This course explored using AI tools to adapt teaching for differently abled students whilst enhancing classroom engagement. It showed how AI can be a powerful tool to help educators create resources and content, such as quizzes, group activities and interactive PowerPoints. The tools offer many possibilities across different areas of teaching, limited only by the educator’s understanding of AI, time and creativity.
AI can also develop their students’ critical thinking by actively engaging them. Educators should encourage their students to challenge AI outputs and not solely rely on the AI’s ability, rather to use it as a smart tool. Throughout this course Dr. Rita Diveki emphasized on AI’s present limitations such as its own biases, assumptions and tendency to go out of context or make up things as it goes along. It is key for both the educators and students to verify and analyse critically the output of the AI.
As a psychology assistant who typically works one-on-one with students and gives training to classes or takes part in class interventions, I see numerous applications of how these tools can benefit me and the students I work with. For me these include material preparation, generating ideas, refining emails and facilitating report writing. Some of these tools can assist students with learning difficulties by improving information accessibility. For example, Claude.ai can adjust text to be more readable by using simpler language and formatting. Speech synthesis is also a great AI tool that uses text to speech in a more fluent less robotic manner. MagicSchool.ai can generate social stories and SEL (Social Emotional learning) lessons based on the students’ needs.
Overall, the course was interactive and hands-on, boosting my confidence in using AI tools independently. It demonstrated that when AI is used thoughtfully and creatively can be a valuable asset in education.
Andrew Mifsud – Psychology Assistant – Student Services
Secretariat for Catholic Education
2024-1-MT01-KA121-SCH-000201561
