Will AI Replace Teachers?
“Will AI replace teachers?”
“Do children still need to learn coding?”
“Is teaching AI just chasing a trend?”
We’ve been asked these questions far too many times over the past year.
Last week
we walked into the classrooms and the sports fields at MIS.
We talked with the headteacher, teachers and students –
to see what AI really looks like at MIS.
AI is not an optional subject – it is a compulsory way of thinking
“We share nearly 200 years with our founding school in Edinburgh,”
said Ben, Executive Head of
Shenzhen MIS.
“But we cannot only look back. AI is too important.
Our children must be ready for this changing world.”
From Early Year to Year 9,
every child learns computing.
In IGCSE and ALevel,
they can go deeper.
AI is already part of the curriculum.
“Not just keyboard and software skills,
but coding –
and how to use AI to make their own learning more effective.”
what the school gave me
most was freedom
In the school’s computer lab,
we met Jerry, a Year 13 student.
He has received offers for HKU’s AI and Data Science,
UCL Mathematics,
and Northeastern University
Computer Science,
with total scholarships exceeding
1.5 million RMB.
“Any secret?”
He smiled.
“Not really.
What MIS gave me most is resources –
the freedom to explore different AI frameworks.
Learn whatever I want.
That trust pushes me
forward more than any class.”
Together with his friends, he built a courseplanning website –
university courses are scattered across different faculties; it’s chaotic.
Their website automatically maps prerequisites,
helping students plan efficiently.
Ken, the computing teacher, said:
“We started strengthening
AI teaching last year.
On top of the British National Curriculum,
we added advanced US content, especially in Years 7–9 –
we may be one of the first schools in the world to have a complete AI curriculum at this stage.”
The results speak for themselves:
At the MIT Hackathon,
MIS won two national topthree awards and an Outstanding Impact Award.
Ken is grateful to Ben for his support.
“Without him, we might still be using old textbooks.
AI changes too fast. Someone has to be brave enough to lead the way.”
Teach children to ask questions, not to give answers
Tim, the English teacher, shared his approach:
“Write first,
then use AI to mark and give suggestions.
AI can also generate extra practice questions,
but never give the answer directly.
The key is to teach children how to ask AI,
how to use it to check themselves – not to do the work for them.”
How to prevent students from simply letting AI write their homework?
Tim smiled.
“Teachers know their children too well.
We know their level.
If the answer is too ‘perfect’
or the handwriting suddenly becomes too neat –we spot it immediately.
We ask them to rewrite it,
and ask: ‘What did you input into AI?’”
Ryan, Year 10:
“I try the question first,
take a photo and ask AI to tell me what I did wrong and how to improve.
When my class notes are too messy,
I also take a photo –
AI can turn them into an infographic to
help me remember.”
Asked: “Will AI replace teachers?”
Ryan thought for a moment.
“No.
Teachers care about their students.
AI only sees you as a user.”
He paused, then added:
“What AI cannot replace –
chatting with teachers, life in the boarding house, playing sports, performing on stage…
those are the real gains.”
Data + AI: draw a growth map for every child
MIS has also developed its own student portfolio management system,
tracking academics, character, wellbeing and interests.
“With this system,
we can accurately know every child’s
strengths and weaknesses,
and make personalised learning plans.
This year’s graduating class achieved Oxford and Cambridge double offers,
with a 70% admission rate to G5 and Hong Kong’s top three universities –
this system played a big part.”
AI is wings, not a replacement
At the end of the interview,
Ben stood in front of MIS’s most beautiful spot –the honours wall,
covered with graduates’ offer letters:
Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, UCL, HKU, Amherst…
“Our AI strategy is very clear:
treat AI as a tool.
Teach children how to use it,
when to use it,
and when absolutely not to use it.
Academic rigour matters,
but character, sport, the arts – none can be left behind.”
“AI will help our children fly faster,
but it will never replace them.
The future is complex and uncertain –
but the children at MIS
are already ready.”
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