AI-Supported Pedagogy in Irish Primary Schools: Opportunities and Challenges
摘要
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly shaping the pedagogical landscape of Irish primary education, offering new avenues for enhancing teaching and learning across the curriculum. This chapter explores how primary school teachers in Ireland are incorporating AI tools, particularly large language models like ChatGPT, into classroom practice. Some teachers are integrating AI across all subjects taught at primary level, using it to support lesson planning, resource creation, and pupil engagement. ChatGPT is also being exploited in specific subjects with the mainstream media reporting on teachers using AI to help them to design interactive historical narratives, simulate dialogues with historical figures, and generate differentiated reading materials and quizzes, thereby supporting inclusive and personalised learning. AI is also being used to facilitate project-based learning by helping pupils brainstorm research ideas, structure presentations, and make cross-curricular connections, particularly in subjects such as history, geography, and art. This chapter examines these applications, considering both the opportunities AI presents for pedagogical innovation and the challenges it raises, including issues of teacher preparedness, ethical use, and classroom integration. The analysis highlights evolving teacher roles and the broader implications of AI-supported pedagogy in Irish primary schools.