SI + Technology
As technology becomes a more and more prevalent part of our lives and the settings in which children play and learn, we believe it is important to give special care and attention to how interactions are still the essential building blocks of relationships and learning. Whether a learning setting is filled with books, toys, laptops, or tablets, interactions should be central.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, online interactions have become more common. As more buzz start to build about using artificial intelligence as “tutors” for students, we wondered, “What is it that makes human tutoring truly ‘human’?”
Three graduate researchers from the Harvard Graduate School of Education used Simple Interactions tools to look closely at human connections during one-on-one virtual math tutoring sessions. In partnership with Andromeda Math Partners (AMP), Alyssa Niemiec (a former math teacher and current principal), Rikki Ann Haney (a former and current teacher), and Xiaoyue Dai (current researcher) reviewed videos of math tutor sessions to answer what makes human interactions “human” in virtual individual tutoring. Then, they facilitated a workshop with the online tutors to discuss how can identifying and discussing these human interactions can support the tutors’ ongoing work. The full report can be found here!
Our colleagues at the Fred Rogers Institute have been exploring how quality interactions occur between adults and children when technology is present in a classroom setting. They want to better understand how technology and interactions work together to enhance learning and development. They also offer specific support to educators, caregivers, and families around how technology can support and enhance interactions, and how to ensure technology does not detract from the deep and simple moments between adults and children.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, online interactions have become more common. As more buzz start to build about using artificial intelligence as “tutors” for students, we wondered, “What is it that makes human tutoring truly ‘human’?”
Three graduate researchers from the Harvard Graduate School of Education used Simple Interactions tools to look closely at human connections during one-on-one virtual math tutoring sessions. In partnership with Andromeda Math Partners (AMP), Alyssa Niemiec (a former math teacher and current principal), Rikki Ann Haney (a former and current teacher), and Xiaoyue Dai (current researcher) reviewed videos of math tutor sessions to answer what makes human interactions “human” in virtual individual tutoring. Then, they facilitated a workshop with the online tutors to discuss how can identifying and discussing these human interactions can support the tutors’ ongoing work. The full report can be found here!
Our colleagues at the Fred Rogers Institute have been exploring how quality interactions occur between adults and children when technology is present in a classroom setting. They want to better understand how technology and interactions work together to enhance learning and development. They also offer specific support to educators, caregivers, and families around how technology can support and enhance interactions, and how to ensure technology does not detract from the deep and simple moments between adults and children.