“Big picture, AI is not very good at math,” says Alex Kotran, co-founder and CEO of The AI Education Project, in an article in The 74. “Language models just predict the next word. You get mixed results using language models to do math. It’s not yet mature enough to where it can be trusted to be scaled.”
Critics worry improvements might stop kids from trying and failing on their own. But Kotran believes students would lose out if “we get rid of productive struggle and we build this instinct where the first thing you do is go to AI for help.”
A recent survey found 56% of students think AI could go a long way in reducing math anxiety.
Fifteen percent of the 1,500 high school students surveyed say they have already experienced this relief themselves. Slightly more than 1 in 5 say their math scores improved because of the technology.
Sixty-one percent of teachers surveyed say students view AI as “a mentor or study partner rather than a crutch.” Nearly half “see value for students in using AI for help with the process of learning math concepts, rather than to give answers.”
More districts are training staff to use the technology, though many educators remain reluctant. Terrie Galanti, associate professor at the University of North Florida, says AI success in student learning depends on how teachers are use it.
“AI can be more than an explainer or an answer giver,” says Galanti. “With thoughtful prompts, AI can become part of interactive, collaborative conversations to deepen mathematics understanding.”
Latrenda Knighten, president of The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics told Education Week students will still need to rely on their own discernment to solve mathematical problems — regardless of what tools become available.
“We know that children learn math from being able to problem-solve, being able to use reasoning skills, critical thinking, having opportunities to collaborate with each other and talk about what they’re doing,” Knighten says.
“AI chatbots can help students learn math, and they can help teachers to support students, but this is not about asking ChatGPT to solve a math problem,” says Irina Lyublinskaya, professor in the department of mathematics, science, and technology at Teachers College, Columbia University.
“Chatbots can be trained as teaching assistants or tutors that can provide students proper scaffolding and feedback, helping them to learn math the same way they would with a real person,” she says.
Zachary A. Pardos is an associate professor of education at the University of California Berkeley found, in a study conducted a year ago that 25% of the answers provided by ChatGPT in algebra were incorrect.
“That’s pretty high. Much higher than you would want,” he says.
But technology has improved. “With the right techniques — at least in algebra — from an error perspective, I feel it is ready for real-time intervention in math,” he says.
The 74
