Alpha Schools

[sippo]

Only just come across this https://www.forbes.com/sites/rayravaglia/2025/02/10/alpha-school-using-ai-to-unleash-students-and-transform-teaching/ 

 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/alpha-schools-ai-teaching-model-is-expanding-does-it-work/

 

Interesting read. What are peoples thoughts? 

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 10:19 by sippo

[Rob_D]

Interesting idea. I can see it working in public or selective admission schools. But I see any attempt at a wider rollout into state/comprehensive schools collapsing under the weight of teenage apathy.

Also, the "2 hours or longer if they don't hit their benchmarks" they talk about in the second article is worrisome. Does that mean that slower students will be missing out on the "extracurricular activities"?

[TechMonkey]

We were discussing a study that showed excessive use of AI leads to shallower understanding so doing less well in exams and tests.

This is taken from a longer presentation, where the graphs were shown individually and explained better, but gives the idea.  Although pupils get better scores on homework, less time is taken and exam scores are worse.

Would that be the same in this schools case?  No idea, but I fear that the surface level knowledge would be concentrated on, rather than indepth knowledge.

 

Though I still want my Diamond Age illustrated Primer.

[jthompson]

2 hours ago, Rob_D said:

...collapsing under the weight of teenage apathy.

 

I love this phrasing.

 

RE: the article. The name "Alpha School" conjures up in my mind a certain type of outlook: that of people who think the peak of human experience is to be a workaholic, entrepreneurial business person. Or any number of The Apprentice candidates. It also conjures up in my mind a vision of very unstable, pre-release software that is definitely not ready for public consumption.

[mikes]

yeah every time I hear the worlds "Alpha", "High Value", it conjures up the thought of a certain type of person... 

If this is some online course kids are made to complete it'll be the same old, 1 or 2 bright kids figure it out and show the others all the answers.

 

We have been doing a few remote MS Teams due to staffing issues (the only teacher the school could find works at a nearby school so she does an MS teams lesson for our pupils while being on site at the other school, crazy) - the kids don't really like it.  Problems are; it is difficult for the remote teacher to see and react to all the remote pupils in the class. If a student needs help they have to shout it across the classroom into the mic then the teacher broadcasts the loud response over the speakers. You also need a teacher in the room to get it set up. And these are high level students willing to learn imagine a class of bottom set year 9's.  This is with a local human teacher who has met the kids in person. I can't imagine current AI being anywhere near as good.

 

What this will be is some extra curricular homework for high income students in private schools; they already have extra curricular music, math tutors after school anyway.