Arizona Educational Institution Embraces AI as Primary Curriculum Deliverer, Eliminating Human Teachers' Role
Let me rephrase that story for you:
Remember that inspiring teacher who made school exciting and encouraged your passions? Students at a new charter school in Arizona won't have that experience, as they won't be taught by actual human teachers. Instead, the two hours of academic instruction they'll receive daily - yes, just two hours - will be entirely automated, with AI taking the reins.
By a narrow 4-3 vote, the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools recently endorsed an application from Unbound Academy to establish an online school for grades 4 through 8. Unbound already manages a private school in Texas that uses its AI-centric "2hr Learning" approach, and they're seeking permission to open similar schools in Arkansas and Utah as well.
Under the "2hr Learning" method, students spend a mere two hours each day using personalized learning programs from companies such as IXL and Khan Academy. According to Unbound's application for the Arizona charter school, the AI system analyzes their responses, time spent on tasks, and even emotional cues to tailor the difficulty and presentation of the content, thereby keeping each student engaged at their optimal level, avoiding tedium or frustration.
With less time dedicated to traditional education, the rest of students' days are dedicated to life-skills workshops that cover topics like financial literacy, public speaking, goal setting, entrepreneurship, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving.
Teachers are replaced by "mentors" who facilitate these workshops.
The student handbook for Alpha School, Unbound's Texas-based charter school, claims that its students learn twice as much as their traditional school counterparts while spending only 2 hours each day on academics.
Thanks to financial support and lobbying from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, many public and private schools have incorporated personalized learning software like IXL and Khan Academy into their curriculum, although experts have raised doubts about whether these programs truly deliver the educational improvements they promise in their marketing materials.
In its Arizona application, Unbound defends its bold claims about student learning by referencing its experimentation on students in Texas, inspired by Elon Musk.
"The founders of Unbound Academic Institute established Alpha School, a high-end private school, for the same reasons Elon Musk launched premium Tesla vehicles: to create a product that generates insights and funding for future research and development," Unbound stated in its application.
In the future, we might see more schools adopting Unbound's tech-driven approach, as they aim to open similar AI-centric schools in Arkansas and Utah, following the success of their "2hr Learning" model in Arizona. With technology and artificial-intelligence at the forefront, education is likely to evolve, offering personalized learning experiences and focusing on life skills beyond traditional academics.
