School District 60 working to improve training and understanding around AI use in schools

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — As a study shows a gap in AI training for teachers in BC, School District 60 is working to improve resources for teachers and staff on using AI in the classroom, including the creation of AI guidelines in December.  

On June 23rd, the Fraser Institute published a study based on a survey of grade 6 to 12 teachers across Canada on AI training and school policies around its use. 

According to the study, 41.7 per cent of teachers in British Columbia say their school or respective school board has provided training on the use of AI for lessons and in-class materials, while 52.4 per cent say they have not been provided with training. 

Among provinces and regions in Canada, the province has the second-lowest rate of teachers who say they have received training on AI use in the classroom, according to the study. 

Of teachers in BC, 31 per cent say their school has a policy on AI for staff, while 39 per cent say their school has a policy for students. Forty-four per cent of teachers in the province say their school does not have any AI policies.  

In BC, 32 per cent of teachers say their school or school board has provided them with training on how to instruct students on “reasonable” AI use, while 60 per cent say their school or school board has not provided training. 

The study shows only 28 per cent of teachers in BC have been provided with training or tools on how to identify students using AI, while 61 per cent report having received no training. 

Jarrod Bell, the Director of Instruction with School District 60, said that for the last two years, the district has had a committee consisting of teachers, administrators, trustees, and support staff that has been discussing AI and its impacts on education. 

Bell said the school district has been “sharing and learning things together to learn about [AI].”

According to Bell, the school district has been developing AI use guidelines for teachers and students, which were passed by the Board of Education in December. 

Bell said the guidelines focus on protecting privacy, not including personal information in AI, following teachers’ instructions on AI use, respecting the school code of conduct and using approved AI tools. 

“We’ve done some samples about how teachers can use [AI] in classrooms,” said Bell. 

“That’s our work next year, talking about teaching and learning stories of using AI in the secondary and middle grades, is how we can use it with that thoughtful approach of the AI is not doing the work for you,” he said. 

Bell said the school district has given teachers examples on how to use AI, including a “stoplight example” 

“Green light, here’s how you can use AI in a lot of different ways to support your learning and support your work,” said Bell. 

“Yellow light, you can only use it for these kinds of things and all use has to be properly cited for both the green and yellow light and red light; there’s no AI use for this activity.”

Bell explained why he thinks it’s important for the school district to provide staff with resources on AI use.

“It’s an important topic in our society,” he said. “People are expected to use this more and more in work.” 

“It is changing how we work, and we’re quite keen on our students, when they graduate, leaving with the skills needed to enter either post-secondary or into the workforce and this is one of the important skills that people have to be prepared for,” said Bell.