The revolutionary impact of technology in the education space has necessitated the need for teachers in Nigeria and the rest of Africa to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) to expand their teaching pedagogy, Lanre Oguntoye, assistant principal at Greensprings School, Anthony campus, has said.
Speaking during a recent webinar titled, ‘Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,’ which was organised by Greensprings Training College, Oguntoye said that African educators must as a matter of urgency embrace 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 efficient delivery of learning to students.
Oguntoye said that everyone is on a learning curve when it comes to AI, adding that it is therefore 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 by coming to terms with AI after the world has moved to something more advanced,” he said.
Building on his recommendation, Oguntoye said education has moved from the use of chalkboards, audio-visuals, computers, and digital technology to the now-emerging Artificial Intelligence.
He further said that learning experiences can now be optimised 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,” he explained.
He further encouraged educators to tutor their students on how to use AI intelligently rather than abuse its use, pointing out that guiding the students in creating brilliant prompts on chatbots will help them with their learning exercises and 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).
