Artificial Intelligence to Help Special Education Teacher Workload
Authors: Yerin Seung; info@ciddl.org
Artificial Intelligence (AI) benefits various parts of our lives, and special education is no exception. AI tools, including generative AI such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot, have the potential to support teachers and enhance inclusion in education. In July, CIDDL hosted a three-part webinar based on the publication exploring how AI can help with special education teacher workload, featured by Sean Smith, Ph.D., Juli Taylor, Ph.D., Adam Carreon, Ph.D., and Samantha Goldman. This blog post briefly summarizes the webinar on the potential of AI in special education, the current crisis facing special education teachers, how AI can help reduce their workload, and its application in student-facing tasks.
The Potential of AI in Special Education
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VxG6AeMXno[/embedyt]
Dr. Smith addressed that AI can foster inclusion by offering tools that can assist with accommodations for diverse learners, including those with anxiety, ADHD, learning disabilities, dyslexia, or undiagnosed struggling learners. Historically, tools like word prediction software have helped students with disabilities by generating vocabulary lists and offering audio-visual feedback. AI's capabilities have expanded to include generative language models and machine learning, providing more personalized and efficient support. These technologies can create tailored resources and accommodations for students, making it easier for educators to manage diverse needs in the classrooms manage the diverse needs of their classrooms.
Special Education Teacher Crisis
Dr. Taylor mentioned that the special education sector is experiencing a severe teacher shortage, with 98% of the nation’s school districts reporting special education teacher shortages, according to NCPSSERS. Some main reasons are increased workload and stress caused by overwhelming duties such as IEP management, communication with parents, collaboration with general education colleagues, and lesson planning involving student variability. The pandemic has exacerbated this issue, with teachers taking on additional responsibilities due to staff shortages. This high workload affects the quality of education and contributes to significant stress, leading to further attrition. AI can be one solution to reduce special educators’ workload.
AI as a Solution for Teacher Workload
Dr. Carreon highlighted that AI could substantially relieve special education teachers by automating some of their more time-consuming tasks. For instance, AI can provide predictive text and help revise and draft emails. Also, adaptive learning platforms can manage students’ learning, reducing teachers’ workload. Goldman added that generative AI, such as ChatGPT, can contribute to writing IEP goals, assisting teachers in writing tasks, and providing instructional support. These save teachers time and allow them to focus more on direct student interaction and personalized teaching. However, teachers should consider ethical considerations, including potential bias, data security, and privacy, and maintain human control while harnessing the potential of the technology.
Using AI for Student-Facing Tasks
AI can also directly support students by helping them create accessible and adaptive learning materials by generating summaries, vocabulary lists, and modified reading materials at various grade levels. The panelists introduced several AI tools in their live demo video, such as Magic School AI and Jenni. In the pre-recorded video, Goldman demonstrated how generative AI like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot can summarize and rewrite text at appropriate reading levels and generate word lists for decoding exercises. Three AI tools showed different results with the same prompts, and some presented inaccurate information. This highlights that it is important for teachers to check AI-generated content before they use it in their classrooms. Dr. Smith demonstrated using Diffit to provide accessible and adaptive learning materials. For example, AI tools generate a summary of the reading passage, a visual representation based on the text, comprehension questions, open-ended prompts, and activity worksheets. Teachers can edit and customize the content based on student’s needs and preferences. For more detailed information, check out the video of the webinar.
Conclusion
The integration of AI in special education holds great promise for addressing the challenges faced by special education teachers. AI can significantly reduce teacher workload and stress by automating administrative tasks and providing accommodations for students with diverse needs. This allows educators to focus more on meaningful interactions with their students, ultimately fostering a more inclusive and effective learning environment. While AI is not a solution for all educational activities, its thoughtful implementation can significantly enhance the support provided to both teachers and students in special education.
Keep the Conversation Going
Want to learn more about integrating AI into your pre-service special education coursework? Have questions you need answered? Or do you want to share your innovative ideas on AI integration? Join the asynchronous conversation in our community and mark your calendar for our next AI Chat focusing on this topic: August 27, 2024, at 11:30 am PT, 1:30 pm CT, 2:30 pm ET.