In the U.S. there’s a private school called Alpha School that has decided to completely transform the way students learn. The most surprising thing is that in this school there aren’t traditional teachers anymore, instead students are learning through artificial intelligence (AI).
This has caught the attention of many people because Alpha School stated that its students are showing better results than the national average, although the method is very different to normal schools.
What’s more, it’s one of the most expensive schools in the country. So, let’s find out more about this school’s method.
How Alpha School works
Alpha School is nothing like a traditional school: there are no teachers explaining lessons. However, students learn by looking at the lessons on a computer, created and led by artificial intelligence.
It’s true there are adults in the classrooms, but they are not teachers. These people are ‘’guides’’ and they just watch students work, they don’t use any books, explain anything, nor solve any doubt.
Samantha DePalo, a guide, explained in a clear way the following: “I don’t have to teach out of a textbook or an online curriculum.” She even said that she does not teach at all. This means that if a student has a question, they will not receive immediate help from a teacher, because in Alpha School that role doesn’t exist.
How students learn
Students spend 2 hours a day studying the main subjects like maths or reading, which are completely delivered by artificial intelligence (no human intervention). After this, students spend 6 hours doing activities called ‘’life skills sessions’’ and they learn skills such as: perseverance, independence, and selfcontrol. The school states these skills are very useful for adult life, so they are considered as important as school subjects.
Alpha School confirms that with this method most students surpass the national average on academic performance, but they don’t exactly say how those results are measured.
Students’ opinions
A student from 7th grade, Jacob Vandercook, told he prefers to be at school over being on vacation. This comment shows that some students enjoy this learning style, one that’s more independent and based on technology.
Let’s talk about the money
Alpha School is known for its teaching method, but also for its price since it’s considered the most expensive private school in Texas. Let’s have a look at the tuition prices for students:
- $50,000 per year at the Plano, Texas campus
- $40,000 per year at the Fort Worth campus
The school also has campuses in major cities such as: New York City, San Francisco and Tampa.
For families who have more than one child, Alpha School offers a 5% discount on the tuition of the second and the following children.
A different academic method
This school model is a bit shocking for some people because it breaks with all the traditional ideas about what a lesson is. Normally, students learn by listening to a teacher explaining, making questions, and receiving direct guidance from a teacher; but in Alpha School all of that is done through artificial intelligence.
Of course, this method has made people wonder about many things and these are some of the questions to be answered:
- Is it good for children not to have human teachers?
- Can artificial intelligence fully replace real explanations for difficult subjects?
- Is it helpful for students to spend so many hours only on life skills?
So…
Would this be a great academic model for you? Obviously, some schools are getting more technological but there are still teachers in charge of teaching the lessons to students. Only time will tell whether this type of learning becomes more common or stays as an uncommon alternative.