AI Tutoring is Not AI Literacy: A Practitioner's Reflection

Conflating AI tutoring with AI literacy has led to some weird times

The conflation of AI tutoring with AI literacy has led to misunderstandings and missed opportunities in education. This reflection explores my journey from envisioning AI-powered tutoring programs to recognizing the critical importance of developing true AI literacy in our students.

The Initial Vision: AI as a Tutor

Last Fall, I stepped into the office of our Director of Curriculum and Instruction with a grand plan. I wanted to start an AI Exploration Program with a select group of upper-class students at my High School in Savannah, Georgia. We would meet once a week - or once every other week - and test a set of prompt engineering strategies to see if AI could actually be a personalized tutor for students who needed help.

After getting the go ahead, we selected and approached two Seniors who received accommodations and learning support along with a handful of Juniors whose skill set seemed aligned with a self-directed research project. At the time, I was convinced that this endeavor would lead to a Student-Led AI Tutoring Program the following semester or school year.

Lessons Learned: The Reality of AI in Education

That Fall was one of the steepest learning curves of my educational career – second only to my first year as an apprentice teacher at Achievement First Apollo Middle School in East Brooklyn and graduate student at Relay Graduate School of Education.

First, I fell flat on my own face with AI. I've written about that extensively, so I won't beat a dead horse here. The point is – everybody needs an embarrassing moment with AI to truly understand the risks and dangers of overreliance and too much trust.

Then, I watched as the students in the AI Exploration Program struggled to grasp the nature of the tool. They kept using it as search engines, even after I gave them well-written prompts. They accepted the first or second output as bona fide truth, even if they knew nothing about the subject.

But the turning point came when I asked the million-dollar question; "Do you think we could use this as part of a tutoring program?" Their response was essentially no, and their reasons were one of three:

1. It takes too much work to get AI to do what you want.

2. It was far more likely that younger students would use it to do their work for them, even with guidance from an experienced and responsible upperclassmen or adult.

3. It was a "cool tool," but it was better if a human just did the tutoring.

Shifting Focus: From Tutoring to Literacy

By January of 2024, we had abandoned the idea of a Student-Led AI Tutoring Program and moved on to collaboratively drafting AI policy guidance for the school. More importantly, my interest shifted to a different question: How could I teach my students how to use AI safely and effectively so that they were "literate" in the use of the tool when they moved on from my class?

This realization that AI tutors weren't going to happen the way we initially envisioned did not and does not diminish the need for AI Literacy. In fact, it’s made it more crucial than ever. Developing AI Literacy is not the same as using AI as a tutor in the classroom. The sooner we can let go of the resentment surrounding the tutoring hype, the sooner we can get to work on developing these important skills.

Moving Forward: Separating Tutoring from Literacy

For some educators who have found themselves caught up in the hype or fear-mongering, a shifting focus towards AI Literacy could act as a wake-up call to the bigger issue at play.

Many of us have been waiting for the anti-AI voices to put down their spears. It’s not that we are necessarily pro-AI, it’s that the pushback against the hype has led to a conflation of the tutoring conversation with the literacy conversation. The average consumer only picks up the sentiment, not the nuance, and when educators read that EdTech companies are the devil and personalized AI tutors are a massive lie, they assume that means they should never touch AI and never teach their student how to use AI safely and effectively.

On the contrary, teaching a student how to use AI safely and effectively does not mean putting an AI bot in front of a student and walking away. In fact, it means quite the opposite.

I recognize that I may not have been privy to the most intense iterations of The AI Hype Machine over the last few years. However, I have spent the last year talking to K-12 teachers and University Professors about AI in the classroom, and not a single one of them was using AI as a standalone tutor. None of them were fooled in the first place, and still aren't. I don't know a single educator that has said, "This is great, now I can let the bot teach my students." 

So, who exactly are these anti-AI crusaders still yelling at? It's time to stop tilting at windmills and address the real issue at hand.

The Ongoing Need for AI Literacy

We're also seeing a growing movement to acknowledge that AI's value is nuanced and perhaps not as black-and-white as we were led to believe. Great - but that perception does not alter the fact that these tools are fundamentally changing our culture on multiple levels.

The more we get used to the medium of AI platforms, the less we are “blown away,” shocked, surprised, or scared. As humans we crave excitement, and when the excitement dies down, we often mistakenly conclude that nothing was ever there in the first place.

Nothing could be further from the truth. GenAI has absolutely changed things. It is changing the way we retrieve and share information, the way that we communicate via the written word, the way that we connect and relate to one another and technology, and our expectations of what technology should or should not be able to do.

For that last piece, consider the annoyance that people express when GenAI produces something vaguely inaccurate. Two years ago, we couldn’t have even dreamed of this type of tool, and yet now we are disgusted that this technology is not 100% right all the time? We should expect it to be wrong. Every time. That shouldn’t be hard to do.

It reminds me of Louis C.K.’s bit about the guy on the plane who is mad that the WiFi doesn’t work. You’re hurtling through the air in a metal tube and you’re upset that you can’t access an invisible web of real-time information and communication? Please!

GenAI has absolutely changed things and will continue to change things. As we all become more “used to” the tools around us, we will trick ourselves into thinking that everything is pretty much the same. It isn’t.

Conclusion: Embracing AI Literacy in Education

The journey from envisioning AI-powered tutoring to recognizing the need for comprehensive AI literacy in its stead reflects the rapid evolution of technology in education.

AI literacy is not about replacing human educators or creating a generation of AI-dependent learners. It's about equipping our students with the skills to navigate an increasingly AI-influenced world. This includes understanding AI's capabilities and limitations, recognizing potential biases, and using AI tools as supplements to, not substitutes for, critical thinking.

As we move forward, let's focus our energy on developing robust AI literacy programs. This means:

1. Integrating AI education for students across curricula

2. Providing ongoing professional development around AI Literacy for educators

3. Engaging in open dialogues about the ethical implications of AI

4. Collaborating with tech experts to stay ahead of AI developments

The real challenge of AI in Education isn't fending off AI tutors; it's preparing our students for a world where AI is as commonplace as smartphones. We need to stop wasting time on imaginary threats and start focusing on the very real task of equipping our teachers and students with the critical thinking skills they need to navigate this AI-saturated landscape.

If you liked this content, consider buying my upcoming e-book with Nick Potkalitsky, “AI in Education: A Roadmap for Teacher-Led Transformation.” This book will be launched on October 30 and be available on Amazon for $14.99. We look forward to receiving your feedback!