The doomsayers were wrong. AI isn’t just for automating your TPS reports or writing insipid marketing copy. At Tor Bank School in County Down, Northern Ireland, it’s helping students with special educational needs find their voices – literally and figuratively.
Fourteen-year-old Keelan, for instance, uses AI to write songs. Yes, write songs. He’s a drummer, and the AI helps him translate his rhythmic ideas into musical compositions. The horror, right? Musicians gnashing their teeth, envisioning a future of soulless AI-generated pop. But hold your horses, because this isn’t about replacing human creativity; it’s about unlocking it.
Danielle Perry, Tor Bank’s ICT teacher, gets it. “Our children learn in a very, very different way,” she explains. “Although our kids don’t have voices sometimes, it’s making their creations come alive.” Think about that for a second. AI, often portrayed as a cold, calculating force, is being used to bridge communication gaps and foster self-expression.
Now, before you conjure images of robots teaching Shakespeare, let’s be clear: this isn’t some utopian fantasy. The teachers at Tor Bank are deliberate and creative in their application of AI. Sinéad Oakes, another teacher, emphasizes the importance of retraining her own mind to effectively use AI for the benefit of her pupils. “I had to kind of learn how to use it myself before I teach our young people how to use it as well,” she said. It’s about having a plan, a rationale, and a clear understanding of how AI can supplement, not supplant, human instruction. This isn’t Skynet taking over the classroom; it’s skilled educators using technology to enhance their teaching.
So, how exactly are they doing it? Microsoft Copilot, it turns out, is a key tool. Students are using it for topic research, creating presentations, and even generating colouring-in pictures based on their own designs. Imagine a child who struggles with fine motor skills being able to visualize and create intricate patterns with the help of AI. That’s not cheating; that’s empowerment.
Perry stresses the importance of specific goals and careful planning. “The children, all are the architects of their own learning – they’re doing the learning first and then we’re supporting them,” she says. The AI isn’t driving the bus; it’s providing a more comfortable ride for passengers who might otherwise struggle with the journey.
Of course, the ethical considerations surrounding AI are real. Concerns about plagiarism and the devaluation of creative work are valid and need to be addressed. But the Tor Bank example highlights a different side of the story: AI as a tool for inclusion, self-expression, and personalized learning. It’s a reminder that technology, like any tool, can be used for good or ill. It’s up to us to choose wisely.
Oakes rightly points out that it’s still early days for AI at Tor Bank. But the initial results are promising. By focusing on human-led instruction and creative application, they’re demonstrating how AI can be a powerful force for good, especially for those who need it most. And if that means a few more AI-assisted drum solos, well, the world can probably handle it.
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