“It’s Not Cheating, It’s Revolutionary”: How AI Tools Can Support Neurodivergent Educators

Alt text: Person wearing artificial intelligence headset and goggles. Covered by a curtain with fairy string lights draped across the curtain. 

Navigating the expectations of a neuronormative working environment can be particularly challenging for neurodivergent educators. Often, our neurodivergence goes unrecognised by educational employers, leaving us without the necessary support. This places the onus on us to develop our own work "hacks" to cope with the demands of the job. As the new academic year approaches, I want to share a revolutionary resource: AI tools. These tools can significantly reduce the stress associated with lesson planning and development.

In this post, I’ll introduce three AI tools that I’ve been exploring. One of them, Gamma, was recommended to me by one of my co-directors at ‘Neurodiversity in Education' CIC’. I’ll share more details about Gamma below, but here’s a quick spoiler: it’s brilliant for helping teachers create engaging presentation content.

From my experience as a neurodivergent educator and supporting neurodivergent educators, I’ve learned that we are often very creative and adept at incorporating technology into our teaching. If you haven’t yet embraced AI tools in your teaching preparation, read on to discover how they can reduce the stress and strain of lesson planning while still leaving room for your creativity.

Here are three AI tools that I believe are particularly helpful for lesson planning and development:

1. ChatGPT: This tool is incredibly helpful for generating ideas, facilitating discussions, and providing personalised feedback. Whether you need to create lesson plans or respond to student queries, ChatGPT can save time and inspire creativity. You can also use it to generate a list of questions based on specific texts or research. Personally, I find it invaluable for tidying up my email compositions, saving me time and helping me avoid agonising over sentence construction or overwriting.

2. Perplexity: An AI-driven research assistant, Perplexity helps students explore complex topics by providing concise, well-sourced answers. It’s a great tool for fostering curiosity and deeper understanding. It’s also a useful first-stop research tool for teachers. For example, I recently asked Perplexity about the recent amendments to the Equality Act 2010, and it not only detailed the changes but also explained their significance within the broader context of the Act.

3. Gamma: Transform your teaching materials with Gamma, a tool that turns simple slides into dynamic, interactive presentations. It’s perfect for making lessons more engaging and visually appealing. Gamma is especially helpful if you’re experiencing “subject paralysis,” a state I’ve encountered when feeling particularly stressed or overwhelmed. Simply inputting a few keywords or a sentence related to a subject can generate a presentation framework, providing just the push needed to snap out of that paralysis.

4. Goblin.tools: This suite of AI-powered utilities is designed with neurodivergent people in mind, helping to simplify lesson planning and task management. Goblin.tools can break down complex tasks, generate to-do lists, and even provide accessible content for students with cognitive variance. One of my favourite features is the "Formalizer" tool, which helps with email construction and deciphering the tone of email messages.

Before I go any further, it’s important to acknowledge the concerns surrounding the use of AI in education. Employers may have valid worries about privacy and data security, the accuracy and bias of AI-generated content, and the potential for over-reliance on AI by both educators and learners. These concerns are legitimate, but when used responsibly and ethically, AI can be a powerful tool. To assist educational employers, I’ve addressed some of these concerns below, along with my thoughts and suggestions.

As educators, we’re witnessing a surge in AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gamma, and Goblin.tools, which promise to revolutionise teaching. However, it’s crucial to address the following concerns:

1. Accuracy and Bias: While AI tools can provide quick answers, they aren’t always accurate or free from bias. Educational institutions should consider creating protocols for AI usage that require educators to verify the information presented as fact. This aligns with standard practice, as educators often compare core textbooks with other sources to ensure accuracy and depth of understanding.

2. Privacy and Data Security: Many AI tools collect user data, raising concerns about student privacy. It’s essential to ensure that any tool used complies with data protection regulations and is safe for students. Additionally, educators should avoid inputting personal data or identifiable descriptions of staff or students into AI tools, especially if the data’s storage location is unclear.

3. Over-reliance: There’s a concern that users may become too dependent on AI tools. While this is a valid point, I believe it underestimates the professional integrity of educators—especially neurodivergent educators, who often strive to excel despite receiving insufficient support from their employers.

4. The Human Touch: Education isn’t just about knowledge transfer; it’s also about mentorship, empathy, and connection. While AI can support teaching, it should never replace the human element that is vital to student growth and staff development. Neurodivergent educators want to maximise the time they spend with learners, and by using AI tools to alleviate the stress of modern teaching demands, they can focus more on their roles as teachers and mentors.

As we integrate AI into our teaching, it’s essential to remain vigilant and thoughtful about its impact. Balancing innovation with these concerns will help us harness AI’s potential while safeguarding the integrity of education. Neurodivergent educators are already tapping into the benefits of AI—not only to innovate teaching and learning but also to alleviate the stress and strain of working in an education sector that doesn’t fully recognize or embrace their talents. Let’s not make it any more difficult for neurodivergent educators by restricting access to AI tools when it’s possible to manage this revolution in a calm, reasoned, and inclusive manner.

Neurodivergent educators dip your toe in the AI stream and see how it can work for you!

Happy AI exploring…

Dr A O’Dwyer

Full disclosure: This blog post was written using ChatGPT, with edits and additions made by me, using my acquired knowledge and reasoned understanding of the subject matter.

Links to AI Tools Mentioned:

ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/

Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/

Gamma: https://gamma.app/

Goblin.tools: https://goblin.tools/About