At AGH Advisors, we believe technology should empower, not replace, the human presence in education. Today, many AI tools are designed to standardize the role of educators, aiming for scalability. In business, "standardization" is often equated with efficiency, a key step toward achieving "scale" and non-linear returns on investment. However, in education, this push for uniformity can miss the mark entirely.
Unlike many business models, education isn't about producing a "standardized" product. Every student is unique, and the goal is to nurture individuals who will grow into diverse and distinct adults. A society that tries to suppress individuality risks drifting toward dystopia. To avoid turning schools into factories that churn out conformity, we need to reframe our approach to teaching, making sure humans remain at the heart of the classroom.
Several challenges stand in the way:
Profit Motive in Education: Schools, even those run as trusts in India, face the constant temptation to cut costs, often investing in cheaper technology at the expense of qualified, passionate educators.
Standardized Testing: Society—including parents, educators, and governments—relies heavily on standardized test scores as the ultimate measure of success. This narrow focus can limit creativity and critical thinking.
Technology Overload: As our lives become increasingly mediated by technology, education is not immune to this trend. Marc Andreessen's idea that "software is eating the world" has never been more relevant. The pandemic accelerated this shift, pushing more schools to rely on technology, sometimes at the cost of meaningful human interaction.
So, how do we maintain a human-centered approach in education while still benefiting from technological advances? At AGH Advisors, we are exploring innovative ways to strike this balance. One such direction involves developing micro-tools that educators can use to enhance, not replace, their teaching.
For example, we’ve built a tool based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, which categorizes cognitive learning into six levels: Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, and Creating. Our tool helps educators quickly classify their assessment questions according to these levels.
Here’s how it works: an educator submits an assessment to the tool, which then analyzes each question. Suppose a question asks students to recall the capital of a state—this would be categorized as "Remembering." Another question might ask students to compare and contrast two economic systems—this would fall under "Analyzing." Based on this breakdown, the educator can then decide whether they need more questions that foster higher-order thinking, such as "Creating" (e.g., designing a new government policy), or if they should adjust the balance in line with their objectives.
Supporting Indian Language Content: One of the unique features of our micro-tool is its ability to work with content in Indian languages such as Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, and others. This makes the tool highly adaptable and accessible for educators working in diverse linguistic environments across India. For example, a teacher preparing assessments in Tamil can seamlessly use the tool to evaluate whether the questions cover different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. This feature is particularly helpful in regions where students are educated in their native languages, as it ensures that the analysis and insights from the tool can be applied in a culturally and linguistically relevant context.
Example of Micro-Tool Usage: A teacher designing a final exam for a 10th-grade history class submits their questions to the tool. The results show that 70% of the questions fall under "Remembering" and "Understanding," while only 10% are in "Analyzing" or "Creating." Armed with this insight, the teacher revises the exam to include more higher-order questions that encourage critical thinking and problem-solving, better aligning the assessment with the course's learning goals. Whether the questions are in English, Hindi, or Kannada, the tool adapts seamlessly, providing a consistent and meaningful analysis.
By creating more tools like this, AGH Advisors aims to support educators in keeping their classrooms human-centered, while also leveraging the power of technology in meaningful, intentional ways that respect the linguistic diversity of India
The content of this post was edited using ChatGPT, a large language model developed by OpenAI. It was used to assist with drafting, language refinement, and structuring of ideas."
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