curricula. Students can upload a photo of any math problem from their textbooks; the PrepAnywhere library includes over 60,000 videos that teach students how to do the problems and build their math skills
There is no doubt that more and more aspects of life continue to move online, and that includes traditional modes of tutoring. Today’s students can access the materials and information they need in real time. School administrators can take advantage of innovative tutoring services like PrepAnywhere to not only accelerate learning but also to encourage students to engage and complete unfinished learning. And schools and districts can use the innovation in tutoring services to supplement the classroom experience to help already stretched teachers.
The team at Advancing Global EDU is glad to connect educators and education solution providers. We love when classroom innovation matches edtech solutions. Let us know how we can help you reach your goals.
Kommentare