As educators, we’ve witnessed countless technological shifts and AI has now come to test us. I have been watching the evolution of AI in education over the past few years, spending time reading and thinking about the best way forward for Ascham. From the initial caution of 2023, to the encouraging implementation throughout 2024, to walking back the enthusiasm somewhat this year, it has been interesting to attend conferences and hear the range of approaches of others.
Despite the embracing of AI by our students, albeit misconduct, plagiarism and old-school cheating, we have held fast to the line that there is much to preserve about harder, slower engagement with skills and knowledge. We have also waited for age-appropriate tools. Meanwhile, staff have spent time listening to speakers, attending professional learning and experimenting with AI tools to assist with teaching.
Rather than racing into adoption or burying our heads in the sand, I’ve chosen a thoughtful path of rigorous experimentation grounded in Ascham’s values and context. Now, with the deployment of CoPilot 13+, we are ready to test a collaborative approach between students and AI.
The market is flooded with AI solutions promising to revolutionise education. The question is: will these tools erode the very skills we’ve spent careers cultivating in our students such as deep thinking, sustained reading, robust memory, genuine intellectual struggle?
To answer this we’re conducting bespoke research tailored to our girls, curriculum and Dalton principles. We’re spending the time asking what should we preserve what’s non-negotiable.
We’ve established a working group of teachers across all departments in the Senior School focusing on assessment models and assignment guidelines, creating space for staff to voice concerns, experiment safely and shape the direction together. The conversations have been rich and robust as we navigate NSW’s mandatory ethical principles around AI in terms of community benefit, fairness, privacy, transparency and accountability. These shape every decision we make.
Our pilot is built on a foundation of: Dalton Principles First, AI Second. Independence, responsibility, reflection and collaboration are our guides. Students must think independently before turning to AI, explain their reasoning and reflect meaningfully on what changed in their understanding. We’ve also written our own guidelines and assessment model for this pilot.
Leading staff through this disruption is a complex challenge. My role has become part translator, part reassurer, part provocateur and part gate-keeper. It has been a pleasure to lead our staff through this change.
By Dr Joanne Manning | Director of Curriculum and Learning
Discover more about the Dalton Plan at Ascham here.
