Artificial intelligence (AI) has long been touted as a potential solution for improving literacy rates among children. However, recent experiments with AI in the field of reading instruction have revealed significant limitations. AI may not yet be the answer to assisting early readers, but are we fully utilizing the digital tools available to us?
In an experiment conducted by OpenAI, the company’s chatbot, ChatGPT, was asked to play the role of a world-class reading teacher. When faced with challenging words such as “night,” “name,” “bike,” and “hamburger,” ChatGPT made several glaring errors that no competent teacher or tutor would make. It suggested incorrect associations between letters and sounds and even proposed children memorizing words as sight words from flashcards.
While AI shows promise, it is clear that it is not yet ready to tutor early readers effectively. This is a significant setback for addressing the consequences of children exiting 1st grade without the ability to read and write basic words and sentences. Renowned education researcher Robert Slavin likened this failure to allowing children to fall off a cliff and only providing remedial reading programs at the base. It is far more effective to prevent children from falling in the first place through adequate instruction.
No reading researcher advocates for a single solution to teaching phonics or all critical reading skills. However, there is a consensus on the need to improve the quality of teacher training on phonics and implement knowledge-building curricula to prevent reading failure.
Despite these limitations, there is still hope for utilizing technology in reading instruction. The Florida Center for Reading Research held a conference in August 2022 to discuss the possibility of screen-based devices offering children a phonics “superpower.” This superpower would allow children to touch or click on any word on a screen and immediately see and hear how the letters and sounds come together.
While there are existing apps and software packages that provide some level of support for decoding words, they are often limited in scope. The challenge lies in creating a comprehensive database informed by phonics and orthographic-mapping pedagogy that can be integrated into all screen-based devices and programs.
With the advancements in AI, this audacious project may now be more feasible than ever before. It is crucial for Big Tech companies to collaborate and contribute to building this kind of database to empower struggling readers and provide them with the necessary tools for literacy success.
The source of the article is from the blog oinegro.com.br