Student-Centered Use of Artificial Intelligence

In recent years, various AI products and technologies have been introduced in schools, including reading development agents for students, AI emotion models, and smart classroom solutions. The Ministry of Education, along with four other departments, has issued the “AI + Education Action Plan,” emphasizing the role of AI in driving educational reform. In this context, schools must consider how to effectively utilize AI technology while keeping students at the center of education.

In the digital age, the focus is on how to achieve personalized attention for students, shift from mere knowledge transmission to skill development, and change assessments from cold numerical scores to warm, diagnostic processes. This has been a key consideration for the Chengdu Institute of Education’s affiliated school in recent years. The answer is becoming clearer: technology should not overshadow teaching, teachers should remain central, and students should not be passive.

A few years ago, the Chengdu school observed two attitudes among teachers towards AI: one of fear and rejection, and another of using technology for its own sake. According to You Xuefeng, the director of the school’s information center, both attitudes failed to utilize technology effectively and did not prioritize students in teaching. Consequently, the school began using lightweight AI tools. A simple smart pen and a small, efficient teaching assistant became new options after simplifying the teaching process. You noted that when introducing the smart pen, the school considered three factors: it should be friendly to students’ eyesight, easy to promote, and supportive of personalized growth. The smart pen does not alter students’ habits of writing with pen and paper while unobtrusively collecting their thought processes. Teachers can view all students’ learning paths and provide differentiated attention.

Thus, a small pen allows every student to be seen. Meanwhile, over 1000 kilometers away in Nanjing, Lixue Primary School has established clear guidelines for AI: it should focus on student growth.

On January 22 of this year, a small author meeting took place at Lixue Primary School’s Rainbow Theater, featuring the young authors of the “AI Ethics Handbook for Elementary Students (Children’s Original Version)” along with their parents. This handbook, which reflects the wisdom of nearly 3,500 students at the school, focuses on five major themes: safety, integrity, civility, critical thinking, and creativity, proposing 15 dimensions of AI ethical norms. For instance, in the creativity dimension, students suggested that they should first have their own creative thoughts before using AI for assistance, and in the critical dimension, they emphasized the importance of maintaining independence and avoiding blind reliance on technology.

Additionally, aiming for “everyone can create,” Lixue Primary School conducts AI practices through universal enlightenment across all grades, personalized data support, subject integration, and participatory ethical construction by children. As a result, tools like the “Little Ranger AI Travel Assistant” and the “AI Companion Learning Desk” have emerged. One student even designed a “Sports Field Reservation Management System” to fulfill their wish to play basketball, allowing teachers and students to reserve class venues in advance and check the availability of sports facilities.

“AI is a tool for empowering growth, while the essence of education lies in ‘igniting’ and ‘awakening,’” said Wu Xin, the vice principal of Lixue Primary School.

In light of the vigorous implementation of AI education in schools, Professor Zhou Xinyi from Chengdu Normal University believes it is time to reflect on whether the direction is correct. For instance, the term “precision teaching” has become prevalent. In classroom teaching, weak links are easily identified through data, allowing teachers to address issues promptly. While this appears uncontroversial, Zhou expresses concerns. He believes that teaching is not precise; rather, knowledge points are precise, and there is a risk that using AI could make traditional education overly refined. The “Outline for the Construction of a Strong Education Nation (2024-2035)” clearly states the need to promote AI’s role in educational reform. Therefore, schools should apply AI to transform educational models and reshape paradigms, fostering students’ higher-order thinking, core competencies, and transfer abilities.

Moreover, Zhou emphasizes the importance of returning to the human subject and responsibly using AI. He has observed that some teachers start using AI to create questions, students use AI to answer, and teachers then use AI to grade assignments. In this process, the human element disappears. He believes that AI and teachers should have a partnership and co-creation relationship, rather than a mere tool-user dynamic. Teachers should use AI to ignite students’ minds and better facilitate the triadic interaction between teachers and students.