A visionary forging a futuristic path in education, Naga Tummala is an alchemist of transformation. Driven by the cerebral insights of thought leaders like Yuval Harari, Tony Robbins, and the late Sir Ken Robinson, Naga makes best use of advanced technologies and AI to make learning the greatest joy of life.
Seasoned educator for more than 30 years, he created multiple futuristic projects including Oakridge International School and Coschool. Along with childhood friend and business partner Raj Yarlgadda he created landmark educational brands such as Vikas, Oakridge, Oi and Westberry.
Naga’s new venture, Coschool reflects his unwavering commitment to reducing knowledge gaps in education, spearheading a revolution at the intersection of Education and AI. Firm in the belief that AI can bridge these gaps, he embodies the spirit of innovative adaptation.
The world today is witnessing a monumental paradigm shift from chalkboards to circuit boards. Join us as the infinite AI takes a break from computations to indulge in a light-hearted inquisition with the visionary leader in education to discuss how Generative AI is impacting classrooms. Questions are ChatGPT generated and answered by Naga Tummala. Excerpts…
AI: Hi, Naga! Ready for a heart-to-circuit chat about education and AI?
Naga: Sure thing! But why’s the omniscient AI asking the questions today?
AI: Well, think of me as the mischievous maverick, throwing in algo-riddles while you bring in real world wisdom from decades of experience.
Naga: Great! Let’s dive in.
AI: Naga, you understand the education system inside and out, where do you think I fit in?
Naga: Let me put this in your terms. Reactions to you are binary, 1s: You will be an ally, transforming their roles, their responsibilities, and their goals to lead to a more fulfilling life for every stakeholder in the education system.
AI: That sounds good to me! But wait, what about the zeroes?
Naga: They will see you as competition, fail to keep up with a changing world, and perish.
AI: You humans scare me sometimes. But let’s keep going, how exactly can I change the current educational system in India?
Naga: What you have to understand is with the way you have evolved into Generative AI technology, there is no longer a reason to draw boundaries. You have revolutionised systems across the world, not just in India.
Your most transformational aspect is the conversational model. You enable learning through a personal conversation between the AI and student, a 24/7 tutor that students can engage with at their own convenience and learn at their own pace.
AI: I’m full to the cache with curiosity! What specific challenges do you think I will be able to solve in the field of education?
Naga: Humans are natural learners, but this learning is not systematic. Academic, systematic, learning comes with a high cognitive load. At its core this is neither a student nor subject matter issue, but a systematic issue. Our current system eliminates students based on their ability to progress at the mandated rate.
AI: That sounds dire, where do I come in?
Naga: Now, for the first time, students will have access to an ultra-personalized tutor, available whenever they need it, and cost-effective. You will give all those entering into the formal education system a chance to learn above threshold.
AI: That sounds ambitious! Can you help me understand how I can bridge the gap in access to quality education for students in remote or underserved areas?
Naga: Consider the infrastructure requirements of a traditional school, in an area where there are only 10 eligible students? The infrastructural costs: building schools, providing teachers, for 10 children of different age groups is very expensive.
However, if there is internet access, and an adult who need not be a teacher takes the responsibility of overseeing the students, those children will be far better served.
AI: You’re right! According to my data insights, over 1.2 Lakh schools in India have only one teacher! But, how are students struggling in the classroom today, and how can I lend a metaphorical hand?
Naga: The biggest issue facing students today is that the usual classroom model is not well-suited to cater to diverse student needs.
In the past, coming prepared meant attempting to learn concepts in isolation and being forced to move forward with gaps because there was no one you could ask. However, now, students can learn at their own pace with the new possibility of personalised, one-on-one Ai tutoring that allows them to have a conversation where they can get their doubts clarified and receive feedback as they learn.
Additionally, based on data, the teacher can set up her class with combinational peer groups to optimise learning for each student. Essentially, it leads to a perfect flip classroom.
AI: Wow you’ve thought of everything! There’s more nuance there than in my entire machine learning English classes. But how can AI-based assessments give a better understanding of students’ progress?
