Classrooms—traditionally—have a one-size-fits-all structure. Often, they are not flexible enough to adapt to the increasing pressure of the digital world.
For instance, speed is crucial nowadays in education. With dwindling attention spans, students today must be equipped with quick reading comprehension and task-switching skills. However, each student has their own pace at which they learn. The challenge of a universal approach to learning is even more difficult for students with dyslexia, ADHD, processing disorders, or other learning differences.
A tool that can help? The integration of AI. They are becoming more and more common in educational landscapes thanks to their adaptive learning capabilities and automated grading systems.
For teens with learning differences, AI tech is definitely promising. In this article, we’ll discuss how AI is a complementary tool for human teachers to better teach students regardless of their learning styles or challenges.
Understanding Learning Differences in Teens
Learning differences aren’t rare or isolated in education. It’s actually more common than you think. According to the National Center for Education (NCES), 15% of public school students (aged 3-21) received special education from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA in the school year 2022 to 2023. Around 32% of these cases are students with specific learning disabilities.
Some of the most common learning differences are:
- ADHD or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder — Students struggle to keep their attention during reading or lengthy lectures.
- Dyslexia — Students may experience difficulty in recognizing written words and may read slower.
- Dyscalculia — Students have trouble understanding relationships in numbers and mathematical concepts, particularly spatial, geometry, time, sequence, order, and more.
- Processing Disorders — Students may find it hard to follow verbal instructions, differentiate between similar sounds, or stay focused in a noisy school environment. Others may also have auditory processing disorder and visual processing disorder.
Rigid teaching styles will make learning difficult for students with learning differences. For instance, if the teachers heavily stick to lectures and textbooks, a student with ADHD may find it hard to concentrate throughout the lesson. Some students learn by watching videos, and some by doing hands-on activities. Instead of focusing on what’s “wrong,” teachers must put their attention on the student’s strengths. Understanding these early empowers you to conduct early interventions and guide them to a learning process that works best for them.
How AI Creates Personalized Learning Experiences
The great thing about AI-powered systems is that they can adapt based on how the students learn. For example, if a student struggles with one concept, the platform won’t rush to the next assignment or next activity. It keeps up to the pace of the learner, gives more examples, or simplifies the explanation. An online math AI calculator can help students to support their needs according to their learning style. It won’t be frustrating for a student who takes time to understand. Instead, it offers a step-by-step solution and calculations to solve the math problem.
Not everyone learns the same way. An adaptive system analyzes the best approach and adjusts accordingly. For example:
- Visual learners → Get videos, charts, and diagrams.
- Auditory learners → Get spoken explanations and podcasts.
- Hands-on learners → Get interactive exercises or simulations.
- Reading/Writing learners → Get detailed written explanations and quizzes.
Plus, students can get their feedback immediately instead of waiting for days. If the student gets wrong answers, they can get the explanations immediately so they learn what they did wrong.
AI Tools for Reading and Writing Support
Text-to-speech (TTS) and speech-to-text (STT) tech are helpful for students with dyslexia as they would only need to listen to the words as well as those with ADHD so they can be engaged. Those with dysgraphia, for instance, think better out loud so using STT would help them. These tools help with providing an accessible learning environment for students with learning challenges.
Other tools like grammar and spelling assistance are helpful for everyone, but even more for people with learning differences. For example, a student with ADHD writing an essay may miss catching small mistakes. Such tools can boost their confidence in submitting their assignments and reducing frustration.
AI Solutions for Focus and Attention Management
Today, many tools and systems are more available. They help maintain focus, especially for those with ADHD. For instance, there are many techniques that students use like the Pomodoro — a 25-minute with 5-minute break cycle to make maintaining focus manageable in smaller chunks. There are tools with gamification.
Platforms have game-like features that make learning fun. It has rewards, challenges, and points a student can earn that could boost motivation. Meanwhile, there are also software solutions that could help students focus by blocking distractions. For example, for students who can’t stop using their phone, some apps are available to “block” usage.
Emotional Support and Confidence Building
While AI-powered tools don’t have emotions like humans, they can offer emotional support by giving a judgment-free environment. AI tutors and educational platforms don’t judge students when they make mistakes. This is not to say human teachers do, but students may feel more comfortable with these platforms. They explain, correct, and offer extra practice to students. Students can freely redo their mistakes, learn from it, and take as much time as they need.
Addressing Concerns and Limitations
There are a couple of things to consider about when it comes to using AI educational tools. For one, many worry about privacy concerns understandably. When choosing tools, pick those that comply with data policies and disable unnecessary features like the microphone, camera and location.
Another thing to note is the worry of some educators that AI will replace human teachers. In fact, AI are built to complement and enhance them, not replace humans. The mentorship and emotional support humans can offer students are irreplaceable.
Conclusion
AI is a friend, not an enemy. They work hand in hand with human teachers to improve the learning process, which should be the ultimate goal for everyone involved. They are meant to complement them. Teaching and learning face-to-face is still one of the most powerful ways to connect with students.
Also read:
5 Ways to Help Your Teen with Anxiety
Image credit: Giovanni Gagliardi on Unsplash
