Chalkface Blog

The new DfE guidance is out, here. The aim is to “prevent harm”. The rules are all stated in the form “thou shalt not…” There’s nothing wrong with any one of these rules; I support most of them. But … before we all settle back into our torpor, let’s think about why and what could have been.

Why?

Look at it through the lens of systems theory. Here’s a homeostatic organisation doing what it does best: inoculating itself against substantive change. The real aim isn’t to protect students, but to protect the system. Hobble AI sufficiently that it’s harder to learn from (removing personalities, for example, is being justified in much the same way as printing bibles only in Latin). Denature AI, and we can continue to muddle on with the current system – young people won’t realise the extent to which they’ve been had until they hit the real world and discover that the GCSEs, A-levels and degrees they thought were so important have become worthless.

The real message of this guidance: no way are we going to let a mere technological revolution change the way we’ve been doing things since 1870, just because it’s upending the rest of society.

What could have been, and should still be?

The DfE could, and should, have started with two observations:

• In the age of AI, understanding still has value. Knowledge does not.
• Given AI learning tools, didactic presentation becomes a waste of teachers’ time and an abuse of children’s attention.

Leading on from that, here’s the guidance I want to see the DfE publish:

Thou shalt:

• Provide every student with an AI coach, actively monitored and supported by their teacher.
• Increase student 1:1 time with teachers to 10 mins/day (from the current 1-2, depending on whom you ask)
• Base an entirely new suite of qualifications on observed collaborations and monitored interactions with AI.
• Offer qualifications based on demonstrating character (such as this.)

Thou shalt not:

• have anything whatever to do with rote learning.
• use content-based syllabi.
• continue with the hopelessly-outdated GCSE and A-Level system.
• mark student work by hand.

Honestly, what we’ve got with these guidelines is exactly what I expected. A competent job that doesn’t rock the boat. But that boat needs to be rocked. In fact, it needs to be tipped right over so the kids can discover they could actually swim all along. Let’s tip it together.