Traffic light framework to navigate artificial intelligence in classrooms

Education unions have come together to establish a ‘traffic light framework’ for teachers tackling artificial intelligence. Here’s how some Territory schools are approaching AI in the classroom.

Artificial intelligence is a “very alluring” technology that will not go away anytime soon but a traffic light system could help teachers use tools such as ChatGPT to their advantage.

The Independent Education Union’s Queensland and NT branch secretary Terry Burke said categorising uses for AI into green, amber and red categories would help teachers embed positive practices into classrooms.

He said green applications would help teachers save time and reduce workloads.

“An obvious thing like the tedium that might be associated with three homework questions, discussion topics on this particular chapter that students have been studying ... ChatGPT can generate that,” he said.

“Other uses are things like staff already realising that the reading age of the students that they have in the class is significantly less than the reading age that the textbook was actually written for.

“Ask ChatGPT – say it’s a year 10 text, ‘I want this at year 7 level reading ability’ and ChatGPT can readily do that.”

Mr Burke said it could also be used to draft letters to parents “commending their children’s work” but would shift into amber if the school decided to use the technology to send out letters for “every child, every week”.

Independent Education Union Queensland and Northern Territory branch secretary Terry Burke said teachers needed to be careful of how their use of AI in classrooms impacted students’ learning. Picture: Megan Slade

Mr Burke said one of the biggest challenges faced by teachers in an era of classroom AI was maintaining a presence in the learning environment.

He said if a teacher used AI to absolve themselves from teaching, it would be considered a red application.

“At the end of the day, AI is just a very sophisticated and efficient plagiarism machine,” Mr Burke said.

“Teachers need to ensure that they are absolutely still in the space – they are the co-ordinator, they are the initiator, they are the minder of that learning space.”

The IEU-QNT partnered with the Queensland Teachers’ Union to produce the framework for ethical and effective AI use in classrooms.

QTU president Cresta Richardson said she hoped the guidelines would “spark discussion” among teachers, who are best-positioned to decide how AI impacts students’ learning.

An NT Department of Education spokeswoman said the department was “monitoring the situation” and had currently blocked AI on school devices.

“Schools will not be promoting or using AI until a decision has been made,” she said.

“Technology continues to grow and develop at a rapid pace and the department is committed to the adoption of innovative technology in schools that support students’ learning and development in a safe and secure environment.

“As we make decisions in response to new programs and options for students we need to be mindful of the need to ensure applications approved for use in our schools are appropriate and safe.”