The Irreplaceable Role of Teachers in AI-Driven Education

The Irreplaceable Role of Teachers in AI-Driven Education

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This article is sourced from: Xinhua Daily
Recently, AI music tool Suno generated hit music in seconds, revolutionizing the music industry. Following that, the AI video generation tool Sora released a surreal blockbuster, shocking Hollywood. With the explosive growth of artificial intelligence technology, the innovation of AI tools has penetrated various industries, and education is no exception. In practice, the “AI + Education” combination is continuously sparking new ideas.
Recently, Tongcheng Tongmei, a well-known programming and robotics education brand in China, held a training session for all instructors themed “Implementing AI Tools in Teaching”. The aim was to help programming instructors better integrate intelligent technology into various aspects of education, forming a complementary, collaborative, and innovative relationship with smart technology.
“From the perspective of educational implementation, AIGC tools undoubtedly can reduce some mechanical workloads for educators, allowing them to focus more on the personalized needs of students,” said Qin Zengchang, an associate professor at Beihang University and a distinguished expert at Tongcheng Tongmei.
Public data shows that Tongcheng Tongmei was founded in 2015. After 8 years of practice and exploration, it has created programming and robotics education solutions suitable for Chinese children aged 3-18, forming a curriculum system centered on creative programming enlightenment, AI programming, and innovative engineering education in robotics, combined with rich science and technology challenge activities and research camps, helping Chinese youth develop the skills and mindset needed to face the future world.

01.

AI Tools Will Serve as Beneficial Aids for Teachers

As we enter the AI era, AI tools can replace some simple repetitive tasks. Therefore, in the practice of AI + education, artificial intelligence has brought about many simplifications and innovations in teaching methods, as well as the possibility of personalized teaching.
Regarding the future role distribution of artificial intelligence and teachers in the classroom, Tongcheng Tongmei CEO Sun Ying believes that there are some repetitive and simplifiable tasks in educational scenarios, such as knowledge search and material generation during lesson preparation, basic homework grading, exam evaluation, and classroom demonstrations. These tasks can be optimized through artificial intelligence.
“The innovation of teaching methods and the possibility of personalized teaching do not come from the AI tools themselves, but rather from the fact that when AI tools help teachers simplify some mechanical tasks, teachers have more time to think about how to innovatively bring more lively and engaging science and technology classes to students,” Sun Ying stated.
AIGC empowers science and technology education on multiple levels; this is the future direction of education. However, Tongcheng Tongmei believes that when exploring the revolution of future learning, the importance of human teachers cannot be overlooked. Teachers themselves are a creative existence, and this creativity will shine even brighter with the empowerment of technology.

The Irreplaceable Role of Teachers in AI-Driven Education

As Professor Li Mang from Beijing Normal University said: “In the era of artificial intelligence, teachers need to strengthen their confidence in their leading role. No matter how technology progresses, humans will always be the masters of technology and tools. Digital technology and intelligent technology are tools; once we have tools, it is not the tools that play a decisive role anymore, but the methods by which humans use these tools.”
Tongcheng Tongmei firmly believes that in science and technology education, the position of teachers is irreplaceable. In the era of artificial intelligence, science education has pressed the “accelerator key”, and the training of science and technology teachers must also accelerate.
Data shows that Tongcheng Tongmei has over 2,000 full-time instructors nationwide, a scale that currently leads in China’s science and technology education field. However, it is this large teaching team, with its excellent professional quality and teaching strength, that has won high satisfaction from many parents and students. Reports indicate that in 2023, the award rate for Tongcheng Tongmei students participating in various domestic and international science and technology competitions reached 99%, with 1,208 students winning first, second, and third prizes, and 224 winning world championships.

02.

