Small Class Teaching Seminar - Cultivating New Thinking: The Role of AI in Learning and Teaching
3 Feb 2024
In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has been widely applied in daily life, with AI-assisted teaching becoming a new trend in the field of education. In view of this, the theme of this year's small class teaching seminar is "Cultivating New Thinking: The Role of AI in Learning and Teaching", which was successfully held on February 3, 2024, at the Tai Po campus of the Education University of Hong Kong.
Three speakers were invited to this lecture. First, Dr So Chi Fuk, Associate Director of the Centre for Learning, Teaching and Technology and Senior Lecturer of the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology at the Education University of Hong Kong, introduced how the rapid development of AI has changed the structure of society and work, prompting teachers to reflect on the importance of lifelong learning and how to select appropriate AI tools to enhance teaching effectiveness and lead students to meet future challenges. Then, Mr Ching Chi Cheung, Principal of The Salvation Army Ann Wyllie Memorial School, an awardee of the Chief Executive's Award for Teaching Excellence, shared how he has seen technological developments change teaching methods during his 30-year career in education and believes that teachers' adaptability and innovative thinking are particularly key to the effectiveness of learning and teaching. Mr Ching pointed out that teachers do not need to fear AI because human creativity is unparalleled by AI. In addition, he also shared his experience of implementing AI education in the school, including how to use AI to improve students' writing skills, analyze students' vocal expressions, and increase teachers' work efficiency. Finally, Mr Tsang Cheung Chun, Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Innovative Steam Research Association and teacher of the Christian Alliance S W Chan Memorial College, demonstrated several generative AI tools used in education, including text generation tools, AI-created images, videos, songs, and teaching designs. He also introduced how generative AI tools can reduce the administrative workload of teachers and reminded them to pay attention to cyber security risks and the importance of enhancing students' information literacy to prevent students from misusing innovative technology.
The seminar emphasized both theory and practice, and all participating teachers expressed that the content was beneficial for teachers' professional development. The Center believes that through this seminar, teachers can understand how to use generative AI tools in teaching and consider how to prepare for future teaching amidst rapid technological advancements.
