Two-Tiered Education in the Digital Age
Education has always been characterized by human experience. Face-to-face interactions between teachers and students have been consistently prioritized as best practice for supporting long-term cognitive, emotional, and social development. Educational theorists have frequently suggested that human-to-human interactions are central to personal development, scaffolded by interpersonal, collaborative relationships that lead to perceptive self-regulation. From Vygotsky to Bronfenbrenner, the idea is that human development is a complex interplay and dynamic process among different environmental layers unique to every individual. How an individual develops is directly related to ecological factors, which will determine positive growth or negative regression. Traditional face-to-face classrooms have been viewed as Socratic ecosystems where teachers assume many roles that contribute to a student’s overall growth. Whether they are acting as a coach, guide, leader, or model, each interaction with a student leaves behind knowledge deposits that help build more permanent cognitive layers. Embedded in these layers are specific, scaffolded memories students can refer to as they continue to become more independent and self-directed. However, in the digital age, technology has become so embedded in classrooms that the value of human-to-human teaching is beginning to erode. Technologies such as AI, adaptive learning, and virtual classrooms have opened new possibilities in education, reshaping traditional notions of human teaching and learning that are only beginning to be understood. Education is now entering what can be considered a two-tiered system, one that emphasizes personalized AI instruction that is cost-effective, efficient, and data-rich, and the other that places more value on deeply relational human connections. The challenge then becomes, can the two systems co-exist, or will human teaching eventually be phased out and replaced by AI tutors and other virtual programs?
AI technologies are being rapidly adopted into classrooms as the technology of choice due to sophisticated algorithms that can mimic human behavior. Teachers are also reporting using more AI in their daily tasks to be able to plan lessons faster and provide more directed feedback to students. For example, some schools are turning to tools like Khanmigo, developed by Khan Academy founder Sal Khan, using OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Khanmigo is designed to provide real-time responses, pose questions back to students, and adapt to their learning styles. The premise behind this and most AI programs is to amplify, not replace, what human teachers can do. The idea is to provide supplemental support so that teachers can focus more on the human side of teaching – building relationships, mentoring students, and creating deeper human connections. There is no question that AI can “teach.” However, what becomes the teacher’s role if the machine can essentially do what humans can and do it more accurately, is more adaptable, and can perform faster?
There is a noticeable shift, especially among school districts facing financial issues and staffing challenges, to move towards more AI-infused teaching models. Given the economic and technological disparities among school districts, lower-income schools may partially or completely replace human teachers as a cost-saving measure to address teacher shortages and infrastructure issues. AI is viewed as an immediate solution; it does not require a degree or professional licensing. Since AI can mimic teaching, the focus is not on the quality of the teaching. Rather, the view is that it just has to be “good enough.” By partially or fully surrendering human teaching to technology, education then becomes a mass production without considering the human nuances that can affect long-term learning. What then becomes of human teaching? If this scenario comes to fruition, a premium will be placed on human-to-human education. It will become an artisanal, niche experience reserved only for families who can afford the high tuition that would come with enrollment. This, of course, would continue to widen the economic, social, and digital skill gaps between schools with abundant resources and schools with fewer means. The two-tiered system would then be realized.
Is the role of human-to-human teaching disappearing or transforming? Will there be a post-human era in education? According to Sal Khan, human teaching is not going away; there must always be a human teacher who is the guardian over how technology is used in the classroom. It is human gatekeepers who must ensure that controls are in place and parameters are defined. However, Geoffrey Hinton, who is considered to be the “godfather of AI,” takes a more cautious approach. He notes that the actuality of AI-exclusive classrooms is much closer to reality than first thought. Educational stakeholders must take a pragmatic approach that balances innovation with the needed human teacher interactions. Teachers must continue to provide students with authentic, meaningful opportunities to learn through collaborative interactions that provide the necessary layers to support their cognitive and social development. Technology and humans must coexist within a synergistic system that equalizes advances in education balanced with genuine, meaningful teaching and learning that benefits all students.
Rebecca Blankenship
Rebecca J. Blankenship is an award-winning educator and researcher with over 25 years of teaching experience. Her current research examines the ecologies of meanings as a systems-based, hermeneutic approach to ethics in AI and gen-AI teaching and learning modalities. She is currently an Associate Professor in the College of Education at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.