Tongcheng Tongmei Instructor Team:

Carefully Selected, Fully Trained, and Continuously Improved

Sun Ying once mentioned in an interview that she believes the biggest bottleneck restricting the development level of science and technology education is the shortage of excellent instructor resources. Without teachers, there is no education; without excellent science and technology education instructors, there is no successful science and technology education. Therefore, Tongcheng Tongmei insists on making the construction of the teacher team a core task of the company’s development. In the process of constantly exploring how to build a professional science and technology education teacher team, Tongcheng Tongmei has developed a comprehensive training system.
It is reported that to become a Tongcheng Tongmei instructor, one must go through multiple rounds of selection. After passing the interview and obtaining training qualifications, each new teacher must undergo at least three rounds of strict training and examinations to become a preparatory instructor. The training process is also a strict selection process; even if one passes the interview, teachers can be eliminated at any time during the training and assessment process.
Once becoming a formal instructor at Tongcheng Tongmei, continuous improvement and training of professional knowledge and teaching ability also take place. A relevant person from Tongcheng Tongmei stated that whether for new or old instructors, Tongcheng Tongmei arranges lesson preparation and practice every week. In addition, to strengthen teaching quality management and improve teaching delivery quality, Tongcheng Tongmei has specially established an instructor observation system to strictly evaluate and review the formal teaching process of every teacher nationwide.
Tongcheng Tongmei believes that a qualified science and technology instructor needs to possess competencies in three dimensions, and the cultivation in these areas will run through the teaching career of Tongcheng Tongmei instructors.
The first dimension is professional knowledge literacy.
Professional technical ability is a hard requirement for programming and robotics education instructors. Moreover, due to the practical and interdisciplinary nature of science and technology education, science and technology instructors also need to overcome knowledge limitations, continuously update their knowledge reserves, and expand their understanding of the real world with comprehensive, transferable, and significantly guiding technical knowledge aimed at interdisciplinary teaching. It is reported that Tongcheng Tongmei regularly provides professional technical training for instructors to continuously improve their programming, mechanics, and other technical capabilities.
The second dimension emphasizes mastering innovative scientific teaching methods.
Traditional teaching methods focus on knowledge orientation and subject orientation; however, science and technology education, represented by programming and robotics, requires project-based, situational, and inquiry-practical teaching, emphasizing that teachers should guide students to “research problems like scientists” and “solve problems like engineers” with scientific thinking and skills.
To this end, Tongcheng Tongmei places great importance on training in lesson preparation, teaching design, classroom guidance, and teaching interaction. It is understood that in addition to daily lesson preparation and practice, Tongcheng Tongmei also continuously improves the teaching team’s capabilities through an annual instructor teaching competition. “By using competition as a form, we create a platform for all teachers to exchange teaching experiences, learn from excellent teachers’ teaching methods and skills, and stimulate more inspiration in competitions, providing richer and more interesting classroom experiences for Tongcheng Tongmei’s children,” a relevant person from Tongcheng Tongmei stated.

The Irreplaceable Role of Teachers in AI-Driven Education

The third dimension is educational thinking and skills.
Tongcheng Tongmei believes that the evaluation criteria for excellent instructors not only include outstanding professional technical abilities and superb teaching skills but also understanding education and children. Therefore, Tongcheng Tongmei has launched the “Positive Discipline” family education training series for all instructors, inviting experienced registered positive discipline trainers to share how to understand children’s psychology, communicate correctly with children, and adopt positive education methods to better help children learn and grow in daily teaching.
Technological advancement and talent cultivation rely on education, and the key to education lies in teachers. Being a teacher who respects and trusts children, and who does not disappoint parents’ choices and entrustments, is what Tongcheng Tongmei has always pursued. In the future, Tongcheng Tongmei will enhance its science and technology instructor training system to support the development and growth of every instructor, committed to promoting the development and innovation of science and technology education for Chinese youth, and providing more Chinese children with professional, cutting-edge programming and robotics education!
The Irreplaceable Role of Teachers in AI-Driven Education

Tongcheng Tongmei is committed to teaching Chinese children programming as well.

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The Irreplaceable Role of Teachers in AI-Driven Education

The Irreplaceable Role of Teachers in AI-Driven Education

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Tongcheng Tongmei online course introduction, everything you are interested in is here!

The Irreplaceable Role of Teachers in AI-Driven Education

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