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▶ Artificial intelligence arrives in 10 Abu Dhabi public schools to bring tutoring tailored to pupils’ needs
Al Asayel School used to look like any other with its whiteboards, markers and books. Now traditional teaching equipment has been replaced with an interactive calendar, digital avatars and iPads.
Grade 6 at the school is now being exclusively taught with Alef Education, an online platform.
There was a trial of the system last year and more than 6,000 pupils across Abu Dhabi will be using the programme in the next academic year.
The privately owned UAE education technology company and the Ministry of Education signed an agreement to introduce Alef’s system in 10 Abu Dhabi public schools.
The programme will be involve Grades 6 to 8 and will cover mathematics, science, English and Arabic at Al Suqoor School, Al Asayel School, Fatima bint Mubarak School, Sa’ad bin Mo’ath School, Atika bint Abdel Muttalib School, Makkah School, Al Dhaher School, Al Khair School, Qatr Al Nada School and Al Nokhba School.
Through the Alef programme, its creators claim, children will learn by watching videos and reading digital content, answering questions all the while.
Each lesson starts with a video and the system employs artificial intelligence to take pupils to the next lesson – depending on the number of questions they answer correctly.
Should a pupil appear to struggle with a concept, the system reroutes and presents the lesson again in a manner to suit the pupil’s needs. Some children may appear to learn more from videos, so the system presents them with visual information.
Grade 6 pupils at Al Asayel have been learning with the help of Alef – which is named for the first letter of the Arabic alphabet – since last year.
Jessica Brampton, a English teacher for Grade 6 at the school, said pupils were responding well to the new system.
“When you introduce 21st-century skills to a generation that is growing up now, it piques their interest. Pupils love the multimedia aspects and videos. Children prefer this method because they can go at their own pace or revisit an area they are struggling with,” she said.
The system gives teachers data and feedback in real time, helping them to determine the areas in which a pupil may need more support. Prior to Alef, the teachers would have to wait for assessment results to track development.
“Within 10 minutes of my lesson, I get feedback. I can see what they are understanding and change my approach,” Ms Brampton said.
If the system finds that only a handful of pupils are struggling with a concept, she can work with them directly. Whereas if the entire class misunderstands a concept she knows to revisit the topic.
The benefits of using Alef are seen in the pupils’ results. The average score of learning outcomes at the beginning of the term was between 50 and 60 and has shot up to between 80 and 90, Ms Brampton said.
Aishah Alyammahi, principal of Al Asayel School, said the technology helped to build pupils’ confidence.
“Many pupils are shy to say we don’t understand. In a video format, they can comfortably rewatch the video. They are more interested in these subjects now,” she said.
“When we compare the difference in performance between term one and term two, we can see huge progress.”
Each class has a smart board that connects to the pupils’ laptops. Data is collected from each laptop to let the teacher know who needs more help.
“The teachers say that this makes their lives easier because the material is ready for them,” Ms Alyammahi said.
“The data collected helps them understand where the child is struggling. In term one, many children failed in maths and science but in term two most pupils passed the exams.”
Geoffrey Alphonso, chief executive of Alef Education, said he hoped the system would be used in more schools and outside the UAE.
The company plans to introduce the system from kindergarten to Grade 12 classes and will be introduced at two schools in the United States from September.
Teachers say Alef appeals to pupils as a high-tech tool of education and because it reduces children’s reticence to ask for guidance