How Pedagogy & AI Combine to Reduce Teacher Workload and Enhance Student Learning

In a recent webinar we were joined by Dave Neville, the co-founder and CEO of Nurture, who shared insights on how pedagogy and AI can work together to reduce teacher workloads and enhance student learning experiences. This discussion highlighted the importance of integrating pedagogical principles with AI technology to create a supportive and effective educational environment.
This article summarises the main concepts discussed during the webinar. 
 

Introduction to Nurture

Nurture, an AI teaching assistant is designed to support teachers. Nurture was born out of a non-profit organization in Ireland that aimed to help disadvantaged students through one-on-one support. The founders realised the potential of leveraging online tools to reach more students, which led to the creation of Nurture.

Pedagogy first, AI second

A key theme of the webinar was the emphasis on pedagogy over AI. Dave stressed that AI should enhance, not replace, pedagogical practices. Nurture's approach ensures that AI is used to support teachers in their roles, rather than automating tasks without oversight. This human-in-the-loop model is central to Nurture's philosophy.

Reducing teacher workloads

One of the significant challenges in education is managing teacher workloads. Dave discussed how AI can help by streamlining tasks such as grading and providing feedback. For example, Nurture captures student confidence levels with each submission, allowing teachers to tailor their feedback more effectively. This not only saves time but also improves the quality of feedback.

Enhancing student learning

The webinar also highlighted the impact of Nurture on student learning. By encouraging students to reflect on their feedback before seeing their grades, Nurture helps them develop self-awareness and ownership of their learning. Dave shared a compelling example of a student named Rebecca, who showed remarkable improvement in her self-reflection skills over a year.

Real-world impact

Nurture's impact is evident in the success stories from schools using the platform. Teachers at GEMS International Schools saved an average of 4 hours per week on creating assignments, grading and providing feedback. At Shireland Collegiate Academy, teacher grade predictions were within 1% accurate of student GCSE results. This accuracy was attributed to the deep insights teachers gained through Nurture. 

Conclusion

The integration of pedagogy and AI offers a promising path forward for education. By reducing workloads and enhancing learning experiences, tools like Nurture can help teachers focus on what they do best—teaching. As AI continues to evolve, its role in education will undoubtedly grow, but the core principle remains pedagogy first, AI second.

For more information on how your school or trust can benefit from Nurture email: information@entrust-ed.co.uk 

View a recording of the webinar here