Introducing ChatGPT CPD
Our Digital Learning Programme plays an important role in delivering outstanding teaching and learning outcomes across The RGS Family of Schools. We continually support development of the capabilities of both our staff and our pupils so they can realise the full benefits of digital technology in enhancing teaching and learning.
As digital technology continues to evolve at an unprecedented rate, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming an increasingly important aspect of day-to-day life, and education is no exception. The recent emergence of AI Chatbots, such as ChatGPT, has sparked discussions about their potential impact on education, including concerns about plagiarism, homework, and the acquisition of knowledge. However, at RGS Worcester, we are well aware of the potential challenges that AI may pose, yet we maintain that there are advantages too, if we know how to utilise new technologies effectively. Our Director of Innovation, Mr John Jones, was recently invited onto Teacher Talk Radio to share his knowledge and understanding of this new AI development with the national teaching community. You can listen to his reflections here.
Since its launch in November last year, ChatGPT has become an extraordinary development. Essentially an Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot, ChatGPT can produce answers to the biggest and smallest questions in life, by drawing on what it has gleaned from a staggering amount of text information on the internet, with careful guidance from human experts. This human-guided fine-tuning means ChatGPT is often highly impressive at working out what information a question is really after, gathering the right information, and framing a response in a natural manner.
Mr Jones believes there are a growing number of positive uses for Chat GPT in delivering digital learning at RGS Worcester. To assist teaching staff with understanding the benefits and limitations of this technology, as well as its impact, we are currently delivering Continuous Professional Development (CPD) sessions on ChatGPT. These sessions introduce the technology and its uses in education, including example tasks it could assist with or automate. He has been reviewing specific uses that could be used in lessons, such as tools for creating interactive quizzes and workbooks. He is also advising adopting‘Best Practice’ strategies and addressing ethical and safety considerations to ensure the tool, when used, is adopted in an appropriate manner. This ongoing training allows our teachers to investigate how to facilitate AI in both classroom instruction and homework assignments. In fact, the AI Bot has already been utilised as a pedagogical tool by some of our teachers.
These sessions will be vital in understanding how ChatGPT can be a positive addition to our teaching practices and in helping to continue the development of our Digital Learning Programme. Artificial Intelligence has been in everyday use for well over a decade and is here to stay. Nevertheless, ChatGPT does represent a real shift in accessible AI and opens up questions and challenges for all of us. The potential benefits AI offers are remarkable, and with an open-minded, innovative approach, RGS Worcester is learning how to harness the power of this extraordinary technology and use it to develop the teaching and learning experience, while also preparing our pupils for a future in which AI will inevitably play an increasingly significant part. We are also ensuring our students leave RGS Worcester digitally literate both for their University studies and for the 21st Century workplace.