The next digital revolution in the classroom

A hypothetical scenario: Anastasia has been struggling with her homework for hours. The clock at the top right of the tablet jumps to 20:12, pulling her attention back to the task on the screen: a right-angled triangle on which one side is marked with an "x". The task is short:" Знайдіть X " – "Find X". Although her teacher has translated the task into the young Ukrainian's native language, she found it difficult to follow in class. Her parents can't help her much either. She clicks on an icon on the tablet and types into a chat window: "Розкажи мені про теорему Піфагора" – "Explain the Pythagorean theorem to me". The chatbot loads briefly before giving her a customised explanation with illustrations and examples, including references to Luxembourg textbooks. A short time later, Anastasia begins to tackle the first problems.

In Luxembourg, we are not yet quite at the point where pupils can access official, customised chatbots to help them learn. But this is no longer a utopian dream of the future. For Dr Isabell Baumann, researcher for innovative teaching scenarios with a special focus on digital didactics, AI tools are "a huge game changer" for both teaching staff and students.

New tools for teachers and pupils

First and foremost, of course, are chatbots, which are now part of everyday life for many people anyway: "As a supplement to face-to-face lessons with a real teacher, these can be a really excellent solution, " says Baumann. Especially for learning outside the classroom. "Educational inequalities, which can be attributed primarily to the socio-economic circumstances of the parents or because they don't have the necessary language or educational background, are still very pronounced in Luxembourg." As decoupled as education should theoretically be from parents, in practice they still play a decisive role in school success.