Good morning! We asked students what they think about the idea of “humanoid educators” teaching children. Read some of their responses below. But first, here’s a short film to stimulate discussion and writing about the gender gap in auto safety. — The Learning NetworkShort films to get students thinking
In Film Club, we feature short Times videos that challenge assumptions and offer new perspectives. We recently featured “Buckle Up, Women. Cars Still Aren’t Built for You,” a nine-minute Times Opinion video that looks at the gender gap in auto safety. Here is how the Opinion section introduces the video: In November 2024, the filmmaker Eve Van Dyke was headed to Thanksgiving dinner with her family. Then her car crashed. She noticed the women in the car ended up with more injuries than the men. Turns out, that wasn’t just a coincidence. In the United States, women are 73 percent more likely to be severely injured in vehicle crashes than men, and 17 percent more likely to die. To understand why, Ms. Van Dyke dug through the half-century history of auto safety in the United States. In the Opinion Video above, she reveals her disturbing discovery. We invite students to watch the film, and then tell us what they think. Recent Times reporting about schools
More teaching resources from The Learning Network
Student Activity: making claims, finding evidence
“What’s Going On in This Picture?” is probably our most popular weekly feature, and it runs through May 11 this year. If you and your students haven’t tried it yet, here is this week’s image. What’s going on in this picture? What do you see that makes you say that? What more can you find? These three questions are all you need. Invite your class to join the conversation. Before you go, see what teens are saying about robot teachers.
Would you want a robot for a teacher? That’s the future Melania Trump, the first lady, envisioned at a recent educational summit. We asked teenagers, and while a few were intrigued by the idea of an all-knowing, always-available educator, the vast majority found the concept “creepy,” “dystopian,” even “laughable.” Here is some of what they said: Education is about much more than memorizing facts; it relies on real interpersonal connections. While a robot can answer questions instantly and never lose its patience, a robot doesn’t have authentic emotions needed for true learning. As a high school student I know that I perform best when I have a close relationship with my teachers; It is their personal support that motivates me to do my best. A machine can help me understand a complicated formula but it can’t analyze the mood in the room, comfort a nervous student, or really celebrate our success … A robot may have a perfect memory but only a teacher has a soul. — Tamar, Israel The article talks about how these robots would have access to “humanity’s entire corpus of information.” A teacher knowing everything would find it difficult to connect with students. Often, I connect best with a teacher when we are both learning. Learning is the most human thing imaginable, and even teachers are still learning. — Sam, St. Peter Kids would certainly not respect a robot as a teacher, especially today because some kids can’t even respect a normal teacher. I believe having a robot teacher would make schools fall apart. Kids wouldn’t behave or listen and it would distract the other students who want to learn. — Nathaniel, Baldwinsville This is so dystopian and I honestly can’t believe it’s not a joke. A robot teacher would completely eliminate the skill and passion for teaching that a real teacher has, replacing it with a lifeless chunk of metal. — Kolin, Bville We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to LNfeedback@nytimes.com. More next week.
|
