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A University of Maryland-led team has received a $4.5 million grant from the Gates Foundation/Walton Family Foundation to improve artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool to strengthen math instruction and boost learning.

The researchers will develop a large-scale, open-source dataset for AI model training tools focused on K–12 math education, sourced over the next three years from classroom recordings of 300 instructors around the country who teach fourth to eighth graders.

Jing Liu, an assistant professor of education policy in UMD’s College of Education who is the lead principal investigator on the project, said the team aims to cover school districts from many different localities and that serve students from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

It’s been a year since ChatGPT stormed into classrooms. Its most common users have been students looking for homework aid—or shortcuts—and teachers who use it to create tailored, on-the-spot lesson plans.

A group of researchers, though, are asking a new question: Can generative AI help teachers teach better?

New research released in November shows that when teachers engage with frequent, personalized and on-demand feedback about their teaching practice, they ask richer, more analytical questions in their mathematics or science classes. The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Maryland, Harvard University, and Stanford University, also found that teachers engaged with feedback when it was directly emailed to them, suggesting that feedback needs to be provided in a succinct and accessible manner.

With technological breakthroughs in generative AI happening at unparalleled speed, it’s useful to remember the social nature of education and the consequent importance of teachers.

The free exchange of ideas through small-group work, the laughter that takes place naturally in the classroom, the curious eyes, and the raised hands—all reflect human learning. When the social elements are missing or compromised, as they were during COVID-19 school building closures, it is challenging for schools to help students engage and learn.

Chalk up another entry on the list of jobs that artificial intelligence might be able to take on in schools: instructional coaching.

New research shows that receiving feedback from an AI observer prompts teachers to engage more deeply with students during class—leading them to more regularly acknowledge student contributions and encourage their questions.