‘Alexa, solve the national teacher turnover problem.’
If only it were that easy.
But wait, what if we’re onto something here?
With 55 percent of educators planning their early departure from the field, the time to tackle the burnout crisis is far overdue.
If AI can help perform surgeries, build spaceships, and design office buildings, it’s valid for educators and tech coaches to advocate for its ability to keep teachers from leaving the classroom.
One Piece of the Burnout Puzzle: Educators need more time to teach
Although teacher burnout stems from a dozen different issues, a ton of the frustration comes from a lack of time to do the job, and do it well.
Based on a survey of teachers looking to leave the classroom, the top-ranking reason to stay (after ‘more pay’) was ‘spending less hours on non-teaching duties’—many of which tripled following the pandemic.
If burning the midnight oil is burning out the teachers, a fresh time-saving solution may be a necessity for the future of K-12 schools.
In with the New: AI makes more time for what matters
There is no cure-all for teacher burnout, but according to Learning Technology Center of Illinois instructional technology coach Brian Krause, tools to increase workflow can be a start to increase job satisfaction.
“AI has made life a lot easier for teachers,” Krause emphasizes. “It's enabling them to take away some of the clerical tasks and have more energy. It allows educators to put themselves back into the work, and the kids get a better teacher each day.”
Enriched with time and eager to innovate, Krause sees teachers who are using AI to bridge the equity gap, hit standards more closely, increase rigor, and mitigate learning loss.
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AI can also be helpful with more productive lesson planning, personalized learning, and data analysis, reports Rachelle Dené Poth, high school Spanish teacher and AI PD presenter from Pennsylvania whose Edutopia article on AI has topped Google for time-saving AI teacher tips.
“AI tools can break down a very tedious task and give you more time back,” Poth claims. “Not just for your own efficiency, but more time for the teacher to spend with the students one-on-one or as a whole group.”
AI & Your Teachers: Will both be here for the long haul?
AI’s potential to battle teacher burnout may be debatable, but its time-saving benefits cannot be overlooked.
When California elementary teacher Shawn Reed’s planning period shrunk due to his school’s staffing shortages, he used AI to help create more engaging lessons, generate vocabulary lists, and give students timely feedback. He trimmed at least two hours from his workload each week.
“By focusing on teacher optimization and using AI to eliminate 50 percent of the mundane tasks from your job,” Reed said, “you can really transform what you're doing in the classroom.”
For some of the quickest and easiest ways to get your teachers started with AI, check out Quizizz.
- Generate Quizzes and Lessons in seconds
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- Get instant data to identify skill gaps and give personalized practice recommendations
Learn more at Quizizz.com.
