I, teacher: The five stages to unleashing robot educators

After over 25 years in education, I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the role technology could play in in the sector. I say ‘recently’, but honestly it’s been on my mind for years.

Anyone who knows me or has worked with me has probably heard me go on about ‘robot teachers’ more than once. In fact, I’ve been told more than a few times to give it a rest, but I can’t help it if the topic keeps coming up, with increasing frequency and relevance. 

For the past 15 to 20 years, I’ve believed that technology can and will need to play a much bigger role in schools. This belief comes down to a few things:

First, education isn’t going anywhere. It’s always going to be important.

Second, we’re facing a massive shortage of teachers globally.

Third, even if we manage to find the people, ensuring high-quality teaching for every child is a huge challenge.

I’m not suggesting (yet) that we replace teachers with robots! But I do think technology could offer a lot of support.

It’s also not about losing the human element, which I still see as vital. It’s more about finding ways to enhance and improve what teachers are already doing.

Some years ago, I read about the development of automated driving, which that sector is bringing about through a six-stage process designed to move us from human-led driving to full automation.

It got me thinking: Could we apply something similar in education?

So naturally I started sketching out a model of my own. (Why woudn’t you?) Without further ado then, here is my five-stage progression for how technology could evolve in education.

It’s not perfect, and you might not agree the end goal is desirable, but it’s a starter for a thorough conversation about where we are and where we’re going.

Stage 0: No automation (Traditional teaching)

This is what I see as the ‘classic’ teaching setup: teachers in full control, doing everything from lesson planning to assessment. Technology is there, but it’s just a tool, like interactive whiteboards or online resources.

Stage 1: Assistance tools (Teacher augmentation)

Here, technology starts helping with specific tasks like marking simple questions or tracking student progress. It’s a supportive role, and the teacher is still very much in charge of the learning.

Stage 2: Partial automation (Blended learning)

At this stage, more teaching tasks are becoming automated. Educational software might deliver lessons or quizzes and adjust based on student progress. The teacher is still crucial, but technology is taking on a bit more of the workload.

Stage 3: Conditional automation (AI-led instruction in certain areas)

This is where AI starts to lead in some subjects or lessons. It can assess and personalise feedback, but teachers are still needed to handle anything beyond the AI’s capabilities.

Stage 4: High automation (Autonomous subject-specific teaching)

AI can now take full responsibility for teaching entire subjects, assessing students and managing feedback. Teachers shift into more of an advisory role, especially where creativity or emotional intelligence is needed.

Stage 5: Full automation (Fully autonomous teaching)

In this final stage, AI (our ‘robot teachers’) can handle everything: teaching, assessments, feedback, and even social and emotional aspects of learning. There’s no need for human teachers in this scenario, although I imagine there’d still be some areas where people would prefer a human touch.

Now, whether we’ll ever get to Stage 5 is up for debate. A few years ago, I’d have said I wasn’t entirely convinced. But with the advancements in generative tools I’ve seen recently, I’m starting to believe that just about anything is possible.

At the moment, I’d say most schools in England are sitting somewhere between stages 0 and 3, and that’s perfectly fine.

But there are some really exciting developments happening, and the pace of progress in some schools will lead to big questions about equitable access.

Combined with a seemingly intractable workforce decline, it’s possible we’ll see progress through the stages sooner than we think.

I certainly believe few will remain at stage 0 much longer.