A few days ago, I talked about my profession, one I am doing outside blogging, which is teaching. I discussed how important the profession is to the society, and how teachers aren't appreciated well. But despite all these, those who have a passion for teaching and imparting lives into children go beyond the payment to do their job because the future matters here.
A teaching job is not something one can just take up like that without having the intention of guiding and imparting knowledge in a child's life as it takes sacrifice to do it. Teaching also requires one to be lenient, empathetic, understanding, and patient to deliver effectively and get the desired result.
In a classroom, there are different kinds of pupils/students, those with high IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and those with low IQ. Those who are slow learners, average and fast learners. Those who are physically challenged, with low self-esteem and so on. These conditions are what a teacher looks at and considers when in the classroom to help the situation when engaging in the teaching and learning process.
Also, there are teaching methods to use when in classrooms, such as demonstration method, small group instructions, teacher-centred approach, student-centered approach, project-based learning, inquiry-based learning, montessori, etc. All of these are important for an effective and efficient learning process.
With all these explanation, I don't think a robot would be able to flow well with students because it is only programmed to deliver the lesson without expecting feedback from children who would want to express themselves. A robot can not identify those with learning deficiencies. Even though robot or AI can assist in teaching in various ways, there are certain limitations they will face in a classroom setting.
Lack of empathy and understanding: Some students may show up in school with different challenges and emotions, which would stop them from paying attention in the classroom. A student whose parents are always fighting each other at home or one who didn't bring money or food to school and is feeling hungry can not learn anything. All of these are what teachers observe and understand students, proffering solutions to their problems that a robot may struggle to solve. Just like I said, robots are programmed to deliver their message without considering all of these challenges that a teacher would do.
Adaptability to students' needs: I said that there are students with low IQ, high IQ, fast, slow, and average learners. Teaching requires tailoring content to individual needs and their learning styles. The way a teacher would teach the fast learners would be different to the slow learners because these categories of students need a lot of time and with patient to catch up with what they are taught. Robots won't consider these at all, and it would be difficult for students to understand and gain knowledge from what is being taught by AI.
Building rapport and trust: Teaching requires a lot of play time and communication to be able to understand students very well. Students also need someone they can talk to and trust with their problems. Teacher to Student communication is important for the best learning to take place. When students do not enjoy a teacher, it is hard to flow well with teaching. Also, a teacher would create that time to build rapport with them and make them feel comfortable to share whatever is bothering their mind. A robot lacks this area and would find it difficult to build this association with them.
Responding to unexpected situations: A situation happened at my PPA weeks ago where this boy suddenly fell and started chanting different speeches. When teachers came to the rescue, his parents were called immediately to come over. We were told that he is from a white garment church, and he was in the spirit and needed urgent attention to be taken to the church for necessary intervention. During that time, the staff were with him, making sure he didn't close up his legs as that could lead to death instantly. Can or will a robot do this? No, it can not respond to urgent situations like this and so many unexpected situations that may arise. This will be difficult for a robot that is being programmed with predetermined responses.
With all these limitations, I believe that even if I am being replaced by a robot, it can not do the job better than a human being can. Teaching requires human effort and sacrifice, which a robot can not do.
Image created by me on Bing AI
