Artificial intelligence as a didactic tool in multi-graded schools (Original)

Abstract

The research addresses the potentials of Artificial Intelligence as a didactic tool for improving the teaching-learning process in multi-graded educational institutions in the Cuban rural context. It starts from the contradiction between a national curriculum designed for graded schools and the reality of classrooms where one teacher simultaneously serves multiple grades. The objective of the article is to propose a system of methodological workshops for the preparation of teachers in the ethical and didactic use of AI, which favors attention to diversity and the personalization of learning. The study methodology was descriptive (observation, interviews, documentary analysis) and propositional, with a participatory action-research approach in multi-graded classrooms in San Luis municipality, Santiago de Cuba province. The study population consisted of 45 teachers from the 22 multi-graded schools, and an intentional sample of 20 teachers, who teach in the schools located in the most remote rural communities of “El Palmar” Popular Council, was selected. The fundamental result is a system of methodological workshops for teacher professionalization that integrates free-access AI tools (such as conversational assistants and content generators) for the creation of self-study guides and differentiated activities. It is concluded that the controlled introduction of AI, mediated by adequate teacher preparation, can significantly contribute to equity and educational quality in rural areas of Cuba.