Discussing How AI Can Support Special Education Teacher Workload with Your Pre-service Teachers

In a recent CIDDL recorded webinar and live demonstration, CIDDL Co-PI Dr. Sean Smith, graduate research assistant and doctoral candidate Samantha R. Goldman, CIDDL Tech Alliance member Dr. Adam Carreon, and OSEP policy specialist Dr. Juli Taylor highlighted how AI can be leveraged to support special education teacher workload. Research continues to reiterate that there is a crisis-level teacher shortage and that teachers are overworked. While AI cannot replace teachers, it can be used to support special education teachers by helping with lesson planning, brainstorming IEP goals, adjusting reading levels of popular novels, and creating progress monitoring assessments. Example prompts for these use cases and others can be found in the support material from our recent live demonstration. 

When introducing AI to your pre-service teachers, it’s crucial to cover several key areas. Start by explaining what AI is and how it works. Contextualize AI within products they might already know, such as SIRI or Alexa or word prediction software and adaptive learning platforms. Discuss the ethical implications of AI use, emphasizing the importance of responsible and fair practices. Highlight AI safety, ensuring they understand the measures taken to prevent misuse and harm. Share a clear definition of AI to ground their understanding. Provide opportunities for your pre-service teachers to explore open-ended generative AI, such as Copilot, ChatGPT, or Gemini, and education-specific AI, such as MagicSchool AI, Brisk, or SchoolAI. Share with them where to find new AI and how to critically evaluate the use and safety of the platform. 

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: September 10, 2024, at 11:30 am PT, 1:30 pm CT, 2:30 pm ET. 

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