Action Research Details

Ethics statement

As educators, members of the project agree to the following research values: mutual respect, critical engagement, trust, collaboration and inclusion. Standards of conduct and discussions are those expected of teachers in the K-12 space.

Contributions to the project remain the intellectual property of the individual participants and sharing the ideas outside the project must include attribution.

Should it be requested, participants agree to protect the identity of other participants. It is also important that the discussions and processes provide a safe space where participants can express their ideas freely.

Structure

Context: The rapid growth of generative AI options like ChatGPT.  Due to a lack of research into possible problems, generative AI has been banned in most Australian government schools. Ethical issues dominate concerns.

Literature review: There are a number of educators who have spent time exploring and writing about generative AI in the past year, with particular emphasis on ethical issues. However, no broad exploration has been published.

Statement of research focus: The project is focussed on finding out how generative AI can be used safely and well in schools. As teachers use the tools in their work we will uncover ways that the tools can be useful and ways they can’t. In doing so it will guide teachers and school leaders on how best to introduce the tools to students. 

Action plan and its implementation

We are looking for between 25-30 participants across the 3 major school systems, Government, Catholic and Private

On 9th of August 2023 We Teach Well will post a call for participants on Linkedin, and other social media networks. This call will remain active until the end of September this year or when places are filled, whichever comes first.

A launch event will take place during the Victorian Government’s DIF2023 festival. It will be recorded in the week beginning 21st August 2023, or earlier if registrations are full.

During the launch we will hear from a selection of educators, some of whom are already running programs in schools.

Participants will start to track ways they are using generative AI tools and reflect on their processes.

Beginning in November 2023, there will be opportunities to bring results and learnings to the larger group. This will probably take the form of an online workshop session.

Participants will have the opportunity to communicate informally with each other to discuss things that come up in the research.

The plan will be to collate and publish the results at the DIF2024 festival.

Data collection methods: Simple forms for examples will be provided, however, the important data is expected to come from the individual reflections throughout the project.

Research findings including data analysis and interpretation:  In early July 2024, the findings will be collated in a form that is inclusive of all aspects and can be interpreted by educators. This will include reflections, gained by survey, on the process. It may also include suggestions for moving forward. The publication of learnings will be such that it is a useful tool for education systems as they develop policies around the use of generative AI.

AI Action Research for K-12 educators – Sign-up form