The implementation of AI in education presents both opportunities and challenges. As AI solutions focused on education evolve, it’s essential to determine what constitutes ‘better’ learning. To do this, we must consider the various perspectives of teaching and learning.
Making Learning Better
Author: John Traxler, UNESCO Chair, Commonwealth of Learning Chair and Academic Director of the Avallain Lab
Understanding Different Teaching and Learning Approaches
St. Gallen, February 26, 2025 – There are many perspectives for understanding teaching and learning, each with its own values, methods and achievements. These include:
- Behaviourism focuses on observable and objective improvement in learners. Didactic and transmissive approaches that concentrate on content, absorbing information, procedures and techniques.
- Constructivism is the belief that learning is better if it enables learners to build on their existing understandings; recognising their individuality, background, achievements and contributions.
- Social constructivism believes learning is better if learners undertake and discuss learning as a social phenomenon and group activity. It argues that learners can help each other often better than teachers, who are distant from their struggles and backgrounds.
We could characterise behaviourism as Web 1.0, where learning follows a top-down approach. In contrast, constructivism and social constructivism align more with Web 2.0, a flat, outward and collaborative approach.
There are many strategies used to deliver these perspectives, for example, quizzes, lectures, tutorials, projects, exams, workshops, role play, spaced learning, field trips, games and role-play.
The Challenge of Defining ‘Better’ in Learning
There is however always the problem of which perspective is ‘better’, and which strategy is ‘better’ for delivering it, problems without solutions. Each perspective and strategy comes with its own objectives and its own way of measuring whether those objectives are being met.
We must however address the problem of ‘better’ since the introduction of AI into education, without considering this issue runs several risks, namely that educational AI, especially in its ‘raw’ form,
- Reinforces those perspectives based on content generation, manipulation and transmission (text, images, sound, video) because AI is good at that (as opposed to other perspectives of learning based on the learners, their individuality and interactions).
- Is justified by the ‘time-saved’ argument, de-skilling teachers or taking them out of the loop, consolidating the pedagogic status quo.
- Amplifies existing problems and inequalities beyond our capacity to deal with them.
- Struggles with the cognitive, affective and cultural diversity and individuality of learners.
The purpose of this piece is to suggest that there is another approach to the question of which perspective or strategy is ‘better’ and that is to look at it from an ethical point of view.
An Ethical Perspective on ‘Better’ Learning
Basic and widely held ethical principles talk about respect for the individual, their agency and autonomy, as well as respect for their background, culture and community, ultimately, treating them with dignity. These principles also uphold the commitment to non-maleficence and doing no harm.
If we explore different learning perspectives and strategies from this angle, then we should be asking which ones:
- Encourage curiosity, creativity, originality and criticality.
- Cause embarrassment, shame, harassment, bias or prejudice.
- Reinforce existing inequalities and divisions.
- Recognise the need to survive and flourish in a complex, changing and volatile world.
- Value humour, laughter and care, and respond to sadness or distress.
- Undermine learners’ self-confidence or self-esteem.
- Recognise their ideas and contributions.
- Treat their culture and community with respect.
- Value difference and individuality.
- Understand individual struggle and effort.
Our systems and our technologies, perhaps mediated by teachers or perhaps supporting teachers’ good practices, should be built, evaluated, monitored and improved around these questions; these questions determine which learning is ‘better’.
AI, Ethics and Cultural Contexts in Education
The Avallain Lab is working on these challenges, from both ends. From the bottom-up, looking at trapping and preventing individual types of harmful responses from educational AI systems, and from the top-down, looking at how educational AI systems can work with general ethical and pedagogic principles. Avallain Intelligence, our broader AI strategy, already incorporates much of this thinking in Avallain Author, Avallain Magnet and Teachermatic, shielding teachers and editors from the ‘raw’ but rather wayward and irresponsible power of AI.
There is however a complication, namely culture. Different cultures, communities, nations or societies, will have different values about:
- Individuals as opposed to the group.
- Authority as opposed to discussion.
- Local as opposed to global.
- The future as opposed to the present or the past.
- Originality, creativity, innovation, debate and disagreement as opposed to tradition, consensus, conformity, compliance and agreement.
- Risk-taking, chance and change as opposed to risk-avoidance, stagnation and stasis.
The Avallain Lab is focused on capturing and incorporating more of the learner’s context, including their culture and backgrounds. This approach aims to refine the responses of educational AI systems, ensuring they better align with the values and expectations of learners. At the same time, we maintain our commitment to ethical principles.
So as we continue to navigate the complexities of AI in education, it’s crucial to approach these challenges from both practical and ethical perspectives.
About Avallain
At Avallain, we are on a mission to reshape the future of education through technology. We create customisable digital education solutions that empower educators and engage learners around the world. With a focus on accessibility and user-centred design, powered by AI and cutting-edge technology, we strive to make education engaging, effective and inclusive.
Find out more at avallain.com
About TeacherMatic
TeacherMatic, a part of the Avallain Group since 2024, is a ready-to-go AI toolkit for teachers that saves hours of lesson preparation by using scores of AI generators to create flexible lesson plans, worksheets, quizzes and more.
Find out more at teachermatic.com
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