African teachers must not take a back seat in the era of AI, says educator

Multi-awarding-winning educator, Mr. Lanre Oguntoye, has urged African educators to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) rather than watch and worry as new trends in the technology unfold.

According to him, learning about the technology and adopting its use in their teaching pedagogy would lead to more efficiency.

Oguntoye, who is an assistant principal at Greensprings School, Anthony campus, issued this advice during a recent webinar titled, “Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” which was organised by Greensprings Training College.

In his words: “Everyone is on a learning curve when it comes to AI. Thus, it is important for educators in Africa not to take the back seat. As the whole world is embracing AI, we also need to do so as individuals and at an institutional level and not play the catch-up game i.e., coming to terms with AI after the world has moved to something more advanced.”

Building on his recommendation, Oguntoye highlighted the educational journey from the use of chalkboards, audio-visuals, computers, and digital technology to the now-emerging Artificial Intelligence.

He disclosed that learning experiences can now be optimized to suit each learner’s needs with technologies like AI-powered tutors, personalised learning platforms, automated grading systems, adaptive learning algorithms, and intelligent virtual assistants.

According to him, adopting the necessary mind shift will help educators appreciate Artificial Intelligence and incorporate it into their teaching practices.

Some of the required mindsets that he mentioned include: Accepting change and understanding that strategies and methods keep on evolving, focusing on the strengths of AI, deliberating working against its weaknesses, and discouraging its abuse.

In addition, he encouraged educators to tutor their students on how to use AI intelligently rather than abuse its use. For instance, guiding the students in creating brilliant prompts on chatbots to help with their learning exercises and using AI to generate useful flashcards to aid revision.

Lanre Oguntoye is a celebrated educator with multiple awards from reputable educational institutions such as Cambridge University Press & Assessment and Suraasa (International Teachers’ Olympiad).