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 October 6 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.

[jthompson]

I do wonder what years of conversing with gen-AI bots will do to our collective language skills. Will it bring about a generation where fawning positivity after every interaction is the norm?

 

"You're absolutely right! I'm so glad you've pointed out my mistake there. Let me put that right for you. Is there anything else I can do for you today? Just ask!"

 

I'm not sure British attitudes will stomach much of that.

[Rob_D]

Maybe you could train the AI to use proper British sarcasm.

[AlistairB1983]

13 hours ago, Rob_D said:

Maybe you could train the AI to use proper British sarcasm.

 

Not bloody likely. *beep boop*

[mikes]

marvin the paranoid android AI

[NorthernNoel]

On 09/10/2026 at 13:14, mikes said:

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.

Maybe part of the issue is that we're using the tech but still trying to put the kids in the same environment. Would they be better all on Teams so they can have one to one chats with the teacher? In fact do they even need to all be in the same room together?

However, from experience kids will be kids. You'd still need adult supervision and who deals with the inevitable tech issues? The cynic in me says that AI will be seen as a cheaper way to provide teaching with cheaper labour supervising.

[sigma]

https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/other/uks-winchester-college-ditches-classroom-screens-for-pen-and-paper-why-less-tech-might-mean-better-focus/ar-AA2e7zTH

 

Only the kids of elite fee payers will have small class in person teaching.  Everyone else will have to suck up being taught by by AI agent powered edtech/data broker platforms.

 

 

[BKGarry]

Whenever I see the title of this thread on the homepage, I keep on imaging a comeback of the AlphaSmart Neos

[mikes]

yeah we had those in our school too!  Including the print thing we had that kind of worked sometimes.   In practice they were just too awkward to use because you could only see 2 lines of text at a time. Worse even than paper because you can't quickly scan up and down.

 

The optimist in me would see education like those 1960's retrofuture videos; the kid in his bedroom has a big computer console which he answers questions, submits homework etc. With video chat to classmates and a teacher if they want. Then 2 days a week they go in school for a couple hours more for socialisation and catching up.  But this required a stay at home parent so we have the technology for this not the society.

The realist will be the 40 kids will be crammed in a room being taught by a corporate AI system while an LSA type keep guard. Parent can pay £10 an hour   for additional hours before and after upto 6pm if they have to work. And it will be like a pharmacy only 1 registered teacher needs to be on site at any 1 time.

[BKGarry]

Let's be honest here, nothing can replace an actual teacher, even the Post-Scarcity Socialist future of Star Trek still has actual teachers in the room with the students

[Andrew_C]

15 hours ago, sigma said:

Only the kids of elite fee payers will have small class in person teaching.  Everyone else will have to suck up being taught by by AI agent powered edtech/data broker platforms.

 

The original letter is behind the Times paywall - last Sunday. 

[jthompson]

Teacher as 'Learning Supervisor', merely an adjunct human agent. That will free up lots of money that can be shovelled towards paying the AI service providers.