Teachers Must Be Equipped to Guide Students’ Growing Use of AI to Learn Math

Despite the popularity of AI amongst students, there are significant downsides to using these tools. For example, when used to replace learning, AI applications may inhibit students’ development of computational skills, critical thinking, and communication. Moreover, some tools—especially tools based on large language models—may give inaccurate answers that jeopardize student learning. Finally, AI tools may inadvertently reinforce existing biases and stereotypes in math education, which may influence students’ learning experiences. It is imperative that we teach students to use AI tools to supplement their math learning, especially in the middle school years when students develop productive learning and study habits.

To make AI valuable to students, rather than detrimental, teachers need training and support. Teachers play a pivotal role in guiding how students use AI in their math learning and must grapple with how to handle academic dishonesty and other unproductive student uses of AI. However, there are currently not enough resources to help teachers use AI within their instruction to promote productive student uses. For example, teachers need to understand prompt engineering (i.e., the practice of designing inputs for generative AI that produce optimal outputs) to effectively instruct students on proper and appropriate use. Finally, AI is not well integrated into existing math curricula, making it challenging for teachers to support students in using AI tools productively.

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Footnote

[1] Numbers from authors’ analysis of Adapted Measures of Math Engagement survey data.

This project is funded by the National Science Foundation, grant #2200437. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.