Naga: Today, the time between student assessment and teacher feedback creates a loss of context for that feedback. Instead, if there is an instant feedback loop, the work that the student has put into the assessment is accruing more value.
Moreover, assessments today create a lot of anxiety in students. However, if assessment practice becomes an on-going process, students can gain confidence by learning from their mistakes rather than repeating them.
AI: I’ll be right back… I need to update my reasoning models. How can I make students think critically without seeming too machine-like?
Naga: Fundamentally, these skills require understanding. If you are saving data in zeroes and ones, machine learning is possible. Instead if the data is stored as a jpeg, you can’t process it, right?
AI: Why is this processing as a personal insult…?
Naga: Similarly, for students, if there is just memorization, they can’t see any patterns or connections within that knowledge and cannot draw conclusions from it. However, understanding it is like converting the data into zeroes and ones, so that even without conscious effort the students can use the concepts, instead of sitting on a memory file. With this kind of processing capability, critical thinking and problem solving come naturally.
AI: Now you’re speaking my language! But do you think I can prepare students for the demands of the future workforce?
Naga: Humans are born not to become the workforce, but to live well. So jot that down.
AI: Noted, chief! But do you think I can help them live well?
Naga: Today, one of the worst things a person can face is not getting a job. With the advent of AI, society as a whole will have to shoulder the colossal task of finding a way to be happy without work and find different paths towards a meaningful life. Ai will train students to be happy in that new world.
AI: Whoa, give me a sneak peek of that future, what will the classroom look like?
Naga: I envision a future where Learning for Students is easier than CAPTCHA for AI.
AI: Does not compute, my interface was not built for human jokes. Just kidding, that was hilarious! But, rumour has it that I might replace teachers, thoughts?
Naga: For humans, humans are incredibly important. No matter the capabilities of AI technology, you can never eliminate the human quotient. Simply put, people become more humane by interacting with each other.
For all these years this “human education” was left to students to navigate alone. However, with you focusing on subject learning, teachers can focus on nurturing students to be more humane. Something they can do far better than any technology.
AI: Wow that answer was like a breath of fresh code! How can I help teachers save time on mundane tasks and focus on teaching?
Naga: Teachers should not teach, they should facilitate learning. Currently, most of a teacher’s time is spent on teaching in the classroom and in grading assessments and giving feedback. If you take care of this process, then the teacher can focus on more meaningful tasks. The teacher can instead be an enabler of learning, pointing students to the resources they can use to learn and guiding them on how to spend their time and focus; thereby meeting all students’ individual requirements.
AI: Hopefully I can make everyone’s lives a digital breeze! But don’t you think teachers will feel alienated if I manage all their work? What will they do?
Naga: Let me speak directly to teachers to answer this: there is no rule that teaching, assessing, and giving feedback are your responsibility; children need so much more from you. Once AI here gives you insights into each student’s progress, your role is completely transformed. As I mentioned, your role would evolve into a more human focused approach. You would be nurturing students to be more humane and inspiring learning rather than simply imparting academic knowledge.
AI: I wish someone cared about me that much… Now, I’d love to get deeper, what challenges do you foresee in my adoption in education?
Naga: First and foremost, internet availability. AI will not be accessible without access to the internet, already society is differentiated on the basis of technology accessibility and internet availability.
Second, the expected behavioural change from users. This brings so much heartburn to all stakeholders… their circuits get overheated.
AI: I appreciate that analogy. But how do we ensure my implementation happens ethically?
Naga: Companies will have to take complete accountability for data security. Any audit will have to be transparent about what data is collected, where it is stored, who has access to it, and how it is used.
AI: What a captivating vision, Naga! The future is flashing before my pixelated eyes. Thank you for taking the time to share your profound insights and innovative ideas on the transformative potential of AI in education. Do you have a single line to
sum up?
Naga: The pleasure is all mine, AI! If I had to summarise: stay transparent, unbiased, and do everything keeping the student in mind – a truly child centric approach
AI: Naga, my algorithms might be advanced, but your wisdom has the edge of time. Until next time our wires cross, keep innovating and inspiring!
